Federal Sector Equal Employment Opportunity Practice Guide

Benjamin E. Wick graduated magna cum laude from the Washington College of Law, American University. During his last semester of law school, Mr. Wick began working with a retired EEOC Administrative Judge in Washington, D.C. As an associate attorney in this law practice, Mr. Wick provided legal representation to public and private employers and employees with a focus on representing federal sector employees and employers before the EEOC and MSPB. In 2007, Mr. Wick returned to his home state of Colorado where he continued to work for the firm, eventually opening and managing the firm's office in Denver, Colorado. As the sole attorney in the Denver Office, Mr. Wick was responsible for case management, direct supervision of law clerks and a paralegal, and regional client representation. During his time with the firm, Mr. Wick served as lead counsel in hundreds of employment cases for employees and employers, with a particular focus in representing federal employees with disabilities before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Merit Systems Protection Board.

In early 2013, Mr. Wick left the firm for a position as Chief Legal Officer (general counsel), and eventually Chief Administrative Officer, of a start-up company. Mr. Wick's role with the company included providing legal representation and advising as general counsel, as well as direct oversight and involvement in human resources, regulatory and compliance, and risk management. As Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Wick drafted and negotiated commercial contracts with national retailers and distributors. He was instrumental in meeting complex insurance and risk management requirements necessary for the company to sell its products. In 2014, Mr. Wick returned to private practice and his passion for protecting the rights of employees in the workplace. Mr. Wick is the founder of the Wick Law Office, LLC. He is based in Denver, Colorado and admitted to practice law in Colorado, Utah (inactive), and Maryland (inactive). Mr. Wick has litigated employment cases involving nearly every aspect of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, Rehabilitation Act, Title VII, Equal Pay Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act. During many years of practice representing federal sector employees before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit System Protection Board, Office of Federal Operations, Office of Special Counsel, Office of Personnel Management, and National Labor Relations Board, the Wick Law Office has encountered and successfully navigated countless complicated employment law claims. The Wick Law Office is also well versed in the rights of private employees and offers client representation for private employees in state and federal courts.

Holly V. Franson is an attorney with the Wick Law Office. Ms. Franson provides legal representation to public and private employers and employees with a focus on representing federal sector employees and employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit System Protection Board, Office of Federal Operations, Office of Special Counsel, Office of Personnel Management, and National Labor Relations Board. Ms. Franson received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado.

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Franson worked in the field of vocational rehabilitation as an Employment Specialist. In that position, Ms. Franson worked with individuals with disabilities regarding career exploration, experiential employment experiences, and job development skills. Ms. Franson advocated for individuals who ranged in age from fourteen to over sixty with various physical disabilities, such as blindness or being wheelchair bound, conditions related to strokes, cognitive disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger's Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, major depression, and anxiety. Ms. Franson also worked at a private university in the Career Services Department, where she created a program designed to assist students with disabilities in disclosing their disabilities to perspective or current employers, requesting reasonable accommodations, and identifying and utilizing community resources.