Mary Deon

Mary Deon successfully represents clients in a wide array of labor and employment related matters including employment discrimination, breach of contract claims and wrongful discharge litigation. Mary has extensive experience litigating claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Whistleblower Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA, WARN, and comparable state laws, as well as claims often resulting from the termination of the employment relationship, including intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and interference with contractual relations. Mary also counsels clients in various ERISA disputes, including benefit claims, breach of fiduciary duty claims, discrimination claims and issues relating to preemption. Mary further represents clients on non-compete, unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secret claims. Mary is the co-author of �Whistleblower Protection Act: Shield and Weapon,� Michigan Bar Journal (November 2009). In addition, Mary was a featured speaker at the Religious Discrimination Seminar for the Michigan Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. Mary represents both large and small corporations in commercial fraud, contract, and business tort disputes. In addition, she has experience litigating trade secrets, product liability, land use, sales commission disputes and various other areas of complex civil litigation matters. She has provided counsel to Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers in various pricing and supply chain disputes. Mary represents clients in a variety of family law issues including adoption, divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support and division of assets and liabilities. Mary also assists individuals in all of their estate planning needs including preparing wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Mary is a member of the Michigan bar and admitted to practice in all State and Federal courts in Michigan, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Mary is a 2001 cum laude graduate of Wayne State University School of Law, where she was an associate editor of the Wayne State Law Review and received several academic honors. She received her undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University in 1995, with a B.S. in English literature and political science. She also received a master's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University in 1996, graduating summa cum laude. Mary was honored by the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association for her commitment to providing pro bono legal services to the greater Detroit area. Included among her various pro bono matters, Ms. Deon successfully represented the Michigan NAACP and Michigan ACLU in federal litigation to enforce provisions of the National Voter Registration Act. In 2009, Mary was selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine. From August 2001 through May 2010, Mary was an associate with Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Detroit office where she concentrated her practice in labor and employment litigation and counseling as well as complex commercial litigation matters. In May 2010 through June 2011 Mary served as counsel to the Department of Defense, Army, providing legal and business advice on a variety of federal acquisition matters.