Vanessa Waldref

Spokane Office

Phone : (509) 623-2057
Fax : (509) 363-2492

Email Vanessa

EDUCATION

Georgetown University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2002
Georgetown University Law Center, Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, 2008

COURT ADMISSIONS

State of Washington
District of Columbia, Virginia (inactive)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

PRACTICE AREAS

Complex civil litigation
Employment litigation and consultation
Federal Court and State Court practice

HIGHLIGHTS

Judicial Clerk for The Honorable John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Writing Program Director, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy
Legal Research & Writing Fellow and Senior Writing Fellow
CALI Awards (Best Exams) for Administrative Law and Applied Legal Composition

PUBLICATIONS

Dodd-Frank Act Includes Broad New Whistleblower Provisions, Expands SOX Whistleblower Coverage, The BNA Books Monitor, October 2010
EEOC Lists Employer Best Practices for Supporting Caregiver Employees, ABA Business Law Section eNewsletter: Corporate Counsel Committee, July 2009
The Alien Tort Statute after Sosa: A Viable Tool in the Campaign to End Child Labor? 31 Berkeley J. Emp. & Lab. L. 160 (2010)
Reagan's National Labor Relations Board: An Incomplete Revolution,15 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 285 (2008)

Vanessa Waldref is an associate in the Spokane office of Lukins & Annis, P.S. She has broad-based litigation experience in state and federal court involving contract disputes and business torts, as well as trade secret, non-competition, whistleblower, and retaliatory discharge cases. Vanessa also counsels businesses regarding a wide range of labor and employment issues, data security and privacy concerns, and best practices to minimize litigation risks.

Vanessa is a member of the American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section, and has published several articles on compliance with federal whistleblower and anti-discrimination statutes. She has an active pro bono practice and received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Washington Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights in 2010 for her work ensuring access for people with disabilities.

After starting her practice in Washington, D.C., Vanessa joined Lukins & Annis in 2011. Prior to joining the firm, Vanessa clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and practiced at Morrison & Foerster, LLP.

Vanessa was raised in Spokane and spent a year after college as a Jesuit Volunteer/AmeriCorps Member advocating for low-income families in Seattle. In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys running, playing board games with her family, and hunting for vintage treasures at antique and thrift stores.