With an expertise in employment law, Mark Papadopoulos has over 20 years of experience litigating cases and advising clients of various sizes on matters from the complex to the routine.  Mr. Papadopoulos frequently provides advice and counsel to clients on matters such as internal complaint investigations, personnel policies, payroll compliance, employee disability and leave issues, and other human resources compliance matters.  He presents seminars on the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and related wage and hour topics.

Mr. Papadopoulos’s expertise in wage and hour law stems from his six-year tenure at the U.S. Department of Labor (2002-2008) during a period in which the Fair Labor Standards Act regulations, the Family and Medical Leave Act regulations, and the child labor regulations were all rewritten.  From 2005 to 2008, he served as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards where he assisted on a full range of wage and hour matters including federal rulemakings, legal guidance documents such as Wage and Hour Opinion Letters and the Field Operations Handbook, and overall enforcement policy.  Prior to this appointment, Mr. Papadopoulos practiced for three years in the Solicitor’s Office of the Department of Labor where he rendered legal advice and litigated cases on behalf of the Department, including at the federal appellate level.

Mr. Papadopoulos began his career practicing law for several years at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher after a one-year clerkship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Representative Experience

  • Defend clients in federal and state wage and hour lawsuits throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
  • Represent employers in various administrative proceedings, including U.S. Department of Labor and state Department of Labor investigations.
  •  Conduct internal employment audits.
  • Draft employment agreements, restrictive covenants, severance agreements, and related documents.
  • Conduct wage and hour reviews of employer workforces.
  • Provide day-to-day advice and counsel to employers on all aspects of the employment relationship.

Publications and Speeches

Publications

  • New FLSA Salary Threshold Delayed, Employment Law Update (November 2016)
  • Department of Labor Increases Salary Level for Exempt Employees, Employment Law Update (May 2016)
  • The Potential Impact of Sequestration on FLSA-Exempt Employees and Employee Benefit Plans, Employee Benefits Update (February 2013)
  • Virginia Wage and Hour Handbook, Virginia Chamber of Commerce Legal Reference Series (2010)
  • Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act Regulations Go Into Effect (2009)

Speeches

  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Nuts and Bolts of Wage and Hour Law (Washington, DC; August 20, 2019)
  • Virginia CLE: Nuts and Bolts of FLSA Compliance and Litigation (Charlottesville, VA; January 23, 2018)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Nuts and Bolts of Wage and Hour Law (Washington, DC; September 19, 2017)
  • Federal Bar Association and myLawCLE: Essentials of Wage and Hour Practice (Live video broadcast; April 4, 2017)
  • HR Alliance: FLSA Update: New Salary Level Regulations (Washington, DC; October 19, 2016)
  • Washington Area Compensation and Benefits Association: Advanced Topics in Wage and Hour Litigation and Compliance: New Overtime Regulations and More (Washington, DC; September 15, 2016)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Advanced Topics in Wage and Hour Litigation and Compliance: New Overtime Regulations and More (Washington, DC; August 25, 2016)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Avoiding and Litigating Wage and Hour Claims under the FLSA (Washington, DC; August 2015)
  • IslerDare Breakfast Briefing: Pay Now or Pay Later: Ensuring Comprehensive Wage and Hour Compliance (Tysons Corner, VA; May 2015)
  • Virginia CLE: Nuts and Bolts of FLSA Compliance and Litigation (Charlottesville, VA; January 2015)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Avoiding and Litigating Wage and Hour Claims Under the FLSA (Washington, DC; August 2014)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Avoiding and Litigating Wage and Hour Claims Under the FLSA (Washington, DC; August 2013)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Avoiding and Litigating Wage and Overtime Claims Under the FLSA (Washington, DC; September 2012)
  • National Employment Law Council 17th Annual Conference: Deals with the Devil and Other Reasons to Riot (Arlington, VA; April 2012)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Avoiding and Litigating Wage and Overtime Claims (Washington, DC; September 2011)
  • Lord Fairfax Community College: Fair Labor Standards Act (Middleton, Virginia; June 2011)
  • Society for Human Resource Management: The Obama Wage and Hour Agenda (Falls Church, Virginia; April 2011)
  • The District of Columbia Bar CLE: Avoiding and Litigating Wage and Overtime Claims (Washington, DC; February 2011)
  • Society for Human Resource Management: Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later, The Fair Labor Standards Act (Warrenton, Virginia; April 2010)
  • Fairfax Bar Association: Family and Medical Leave Act Statutory and Regulatory Revisions (Tysons Corner, Virginia; December 2009)
  • Society for Human Resource Management: Family and Medical Leave Act Regulation Revisions of 2009: What Human Resources Professionals Need to Know (Warrenton, Virginia; August 2009)

Civic Involvement

  • Youth Sports Coach of Recreational, Developmental, and Travel Teams in Arlington and Falls Church, Virginia (Nov 2010 – Present)

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Society for Human Resource Management
  • Fairfax Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section

Education

Cornell Law School, J.D.

  • magna cum laude
  • Order of the Coif
  • Cornell Law Review

Haverford College B.A. English

Previous Experience

  • IslerDare, Partner
  • U.S. Department of Labor, Senior Advisor/Attorney
  • Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Associate

Clerkships

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Honorable J.L. Edmondson, 1998-1999

Admissions

  • Connecticut
  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

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