Welcome to the website of MWELA — the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association. MWELA is a 501(c)(4) organization comprised of over 350 lawyers who regularly advise and represent employees in employment and civil rights disputes. MWELA is the local chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, a national organization of more than 3,000 lawyers dedicated to the advancement of employee rights. MWELA supports the orderly and fair development of the law to the benefit of employees. In keeping with its mission, MWELA regularly holds educational programs, discussions, and networking events for its members and in cooperation with other voluntary bar associations. MWELA regularly files amicus briefs on issues of importance in area courts, conducts moot court sessions for its members, and shares information of value to members, enabling them to keep abreast of pertinent developments in the law. Its annual daylong conference is devoted to the latest issues in the practice of employment law.

As advocates for employee rights and civil rights, we work to protect the rights and privileges of employees in both the private and public sectors of the Washington metropolitan area workforce. We are dedicated to promoting workplace fairness and the right of employees to work in an environment free of discrimination. MWELA provides assistance, support and resources to members throughout the metropolitan area to attain the highest ideals of practice and encourage the sharing of expertise and skills to best serve our clients.

Click here to learn more about MWELA.

Looking for a local attorney who specializes in employment law? 
Use our Find A Lawyer search feature to locate MWELA members by practice area and/or state bar affiliation. MWELA offers this directory as a public service. As an organization, MWELA does not endorse or make any representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the services our members provide.


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MWELA is the local affiliate of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA). NELA and its 68 state and local affiliates have more than 3,000 members. We strongly encourage our members to join NELA. For more information about NELA membership, please contact NELA Membership Director, Tacarra Andrade at [email protected] or (415) 296-7629. MWELA members receive a discount on NELA dues.

MWELA members can access our brief bank, listserve and newsletter archives, board meeting information, and other resources. If you are a lawyer and devote a majority of your employment practice to representing plaintiffs, join us.