Simone Francis concentrates her practice in the areas of employment litigation, environmental counseling and litigation, and general litigation.  She has represented a range of large, mid-sized, and small employers in litigation before the federal and local courts in the U.S. Virgin Islands and elsewhere in the United States, and also has acted as an advocate before administrative tribunals, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Virgin Islands Department of Labor, the Civil Rights Commission, and the Public Employees Relations Board.  In addition, Ms. Francis routinely provides counseling to employers on a range of issues including managing internal investigations and discipline, and she has provided training to educate supervisory and management personnel about their responsibilities in ensuring compliance with employment laws.

Ms. Francis also is a member of the firm's Environmental Practice Group.  In addition to defending claims involving alleged violations of a range of federal and territorial laws, she has represented clients in administrative proceedings before the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources.  She also counsels clients concerning permitting and other compliance-related matters arising under clean air, clean water and other laws.  Additionally, she has appeared as a guest lecturer on environmental law issues for a graduate level seminar at the University of the Virgin Islands.

Before joining Ogletree Deakins, Ms. Francis concentrated her practice in the area of general litigation, and she continues to represent a diverse group of clients in complex litigation involving premises liability and products liability claims, as well as disputes regarding the obligations of parties to commercial leases and other agreements.

Ms. Francis is admitted to practice before the federal and territorial courts in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and she also is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Sixth Circuits.  She also is an active member of the Virgin Islands Bar Association, and she has served on the Board of Governors, as well as on various committees.