Linda Hitt Thatcher is the managing member of the Thatcher Law Firm, LLC in Greenbelt, Maryland representing both management and employees in all areas of employment law. Her practice includes all aspects of employment law, including corporate counseling, EEO training and litigation on behalf of employers and employees. She has appeared on NBC and Working Women television and has provided legal analysis on MSNBC’s “The Abrams Report.” She is also a certified mediator in civil matters. She has served as co-counsel with the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Urban Affairs and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in employment discrimination cases. Ms. Thatcher is a faculty member of NITA Trial Advocacy Skills Program at Georgetown University Law Center and is a frequent panel member and speaker for numerous CLE programs.
In 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 she was named one of the top employment lawyers in Washingtonian magazine. She is currently Past-President of the Board of Governors of the Federal Bar Association of Maryland and is active in the Women’s Bar Associations of both Maryland and the District of Columbia. She is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. Ms. Thatcher is a graduate of St. Mary’s University Law School, San Antonio, Texas, where she served as an associate editor of Law Review.
Linda Thatcher’s “direct, dynamic and effective ” approach maximizes results. Ms. Thatcher’s approach emphasizes:
- Direct answers: The focus is on listening to you, quickly defining the issues, and eliminating obstacles to communication. Understandably, reliving the facts underlying a lawsuit can be emotional for all parties, but Ms. Thatcher will bring the focus back to the issues that are capable of resolution and move the parties past irreconcilable accusations.
- Dynamic results: Named five times as one of the Washington metropolitan areas “Top Lawyers” by Washingtonian Magazine, Ms. Thatcher brings the experience of a successful veteran litigator to every case she mediates. She does not pull-punches, and she will not hesitate to confidentially tell each side the unvarnished truth about the strengths and weaknesses of their cases. Having successfully achieved seven figure settlements for plaintiffs in employment lawsuits, while also getting discrimination suits dismissed and thrown out at summary judgment for Fortune 500 companies, Ms. Thatcher understands both the perspective of the plaintiff and the defendant. This allows her to zero-in on where the possibility for settlement lies.
- Effective solutions: If the parties need more time to resolve their differences after the conclusion of the mediation session, Ms. Thatcher will continue to act as a mediator through continued communications with the parties by phone, email, and in person again if necessary.
- Mediation is a cost-effective alternative to the litigation process, if the parties can reach a settlement without needless delay. Ms. Thatcher is unafraid to tell clients and attorneys the hard truths they need to know to facilitate a settlement. Her direct style eliminates hours of unproductive back and forth, saving clients time and money.
- Ms. Thatcher’s years of experience in employment law on both the employer and employee side enable her to develop creative solutions that work for your particular needs.
PRESENTATIONS:
- “Women in the Law,” Board of Governors for the Federal Bar Association Maryland Chapter, Miles & Stockbridge, 100 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland, February 26, 2016.
- “Why Are We Still Talking About Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment,” Chesapeake Human Resources Association: 10th Annual Fall Human Resources Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, November 10, 2015.
- “The Dynamics of Employment Litigation in Federal Court: A View from the Bench and the Bar,” The Employment Law Sections of the Bar Association of Montgomery Co., and the Prince George’s County Bar, Maryland, United States District Court, Greenbelt, Maryland, January 10, 2013.
- “Women in the Law: Strategies for Success,” Federal Bar Association Maryland Chapter, University of Maryland Carey School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland, November 8, 2012.
- “Workplace Retaliation – Minimize Your Risk,” 2012 Hunt Valley EEO Seminar, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hunt Valley, Maryland, June 28, 2012.
- “Depositions in Employment Cases,” Seventh Annual Maryland Employment Lawyers Association (MELA) Conference, Columbia, Maryland, November 18, 2011.
- Faculty Member, National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA), Georgetown University Law School, Washington, D.C. June 12 – 14, 2009.
- “Termination During a Recession: Identifying Employer Error,” The Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers, Inc. (MICPEL), Columbia, Maryland, April 28, 2009.
- “Legal Marketing,” North American Legal Senior Leadership Panel, Thomson Reuters, Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg, Virginia, May 16, 2008.
- “Protecting Employee Rights in the State Courts of Maryland,” Third Annual Maryland Employment Lawyers Association (MELA) Conference, Columbia, Maryland, September 28, 2007.
- “Race Discrimination – Federal and State Courts,” NAACP, Prince George’s County, Maryland, May 17, 2007.
- “Documentation – To Prevent Workplace Problems” & “Human Resources: What Franchisors Aren’t Sharing with You and Why,” AAFD’s 15th Anniversary Franchisee Leadership
Summit and Annual Meeting, American Association of Franchisees and Dealers, Fort Worth, Texas, April 29-May 2, 2007. - “Settlement,” Litigating and Resolving Employment Cases: View from the Bench, Georgetown University Law Center, Continuing Legal Education, Washington, D.C., November 3, 2006.
- “Jury Instructions: Race, Gender, and Age Discrimination Claims: The Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Evidence Issues and Jury Instructions in Employment Cases: American Law Institute-American Bar Association Continuing Professional Education (ALI-ABA), Washington, D.C. February 9-10, 2006.
- “Triage: Case Selection and Intake,” Litigating and Resolving Employment Cases: Views from the Bench, Georgetown University Law Center Continuing Legal Education, Washington, D.C., November 3-4, 2005.
- “Running a Solo or Small Law Firm,” MSBA Solo and Small Firm Practice Section: Maryland State Bar Association Annual Meeting, Ocean City, Maryland, June 18, 2004.
- “Pre-Litigation Phase II,” Litigating Employment Cases: Views from the Bench, Georgetown University Law Center Continuing Legal Education, Washington, D.C., October 2-3, 2003.
- “The Economics of Running an Employment Practice,” Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA), Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., March 20, 2003.
- “Changes in Employment Law,” Keynote Speaker: Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Reston, Virginia, 2003
- “Sex Discrimination Jury Verdict,” Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA) Seminar, Washington, D.C., February, 2002.
- “The Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Winning Through Discovery in Employment Discrimination Cases: The Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers, Inc. (MICPEL), Columbia, Maryland, September 12, 2002.
- “Changes in Employment Law,” Keynote Speaker: Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Reston, Virginia, October, 2001.
- “Litigating Race Discrimination Claims,” National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) Eleventh Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., June 21-24, 2000.
- “Importance of Jury Duty,” NAACP, Prince George’s County, Maryland, April, 1999.
- “Age Discrimination – A Fact of Life,” Senior Attorneys Forum: The Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C., May 7, 1998.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
- Federal Bar Association, Maryland Chapter, President: Board of Governors, 2010 – 2011
- Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Permanent Member
- American Bar Association
- Maryland Bar Association
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association
- Maryland Employment Lawyers Association
- Georgetown University Law Center NITA Faculty Member
- Women’s Bar Associations of Maryland
- Women’s Bar Associations of the District of Columbia
BAR ADMISSIONS:
- Maryland, 1988
- District of Columbia, 1988
- Pennsylvania, 1987
- U.S. District Court District of Maryland
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2010
EDUCATION:
- Federal Judicial Clerkship: Honorable Paul Mannes, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland: 1986-1988
- St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, TX J.D. May 1986
- St. Mary’s Law Journal, Associate Editor
- Legal Research & Writing, Teaching Assistant
- Bankruptcy Intern, Honorable R. Glen Ayers, Jr.
- Evidence Research Assistant
- Longwood College, Farmville, Virginia B.A. June 1981