Ms. Ewalt is an advocate for employers. She counsels management on employee discipline and discharge decisions. Ms. Ewalt defends employers against allegations of race, age, gender, sexual harassment, national origin, and disability claims pending in state and federal courts. Ms. Ewalt also assists employers in preparing affirmative action plans and in complying with affirmative action regulations.

Ms. Ewalt has successfully represented clients before various governmental agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the North Carolina and U.S. Departments of Labor, including the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

Ms. Ewalt's work includes:

• Providing advice and guidance to employers on reductions-in-force (“RIF”), including developing RIF policies, making defensible employee RIF selection decisions, analyzing proposed RIF decisions from a statistical perspective, and drafting enforceable releases and Older Worker Benefit Protection Act disclosures.
• Obtaining summary dismissals in favor of employers in cases involving claims of employment discrimination, breach of employment contracts, and infliction of emotional distress.
• Drafting affirmative action plans and assisting employers during audits and on-site investigations by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
• Assisting employers in drafting employee handbooks, with particular attention to policies prohibiting unlawful harassment, Family and Medical Leave Act policies, disciplinary procedure policies, and substance abuse policies.
• Providing straightforward advice to management in responding to the complexity of issues arising from the intersection between the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Training management on a wide variety of issues, including effective interviewing and hiring, employee evaluations and discipline, and employee discharges.
• Advising employers on how they can minimize their exposure to employment litigation.

J.D., University of Virginia, 1988
B.A., cum laude, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1985

North Carolina