Profile
Oluwaseun (Shay) Wells counsels and defends employers in labor and employment disputes, ERISA litigation, and complex commercial matters. She serves as a strategic partner to clients, delivering practical, business-focused advice on a wide range of workplace matters. Her practice spans the full range of workplace issues, from discrimination and harassment claims to wage and hour compliance, benefits disputes, and managed care reimbursement conflicts. Shay’s prior career in human resources at a large international technology company and a health care company, combined with her M.B.A., gives her a practical, business-informed perspective that strengthens her legal counsel and litigation strategy.
Shay advises clients on employment law matters throughout the employee life cycle, including hiring, performance management, internal investigations, navigating leaves of absence and reasonable accommodations, restrictive covenants, and terminations. She regularly drafts employment policies, conducts workplace investigations, and represents employers before administrative agencies, arbitrators, and in federal and state courts. Her background in talent acquisition, compensation, and talent development allows her to deliver guidance that accounts for both legal risk and operational realities.
In the ERISA space, Shay represents benefit plan fiduciaries, sponsors, trustees, and boards of directors in single plaintiff and class action litigation involving employee stock ownership plans, 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans, defined benefit plans, health and welfare plans, top-hat plans, severance plans, and Taft-Hartley multiemployer plans. She defends claims involving breach of fiduciary duty, prohibited transactions, retirement plan investments and fees, and withdrawal liability.
Concentrations
- Employment litigation
- Employment/HR compliance and workplace counseling
- Workplace investigations
- Employment and separation agreements
- Leaves of absence
主要执业方向
主要执业经验
- Represented clients in numerous single-plaintiff cases alleging various forms of discrimination, harassment, failure to accommodate and/or retaliation under federal and state law.°
- Second-chaired and prevailed in trial on behalf of pension fund in withdrawal liability suit.°
- Served as counsel to many employers, including global retail brands, non-profits, and technology companies, to investigate and resolve claimed discrimination or harassment of employees by high-level executives, supervisors, and coworkers.°
- Worked closely with employers to design and implement improved, preventive human resources systems, including development of new employee-facing policies and manuals, diminishing cycles of administrative charges and/or employment litigation against these clients.°
- For utility company servicing more than one million customers, secured complete summary judgment on claims of hostile work environment and retaliation.°
- For a national financial institution, secured complete summary judgment on ERISA class action claims of fiduciary breach related to administrative and recordkeeping fees in defined contribution 401(k) plan.°
°The above representations were handled by Ms. Wells prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
- Investigative Assistant, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), 2011
- HR Business Associate, Google, 2014-2015
- Talent Management Consultant, HR Leadership Development Program, Aetna, 2012-2014
- Certified Trainer on Sexual Harassment Prevention for the Tipped Wage Industry, District of Columbia, Office of Human Rights (OHR), 2024-Present
- Talent Management Human Resources Intern, Cummins Inc., 2011
荣誉和领导力
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, "Ones to Watch"
- Litigation – Labor & Employment, 2023-2026
- ERISA Litigation, 2026
- Listed, National Black Lawyers, “Top 40 Under 40 Black Lawyers in Washington, D.C.,” 2019-2026
- Recipient, University of Pennsylvania’s Toll Public Interest Center, “Outstanding Commitment to Pro Bono Leadership Award,” 2018
- Recipient, University of Pennsylvania’s Toll Public Interest Center, “Exceptional Pro Bono Service Award” 2018
- DC Alumni Board Member, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, 2024-Present
- Member, American Bar Association, 2025-Present
- Leadership Committee Member, Women Employee Benefits Attorneys (WEBA), 2023-Present
- Member, Labor and Employment Section, 2025-Present
- Member, Leadership Development Program, 2025
- Co-Chair, Legal Aid’s Making Justice Real Campaign, 2023-Present
- Member, DC Bar, 2019-Present
- Member, Labor and Employment Section, 2019-Present
- Board Member, Computer CORE, January 2026-Present
- Pathfinder, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), 2023
- Member, National Employment Law Council, 2023-Present
资历
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J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Associate Editor, Journal of Business Law
- M.B.A., Strategic Management, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business
- B.S., Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- 英文
- Yoruba