Chaitra Gowda, a member of the Firm's Labor & Employment Group, primarily focuses her practice in employment defense litigation as well as internal investigations. Her litigation experience includes assisting in the defense against claims of discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower actions, wrongful termination, breach of contract, non-compete and non-solicit claims, and wage and hour allegations as well as state and federal investigations related to the same. She also advises educational institution clients on Title IX compliance and participates in all aspects of Title IX investigations.
Ms. Gowda works closely with employers of all industries and sizes to provide practical advice to clients facing challenging workforce issues involving discipline, leave issues, contract violations, restrictive covenants, terminations, reductions in force, and layoffs. She provides training to managers, supervisors, compliance officers, and general counsel on preventative litigation practices, focusing on how to comply with applicable law and regulations, avoid workplace disputes, and resolve employee concerns. In addition to providing training, Ms. Gowda assists in crisis management responses, handles state and federal agency investigations as well as internal and government investigations involving all types of employment issues.
Within this practice, Ms. Gowda has a particular interest in working with health care clients who employ and train residents who are seen as both students and employees with a distinct set of rights. Given this interest, she has developed a niche working specifically with Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs to assist with the various employment and academic issues that arise among students, residents, fellows, and researchers. She works with GME programs to develop ACGME-compliance academic policies and procedures and has advised program leadership through complex disciplinary and dismissal actions. Her experience extends to creating Title IX policies and programs for stand-alone academic medical programs and leading clients through Title IX proceedings related to gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Beyond academic medical programs, Ms. Gowda also advises education institution clients with their Title IX proceedings at all levels. Ms. Gowda has served as an investigator as well as a hearing advisor in several Title IX proceedings.
Prior to private practice, Ms. Gowda served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Mark W. Crooks of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County for two years. While in law school, she was a member of the Business Law Program, practiced as a Rule 16 Attorney at the University of Maryland School of Law's Summer Legal Clinic, and clerked for a boutique law firm in Annapolis, Maryland.