SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES - Key Persons
Amanda Masters is an associate with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Her practice includes all aspects of general employment litigation, including defending discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, as well as advising employers regarding compliance with labor and employment laws and policy and handbook drafting, and representing employers in labor disputes.
Courtney Bhatt is an associate with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Her practice includes employment litigation, discrimination claims, workplace investigations, wage and hour disputes, trade secrets, covenants not to compete and non-solicitation litigation.
Darren Feider is a shareholder with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES and the head of the firm's litigation group. His practice involves general employment litigation, wage and hour disputes, trade secret, covenant not to compete and non-solicitation litigation as well as copyright infringement and trademark matters.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Managing Shareholder
Jeff has been actively involved in federal, state, and local bar associations for over three decades. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court, as well as in Washington and Oregon. He is the past Secretary of the Executive Board of the Washington State Bar Association - Labor & Employment Law Section, and past Chair of the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers - Employment Law Committee. He is also a member of the Washington Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section; the King County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section; and the American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section, Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee, where he serves as Management Co-Chair of the Trial and Appellate Advocacy Subcommittee. He is a past member of the King County Bar Association Board of Trustees and past member of the Seattle Children's Pediatric Bioethics Advisory Council. He currently serves as a member of a judicial subcommittee evaluating the Employment Chapter of the Washington Practice Jury Instructions.
Jeff has been repeatedly named as a "Super Lawyer" by Washington Law & Politics and is listed in Chambers, The Best Lawyers in America, the Best Lawyers in Seattle, and The International Who's Who of Management Labour & Employment Lawyers. He was named a "Lawyer of the Year" for Management-Side Employment Litigation in 2016 by Best Lawyers publication and has been repeatedly ranked amongst Seattle's best lawyers by Chambers and Best Lawyers in America. He has received the highest possible peer review rating for competency and ethics (AV) by Martindale-Hubbell. For over 55 years he has cultivated a passion for soccer as a player, coach, and supporter of the Seattle Sounders. When he is not in trial or spending time outdoors with his family you can find him playing guitar or tinkering with cars.
Jeffrey A. James is the Managing Shareholder at SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES and the head of the firm's litigation group. He has represented employers in labor and employment matters since 1988. Jeff's practice focuses on helping employers comply with state, federal and local employment laws and defending employers when litigation arises. He also prosecutes matters on behalf of employers seeking to enforce employment agreements, restrictive covenants, or other obligations. Jeff is a trial and appellate attorney who has successfully represented clients in proceedings before state and federal courts at all levels, as well as before administrative agencies and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Jeff is a frequent speaker at legal and industry seminars on issues affecting the workplace.
Jennifer A. Parda-Aldrich is a shareholder with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. She assists employers in developing and maintaining effective, legally compliant employment policies and resolving emergent problems and successfully represents employers in federal and state courts and before various administrative agencies. Jennifer also regularly conducts workplace investigations for public and private employers and provides management and employee workplace training.
Jennifer Hohnstein is an associate with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Her practice includes all aspects of employment investigations and litigation.
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Co - Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington
Jillian Barron serves as Of Counsel for SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. She has been with the firm since 1997, assisting employers in developing effective, legally compliant employment policies and resolving emergent problems. She also assists employees in reviewing and negotiating employment-related agreements. She has successfully represented both employers and employees in trial and appellate courts, arbitrations, mediations, and administrative agency proceedings.
Jillian Barron has been with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES since 1997 and is now Of Counsel to the firm. She has assisted employers in developing effective, legally compliant employment policies and resolving emergent problems, and has assisted employees in reviewing and negotiating employment-related agreements. She also successfully represented both employers and employees in trial and appellate courts, arbitrations, mediations, and administrative agency proceedings. Jillian is currently focusing her practice on serving as a neutral workplace investigator, an arbitrator, a mediator, and a hearing officer for University of Washington faculty adjudications. She is a member of the American Arbitration Association's Panel of Employment Arbitrators and serves as an arbitrator for Washington State Superior Court cases subject to mandatory arbitration. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell, and has been named a "Super Lawyer" by Washington Law & Politics magazine. Jillian also has received Avvo's highest rating for attorneys.
Jillian has served as Co-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington. She has served as a mediator for community-based dispute resolution centers, the Seattle Federal Executive Board, and the City of Seattle, and continues to serve as a volunteer attorney at one of the King County Bar Association's Neighborhood Legal Clinics. She is a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators. Jillian is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Washington State Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section. She previously served as Secretary and President of the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers and Chair of its Employment Law Section.
Ed graduated summa cum laude from University of Missouri with a B.S.B.A. (economics and labor relations). He graduated from Duke University School of Law, with honors, in 1983, where he served as Project Editor for the Duke Law Journal and was elected to Order of the Coif.
M. Edward Taylor serves as Of Counsel for SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Ed is a seasoned labor and employment counselor with a long history of providing employer guidance in the public and private sector. He has defended employers in a broad range of state and federal court litigation involving discrimination, wrongful discharge, covenants not to compete, trade secret misappropriation, and other employment-related claims. He has extensive experience representing management in union matters, including union organizing efforts, unlawful picketing and boycotts, NLRB and state agency proceedings, grievance handling and arbitration, collective bargaining, and the prosecution and defense of Section 301 suits. Ed also represents employers and executives regarding executive employment agreements and compensation matters, and counsels employers on preventive employment practices, employment handbooks and policies, work force restructuring, drug and alcohol screening, pre-employment testing, and wage-hour compliance.
Mara Vinnedge serves as Of Counsel for SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Mara has been representing both private and public employers in labor and employment matters throughout the Pacific Northwest for over 25 years. Mara provides advice and counsel to employers in a variety of industries on all aspects of labor and employment law, including issues involving discipline and discharge, employee leaves, wage and hour, compensation, discrimination, non-compete and confidentiality matters. She has been the chief negotiator for hundreds of collective bargaining agreements with over a dozen unions, including Teamsters, SEIU, UFCW, OPEIU, AFCSME, IUPAT, Machinists, and the WEA. Mara represents employers in grievances and labor arbitrations; advises on contract administration and interpretation; assists Employers in organizing drives; and handles cases before various administrative agencies, including the EEOC, the WSHRC, the Public Employee Relations Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. She also conducts workplace investigations and develops and presents training for employers and industry groups.
Mark is a cum laude, honors graduate of Occidental College in 1974. Mark received his law degree from the University of Southern California Law Center in 1983.
Mark R. Busto, co-founder of SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES, has retired from his active legal practice but continues to serve as a Commissioner on the Public Employment Relations Commission for the State of Washington. Prior to being appointed to serve as one of three part-time citizen commissioners by the Governor of the State of Washington, Mark represented employers in discrimination cases before judges and juries in both state and federal court and has arbitrated many labor and employment matters. He has also assisted management for nearly 30 years in establishing and administering human resources policies and programs with a problem-prevention approach.
Prior to obtaining his law degree, Mark was a management employee relations consultant to the State of California and a field representative/organizer for the California State Employees Association (SEIU). He has been named one of the Best Lawyers in Seattle and Best Lawyers in America, and identified repeatedly as a "Super Lawyer" by Washington Law & Politics. Mark Busto is AV® Peer Review Rated by Lexis-Nexis® Martindale Hubbell®.
Matthew Coughlan is an associate with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. His practice includes general employment litigation, wage and hour claims, retaliation claims, discrimination and harassment claims, noncompetition and non-solicitation covenants, and trade secrets. In addition to his litigation practice, Matthew advises clients on employment agreements and restrictive covenants. PRACTICE FOCUS Employment Litigation Retaliation Wage and […]
Matthew W. Lynch is a shareholder with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Matt represents private and public sector employers in all aspects of labor relations, and has negotiated hundreds of collective bargaining agreements, represented management in grievances and labor arbitrations, and handled many cases in front of the National Labor Relations Board.
Matt Lynch is a shareholder with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Matt represents private and public sector employers in all aspects of labor relations, and has negotiated hundreds of collective bargaining agreements, represented management in grievances and labor arbitrations, and handled many cases in front of the National Labor Relations Board. In addition, Matt is a trusted adviser who assists employers in both day-to-day and strategic employee relations issues, including discipline and discharge, employee leaves, employment agreements, policy development, handbooks, wage and hour and discrimination. Before joining the firm, Matt was the Director of Labor Relations Services and General Counsel for the largest employer association in the Pacific Northwest, having been with that association for over 24 years. He also served as a management trustee on a Taft-Hartley insurance trust. Matt has extensive experience in assisting employers in the healthcare, print and broadcast media, education and non-profit sectors.
Robert Sebris, Jr., co-founder of SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES, has retired from his active legal practice. He worked in the field of human resource management and law for almost 50 years. Bob served a wide range of clients on the spectrum of employment law issues. He emphasized problem prevention counseling to avoid and contain human resource law concerns. He represented management exclusively. Bob was listed in Who's Who in American Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Guide to the World's Leading Labour & Employment Lawyers. He was also identified as a Superlawyer by Washington Law & Politics and was included in the America's Leading Business Lawyers as one of the top labor lawyers in the State of Washington. Bob was AV® Peer Review Rated by Lexis-Nexis® Martindale Hubbell®. Martindale Hubbell's AV® Peer Review Rating identifies a lawyer with very high to preeminent legal ability, and is a reflection of the attorney's expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence.
Shreya Ahluwalia Shreya Ahluwalia is an associate with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. sahluwalia@sbj.law full bio
Tina Aiken is Senior Counsel with SEBRIS BUSTO JAMES. Her practice includes all aspects of employment litigation, including defending discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims. Tina also advises employers regarding compliance with labor and employment laws, employee relations, performance management, and policy and handbook drafting.