Whitney Warner
Whitney Warner
Albuquerque
New Mexico (NM)
Employment & Labor
Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
Employment Litigation: Defense
Profile
Whitney Warner devotes her practice to employment (employers and employees) and labor law (management), including advice, litigation, and jury trials in the areas of class actions, discrimination, harassment, employment agreements, non-compete agreements, severance, handbooks, labor relations, union elections, wage and hour, and wrongful termination. She is passionate about the field and her clients. Ms. Warner was named as one of 22 attorneys as Best of the Bar 2010 by New Mexico Business Weekly. Ms. Warner is a regular presenter on employment law topics and presented at SHRM's National Conference in 2008, 2009, and 2011.
Selected To
2012 Southwest Super Lawyers — New Mexico
Southwest Super Lawyers 2011
Southwest Super Lawyers 2008
Southwest Super Lawyers 2007
About Whitney Warner
Admitted: 1998, New Mexico
Professional Webpage: www.nmlaborlaw.com/Whitney_Warner.aspx
Honors and Awards:
- Best of the Bar 2010 (one of twenty-two attorneys honored), New Mexico Business Weekly
- Most Dedicated HR Volunteer Leader, Professional Excellence Awards, SHRM of New Mexico, 2003
- Most Passionate HR Professional, Professional Excellence Awards, SHRM of New Mexico, 2005
- SHRM of New Mexico Professional Excellence Award (state's highest honor in the human resources field), Professional Excellence, SHRM of New Mexico, 2009
- Selected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, 2010
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) Certified, 2002
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Appointed to serve on the Federal Local Civil Rules Committee (2009-present)
- New Mexico State Bar Association, Employment and Labor Section (1998-present), Chair (2002-2003), Board Member (2000-2004)
- Chair of Association of Commerce and Industry Workplace Issues Committee 2010, Vice Chair 2011
- SHRM Labor Relations Special Expertise Panel 2007-2010
- HRMA Vice President of Legislative Activities (2000-2007, 2010-present)
- 2008 and 2009 - Vice Chair of the Workplace Issues Committe for the Association of Commerce and Industry (ACI)
- Board Member (2003-2009) and Member of Executive Committe (2009) of the Employer's Disability Resource
- Board of Directors of the Association of Commerce and Industry (ACI), 2009
- Board Member Albuquerque Bar Association, 2010
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Southwest Women's Law Center
- Alexis de Tocqueville Member
- Alpha Leader - 2008, 2009
- PB&J Family Services, 1997-present
- United Way of Cenetral New Mexico Cabinet Member, 2010
Verdicts and Settlements:
- Walton v. Waste Management, $631,625 race discrimination and retaliation jury verdict (representing Plaintiff), 2004
- Rivera vs. Smith's Food and Drug Centers, $442,000 Title VII retaliation jury verdict, attorney fee award of $220,000 (representing Plaintiff), 2006
- Summary judgment granted, and plaintiff and plaintiff's counsel ordered to pay defense fees and costs as a sanction for bringing frivolous case (representing Defendant), 2007
- Co-class counsel in Morgan Stanley gender discrimination class action, $46 million settlement, 2007
- $150,000 settlement in sexual harassment and retaliation case (representing Plaintiff), 2008
- Jury trial - defense verdict on retaliation and breach of implied contract claims (representing Defendant), 2008
- Prevailed on labor arbitration regarding grievance alleging termination without just cause (representing Management), 2009
- Prevailed in federal jury trial on retaliatory discharge; proved subsidiaries of the corporate defendant were an integrated enterprise (representing Plaintiff), 2009
- >$550,000 Settlement in discrimination and FMLA case (representing Plaintiff), 2009
- >$600,000 Settlement sexual harassment and retaliation case (representing Plaintiff), 2009
- Human Rights Bureau award over $160,000 in sexual harassment case (representing Plaintiff), 2009
- Defeated plaintiffs' motion for conditional collective action; summary judgment granted in FLSA misclassification case (representing Defendant), 2010
- Co-Class Counsel in Wachovia Securities/Wells Fargo Advisors national gender discrimination case. Settlement (representing Plaintiff Class), $32 million and programmatic relief, 2011
Educational Background:
- BA in Business Administration, concentration in Human Resource Management
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
