Merrily Archer
Denver,CO
Summary
JD/MSW with 25+ years civil rights litigation experience seeks teaching opportunities in the areas of social policy analysis, advocacy, ethics, and law for social workers.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Volunteer
Self-employed
09.2022 - Current
Serve meals and assist with special events at The Crossing-Denver Rescue Mission; assist with transportation and language coaching for family of refugees from Afghanistan, Project Worthmore.
Litigator and Legal Coach
EEO Legal Solutions LLC
05.2012 - 09.2022
- Provided expert legal coaching and/or representation in employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and disparate impact matters before the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and its state counterparts, and in state and federal courts, with emphasis on systemic and class action litigation.
- Representative Cases: Houchin v. Denver Health and Hospital Authority (DHHA), Colorado Supreme Court victory securing the non-discrimination rights of Colorado's public servants under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA); Nichols et al. v. DHHA, systemic race discrimination case alleging adverse impact in disciplinary and termination decisions, confidential resolution; Horn et al. v. HVM Corp., class action harassment matter on basis of race, disability and ethnicity, confidential resolution.
Trainer, Program Development
WorkplaceTrainingHub.com
05.2014 - 12.2016
- Provided an accredited online training solution for attorneys and Human Resource professionals of small to mid-sized employers re legal EEO compliance, EEO investigations, and EEO solution implementation under the ADA.
- Programming accredited by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and Colorado Bar Association.
Employment Lawyer: Employer
Multiple
07.2008 - 11.2011
- Fisher & Phillips, national labor/employment boutique; lead counsel on EEOC v. Picture People, an aggressive EEOC prosecution under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Jackson Lewis, national labor/employment boutique; specialized in EEOC systemic investigations after agency shift to systemic enforcement.
- White & Steele, regional firm then-expanding into employment law, specializing in EPL defense of non-profit organizations.
Trial Attorney
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC
11.1997 - 06.2000
- Prosecuted and guided investigations of private employers for violations of federal employment discrimination statutes, specializing in class action and systemic "disparate impact" and ADA matters.
Education
Master of Social Work, Social Work - Social Work
Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO05.1997
J.D. - Law, Public Policy
Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
St Louis, MO05.1997
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science/French
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, IL05.1989
Skills
- Training, Andragogy (Adult Learning)
- Public Speaking
- Online Programming Development and Delivery
- Research and Writing (Multiple Audiences)
- Adverse Impact Detection
- Program and/or Course Development
- Advocacy
- Extensive knowledge of legal systems with which social workers interact
Awards
- Colorado SuperLawyer: Employment Litigation Defense - Colorado SuperLawyers 2010
- Forty Under 40 - Denver Business Journal (DBJ) 2005
- Featured Presenter: SHRM-Colorado Biennial State Conference in Keystone, Colorado - Society for Human Resources Management-Colorado Chapter 2011
- Finalist, Denver Power Book in Law - Denver Business Journal (DBJ) Oct 2012
Publications
- Using the EEOC's Battle Plan to Combat Religious Discrimination in the Workplace; Thomson Reuters/Aspatore · Jan 1, 2009;
- The Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product Protections in an Internal Sexual Harassment Investigation, Colorado Lawyer, Employment Law Column, The Colorado Lawyer · Oct 1, 2001The Colorado Lawyer · Oct 1, 2001;
- Pre-employment Inquiries Under the ADA: What CAN You Do?, Disability Law Forum Committee Column, The Colorado Lawyer · Nov 1, 2000The Colorado Lawyer · Nov 1, 2000;
- The Uncertain Scope of the Federal Psychotherapist Privilege in the Aftermath of Jaffee v. Redmond; Washington University School of Law Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law · May 1, 1997;
- Measuring What Matters on Title VII's 50th Anniversary, Archer, M. and Kuang, D., EEO Insight Journal July 2014.
Representative Presentations
- Eight Sparks to Jumpstart the Stalled March Toward EEO, New Orleans, LA, SHRM (2015);
- Beyond Compliance: Building Model Workplaces for LGBTQ+ Employees, Lafayette, LA (2016);
- Systemic Discrimination Litigation Defense: What's Working?, Los Angeles, CA SHRM (2011);
- Common Mistakes Non-Profit Managers Make, Denver University, GSSW (2016);
- Detecting and Exploiting Mendacity, CLE, Denver, CO (2017);
- EEO: Rights, Responsibilities, and Opportunities, CLE, Denver, CO (2019);
- Adverse Impact Testing (with Biddle Consulting Group), CLE, Folsom, CA;
- Psychology of Discrimination and Harassment, Colorado SHRM (2017);
- Selling the Business Case for Diversity and Inclusion, Colorado SHRM (2017);
- Technology Solutions to Reasonable Accommodation Problems, CO SHRM (2015);
Timeline
Volunteer
Self-employed
09.2022 - Current
Trainer, Program Development
WorkplaceTrainingHub.com
05.2014 - 12.2016
Litigator and Legal Coach
EEO Legal Solutions LLC
05.2012 - 09.2022
Employment Lawyer: Employer
Multiple
07.2008 - 11.2011
Trial Attorney
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC
11.1997 - 06.2000
Master of Social Work, Social Work - Social Work
Washington University in St Louis
J.D. - Law, Public Policy
Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science/French
Illinois Wesleyan University