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Faith A. Alejandro

Favorite Book: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Faith partners with leaders to foster inclusive and productive workplaces.

A trusted partner, Faith offers effective and prompt solutions for a broad spectrum of HR management issues.  With a deep understanding of regulations and case law, she provides thorough legal analysis to support her clients’ success. She attentively aligns her services with your organization’s unique legal needs and objectives, helping you achieve your desired outcomes.

Her goal is to enable businesses, local governments, and nonprofits to focus on their core mission, while she provides robust legal strategies tailored to their specific needs.  

With a strong background in mediation and dispute resolution, Faith excels in negotiating settlements and achieving favorable outcomes. As a leader of the Sands Anderson Diversity and Inclusion Committee, she brings a unique perspective to fostering inclusive and equitable workplace environments.

Faith joined Sands Anderson in 2011 and quickly established herself as a trusted advisor and defender for employers. Fluent in essential employment laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, she skillfully navigates claims involving discrimination, harassment, employment agreements, non-competes, whistleblowers, and beyond.

Thought Leader

Faith is a sought-after speaker, frequently engaged to provide workplace training and known for her passion of creating more productive work environments, without the distraction and harm of workplace harassment. She offers customized presentations tailored to meet the specific needs of her clients. With a deep understanding of key workplace issues, she offers training on the following topics, and more:

• Prevention of Discrimination and Harassment
• Paid Leave and Accommodations (ADA, FMLA)
• Handbook Essentials for Employers
• Legal Updates in Employment Law (VA, Federal)
• Implicit Bias, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Cannabis in the Workplace
• Workplace Investigations
• Nonprofit Board Member Duties

Recognized Excellence

Highly recommended by the legal community, Faith has been recognized by Chambers and the Best Lawyers in America for labor & employment, based on peer nominations. Additionally, she was named among Virginia Business's 2016 Legal Elite "Young Lawyers" and featured in a profile piece highlighting top professionals in the field. She is frequently asked to speak to media outlets about legal workplace issues, having been featured as a guest on Richmond’s Morning News, and quoted or featured in Bloomberg Law and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia Mercury, the Daily Press, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

She was the National and Regional Champion of the American Bar Association Representation in Mediation Competition during law school. As the Executive Editor of the University of Richmond Law Review, she earned the 2010 Family Law Book Award and the CALI Excellence Award. At the University of Virginia, she was inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society and received the Richard Heath Dabney Award.

Effective Advocate

Faith’s litigation experience in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies has resulted in a successful track record of advocating for employers. Faith’s record includes, for example:

• Winning summary judgment for a private human resources services company in an age discrimination claim seeking $150,000;
• Winning summary judgment for a large public school division in a disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit;
• Defending the appeal of a claim for $650,000 against a large public school division in a national origin discrimination and breach of contract claim before the Fourth Circuit; and
• Defending local governments, public schools, police departments, and behavioral health agencies in numerous grievance and unemployment hearings.


Education & Admissions

Education

University of Virginia
B.A., 2005 American Politics and English, minor in History

University of Richmond School of Law
J.D., magna cum laude, 2010

Admissions

Virginia

U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

U. S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

Honors & Recognitions

Chambers USA, Virginia in Labor & Employment, Band 3, June 2024

Super Lawyer® in Employment Litigation: Defense 2024

"Legal Elite," Virginia Business Magazine, Rising Star 2015-2017, Labor/Employment/Legal Services/Pro Bono 2018 - 2023

Best Lawyers in America® in Employment Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2024

Virginia Lawyer's Weekly "Go to Lawyer for Business Litigation," 2023

Virginia Lawyer's Weekly "Influential Women of the Law," 2022

Leadership Metro Richmond, Class of 2020

Virginia Lawyer's Weekly "Up and Coming in the Law," 2017

Super Lawyer® Rising Star, 2016-2023 in Business Litigation: Defense and Employment Litigation: Defense

Profiled by Virginia Business Magazine as part of selection for 2016 Legal Elite Young Lawyers

Second Annual Hot List, Lawyers of Color, 2014

Affiliations

Community

YWCA of Richmond Board Member and Secretary

Richmond Symphony Chorus Member

Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government & International Studies Volunteer

Westminster Presbyterian Church Elder

Leadership Quest, Class of 2020, Leadership Metro Richmond

Professional

Law Firm Alliance DEI Forum, Co-Chair

Virginia State Bar

Virginia Bar Association, Law Practice Management Division Council

Virginia Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, Council Member

Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia

Virginia Joint Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Former Communications Chair

Metro Richmond Women's Bar Association, Former Mentorship Chair

Richmond Bar Association

News & Insights

Insights

News

Committee Members Speak Out on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
VBA Journal, Fall 2024

Business & Employer-Related New Year's Resolutions
Richmond's Morning News with John Reid, January 2024

Proper Protocol & Etiquette for Company Holiday Parties
Richmond's Morning News with John Reid, December 2023

Retaining A Workforce
Richmond-Times Dispatch, September 2023

AI Shouldn't Replace the "Human" in Human Resources
Daily Press, August 2023

The Fall of Affirmative Action in Higher Education and the Coming Workplace Revolution
Virginia Mercury, June 2023

Faith Alejandro: May 12, 2023
Richmond's Morning News with John Reid, May 2023

Top 10 DEI Tips from Two Asian-American Partners
VBA Journal, Fall 2022

Rocha v. Brown & Gould
eLPL Advisory, June 2015

Shevlin Smith v. McLaughlin
eLPL Advisory, May 2015

Va State Bar v. Mary Elizabeth White
eLPL Advisory, February 2015

Legal Ethics Opinion 1872
eLPL Advisory, May 2013

Zaug v. VSB, Northam v. VSB, Hunter v. VSB
eLPL Advisory, March 2013

US v. Arash
eLPL Advisory, February 2013

Dupont v. Kolon
eLPL Advisory, January 2013

Cornerstone v. Kocchar
eLPL Advisory, December 2012

Minnesota Lawyers Mutual v. Antonelli
eLPL Advisory, October 2012

Smith v. Commonwealth
eLPL Advisory, April 2012

In re Lewis, eLPL Advisory
February 2012

Events & Speaking Engagements

"Voluntary Affirmative Action in the Public Workplace," Spring LGA Conference, April 2024

“Ten Defenses (Minus One!) in Employment Discrimination,” North Carolina Bar Association’s Expert Series, April 2024

"Virginia Employment Law Update," Richmond SHRM, March 2022, March 2023 and March 2024

HR & AI: Keep the “Human” in Human Resources,VSCPA Business & Law Conference, May 2024

“Virginia Legal Update for Nonprofits,” Captain’s Table, May 2024

How AI Will Impact HR,” Fahrenheit Advisors, March 2024

“The Virginia Human Rights Act on the Ground,” American Constitution Society, January 2024

Early Bird Ethics,VBA Labor & Employment Conference, September 2023

“Top 10 Recruiting Reminders,” VSCPA WOWbinar, February 2023

“DEI Done Right: A Conversation Continued,” VBA Winter Conference, January 2023

“Diversity Initiatives and Benevolent Employment Discrimination: Mitigating Claims for Well-Intentioned Companies”
Strafford, December 2022

"DEI Initiatives for Public Employers," LGA Employment Practice Group Meeting, March 2021

“#MeToo, You Too, Where To: Should the Virginia State Bar Adopt an Anti-Discrimination Rule?”
Ethics CLE Sponsored by VAratifyERA and Virginia Women Attorney Association, August 2019

Multimedia

  • “Faith has helped our organization with urgent legal matters that were well beyond our ability to handle ourselves and responded promptly, providing us with the legal expertise needed to handle the situations as well as informing us of what we need to know and what to expect for the future!”

    Client
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