Nathan J. Oleson’s practice focuses on complex employment litigation involving claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and state and local employment laws.

Practice & Background

Mr. Oleson has defended employers in workplace safety investigations, employment litigation focusing on common-law causes of action and independent contractor relationships, union representation cases and organizing campaigns.

Mr. Oleson earned his J.D. magna cum laude in 1999 from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was the special events editor of The Georgetown Law Journal and a member of the Order of the Coif.

Mr. Oleson has served since 2002 on the editorial board of the ABA’s Section of Labor and Employment Law’s treatise on the Fair Labor Standards Act, published by BNA, and was a contributor to EEOC Litigation and Charge Resolution (BNA, 2004).

Representative Matters

Mr. Oleson’s cases include:

  • representation of retail and financial services companies in nationwide FLSA collective actions challenging the exempt status of their employees
  • defense of an insurance company in a nationwide class action alleging discrimination and retaliation in the context of a corporate reorganization of the company’s agency force
  • representation of a national hospitality chain in its individual employment discrimination cases
  • representation of retail and grocery clients in FLSA and state law wage–and-hour class actions alleging “off the clock” work
  • representation of a retail food service company in multiple state class actions challenging the distribution of gratuities from a common tip container
  • defense of a multistate collective action on behalf of an automobile collision repair facility in a case involving the “commissioned employee” exemption under the FLSA
  • representation of a professional sports league in arbitration regarding the classification of benefits for former players.

Awards & Accolades

In recognition of his achievements, Mr. Oleson was recently named one of the top five “employment lawyers under 40 to watch” by Law360 and a Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer (2013).