Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is a city with nearly 700,000 residents that swells to more than one million people during a normal work day. The District of Columbia itself has a complicated history going back to the 18th century when it was selected as the nation’s capital. Over the years, the city itself has gained and lost various levels of autonomy over its own self-government. At the moment, Washington, D.C. is in the midst of a push for full statehood. In 2016, the city held the first Constitutional Convention of the 21st century as part of its push towards statehood.

Washington, D.C. is an extraordinarily busy city from a business perspective, not just a political one. Companies of all sorts are based in Washington, D.C., including entities such as Vox Media, Gallup, Blackboard, Inc., and National Geographic. In addition to those companies, Washington, D.C. features a vibrant and growing restaurant culture and any number of thriving restaurant groups, including offerings from José Andrés such as MiniBar and Jaleo.

In 2017, Washington, D.C. was first featured in a Michelin Guide, with twelve restaurants receiving at least one star.

Although Washington, D.C. features a thriving private sector, much of the work in the city revolves around the public sector. For obvious reasons, federal agencies are among the most important employers in Washington, D.C. Over 200,000 individuals are employed by the federal government in Washington, D.C., not counting the tens of thousands employed by government contractors. Washington, D.C. itself at a local level is also a substantial employer.

Even beyond the federal employees and government contractors, much of the private sector in Washington, D.C. is attuned to the needs of the government, such as lobbying firms, law firms who handle litigation relevant to the government, media firms which cover the government, or those industry and trade associations which find it advantageous to be near the federal government.

If you are a government employee, you have certain rights and protections, based upon your individual position. You might have appeal rights to the Merit Services Protection Board or other substantive rights if you are the victim of misconduct. You also have a specific process to follow to file a discrimination complaint with federal sector EEO that differs from the way that the private sector Equal Employment Opportunity Commission takes and investigates charges. If you are a federal employee who needs help, please contact us and we would be happy to assist you.

If an employment discrimination matter arises in the private sector in Washington, D.C., an individual has the option of reporting that matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the local agency, the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights. The District of Columbia Office of Human Rights, a Fair Employment Practices Agency (FEPA), is an equal employment opportunity and civil rights office that exists as part of the government of the District of Columbia and helps enforce anti-discrimination law locally. Both the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights and the EEOC are empowered to investigate claims of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, or retaliation. The District of Columbia Office of Human Rights office is located at 441 4th St, NW, #570N, Washington, DC 20001, and can be reached by phone at 202.727.4559. If you are a private sector employee who needs help, please contact us and we would be happy to assist you.

Our office is conveniently located at 1550 Wilson Blvd #700, Arlington, VA 22209, right on top of the Courthouse Metro Station on the Orange Line and just across the street from the Arlington County Courthouse. We are only minutes from D.C. by car and metro. Call us at (703) 791-9087 or contact us through our website for directions to the office or a consultation.