As demand for our employee-focused legal services has grown, we are excited to welcome three new attorneys to the Jackson Spencer Law team: Associates Sara Barfield and Nikki Britten, and Senior Counsel Ron Woessner.
“Demand for Jackson Spencer Law’s services has grown dramatically in recent years,” said Managing Partner Jennifer Spencer. “The combination of the pandemic, the #MeToo movement, and the raising awareness of systemic racism has made individuals far more aware of their rights, both in the workplace and out. Because of that increase in demand for our services, we needed lawyers who could hit the ground running, and these three definitely have.”
Prior to joining Jackson Spencer Law, Sara was a claims attorney who handled insurance policies and coverage issues. In this role, she found that taking a stand for her insureds became the most rewarding aspect of her work, and she would routinely argue on their behalf to convince her supervisors to resolve insurance issues quickly and favorably. She soon learned that supporting individuals who could benefit from her legal knowledge would play an important role in her career, which led her to employment law.
For Nikki, life aboard a cruise ship brought her to the legal profession, a decision stemming from the injustices she witnessed during her time as an assistant cruise director. Specifically, while working on a new ship, she had to accommodate a group from corporate leadership who wanted to see the vessel, but there were no empty rooms available. To free some space, she was asked to inform some crew members to disembark. The American and European crew stayed because of their tighter contracts, while other international crew members were sent home with neither pay nor a guarantee of future employment.
While Nikki disagreed with the request, she was powerless to prevent it, and members of her team who were meant to have contracts for at least six months were left without recourse. That contract issue was the turning point when she decided to attend law school.
Ron, a veteran attorney, came to employment law as a former employer. For more than two decades, he employed individuals at three NASDAQ-listed companies: two as general counsel, and one as CEO. In those capacities, he was in the employer’s shoes and defended against the very claims he brings forth on behalf of employees today.
Ron says his experiences taught him how to strategize. His leadership roles in publicly traded companies have given him the unique knowledge of how defense attorneys and businesses think when defending against legal claims. As a result, he brings this unique perspective to his legal advocacy for his clients, who often come to him after numerous instances of employers ignoring their complaints and concerns, and who are looking for some much-needed closure.
We are thrilled to have these attorneys joining Jackson Spencer Law.
