ALBIES, STARK & GUERRIERO - Key Persons
J. Ashlee Albies has been practicing civil rights and employee-side employment law for almost two decades. She has devoted her legal career to advocating for clients who have been harmed by discrimination, retaliation, or unfair treatment by an employer or by the government. She believes in client-centered practice: ensuring her clients have the information they need to make informed decisions about major life choices.
Ashlee has a long history of civil rights advocacy - working to use the legal system and her legal knowledge to advance human rights. She has served as a legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and represents community groups seeking to hold police accountable. She also helped organize legal seminars for prisoners and the Life Without Parole Storytelling Project at Oregon State Penitentiary in 2019.
Ashlee takes her work outside the law office by serving in leadership positions and teaching about the law. She is past co-chair of the Portland chapter of the NLG, past chair of the Oregon State Bar Civil Rights Section, and current chair-elect of the Oregon State Bar Labor and Employment Section. She regularly offers community education and continuing legal education seminars on the First Amendment, free speech, creative uses of the law, trial advocacy, and civil rights litigation.
Ashlee has been recognized by her peers in multiple forums. In 2010, she received the Law for the People Award, along with other members of the legal team, from the NLG. She is recognized by SuperLawyers, and in 2018, Lewis and Clark Law School presented her with the Community Spirit Award. Most recently, the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association awarded her and a colleague the Arthur Bryant Public Justice Award, and she was selected for the 2021 Ernie Goodman Award by the NLG.
Ashlee is from New Jersey and earned her undergraduate degree from Cook College at Rutgers University before moving to Oregon to study law at Lewis and Clark Law School. When not working, she enjoys reading, crossword puzzles, and spending time with her family and friends.
Maria Witt is Of Counsel to Albies, Stark & Guerriero. Maria has spent nearly fifteen years advocating for employee rights, first as a union organizer and then as an employment lawyer. She is passionate about fair treatment in the workplace and strives to make sure every client has the knowledge they need to make informed, empowered decisions. Maria is fluent in both English and Spanish.
As an advocate for clients facing discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage and hour violations, Maria has successfully represented employees in Oregon and Washington at trial, in mediation, and in negotiating settlements. Throughout her work, she draws on her extensive experience helping individuals resolve workplace disputes and obtain better working conditions.
She is also an active leader in the legal community. Maria co-chairs the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association's Employment Law Section and serves on the Oregon State Bar Labor & Employment Section's executive committee. Her past leadership includes the executive committees of the Oregon State Bar Civil Rights Section and the LGBTQI+ Bar Association of Oregon (formerly OGALLA). She was recognized as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers in 2020-22.
When she's not working, Maria loves to spend time with her wife while gardening, hiking, or cheering for the Portland Thorns and the Seattle Storm.
Maya Rinta represents individuals in employment and civil rights litigation. She understands that not everyone immediately knows what their ideal outcome would be after experiencing a violation at work, and values a collaborative approach with clients to determine the best strategy and outcome for each individual person.
In addition to private practice, Maya has provided legal services for community members, helping to reduce financial barriers through the Legal Aid Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and the Metropolitan Public Defender's Community Law Office. She has also provided legal services through the Lewis & Clark Criminal Justice Reform Clinic and the National Lawyers Guild to support and defend people against the State. Ultimately, Maya appreciates most any opportunity to work with people organizing together to build a better world.
Maya grew up in Oregon and has lived and worked here for most of her life. When she's not lawyering, she enjoys reading poetry and working in the garden.
Talia Guerriero's background in labor and union rights enriches her decade-long employment law practice, which includes her previous roles with the esteemed firms of Meyer Stephenson and Bennett Hartman. She has always been a strong voice for the underdog, and her passion for social justice and civil rights defines her. She is recognized by SuperLawyers as a "Rising Star" (2016-2021) and as a "SuperLawyer" (2022) and by Avvo with a "Superb" rating. Talia serves on the Board of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA), as Chair of OTLA's Minority Caucus, and was selected to be a member of the 2021-2022 OTLA Leadership Academy.
Using the law as a tool to empower clients on a path to justice is at the heart of Talia's practice. She represents workers in state and federal courts as well as before administrative agencies and boards. Her significant litigation experience includes discrimination and retaliation claims both in the workplace and in public accommodations as well as bringing multiple wage and hour class actions to final approval and being recognized as an expert for an employment discrimination fee petition.
Her advocacy has also helped workers achieve groundbreaking wins. For example, Talia acted as local counsel for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, representing a transgender worker in her fight to get necessary medical care covered under insurance. Together, the team secured an incredible settlement, likely changing the way employers handle insurance coverage for transgender employees.
An accomplished presenter, Talia regularly speaks and writes about employment law. Past topics at conferences and seminars include conducting discovery, identifying sexual harassment in the workplace, addressing pregnancy discrimination, creating more transgender-friendly workplaces, and understanding implicit bias and microaggressions. The U.C. Davis Journal of Juvenile Law and Policy published her article on implementing effective non-discrimination policies for LGBTQ youth in foster care. You can watch her tips on Oregon laws that prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in the workplace here.
She stays active teaching cycle and yoga and enjoying the great Oregon outdoors with her beloved family, including two terrible terriers named Cherry Blossom and Dandy Lion.
Whitney Stark started her legal career in San Francisco almost two decades ago. She gained experience litigating high-impact consumer rights and employment law class actions, resulting in substantial awards for consumers and employees.
In 2013, she came home to Portland, and in 2017, she formed Albies & Stark with Ashlee Albies. Today, she represents people in a wide range of cases, including employment discrimination, wage and hour violations, and class actions. She also represents labor organizations.
Whitney values open, frank communication and collaborating closely with her clients. She approaches each case with innovative strategies tailored to the client's unique needs.
Whitney was selected as a 2019 recipient of the Arthur H. Bryant Public Justice Award by the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, along with attorneys Dana Sullivan, Charese Rohny, and Ashley Vaughn. They received the award for their work on behalf of sexual harassment survivors in claims against the Oregon Legislature. Their case led to significant changes in policy regarding the handling of harassment and discrimination charges at the Oregon Legislature, and a $1.3 million settlement on behalf of the survivors.
When she is not at work, Whitney enjoys spending time with her two children and husband, and adorable, troublemaking rescue dog Tilly. Whitney also likes eating chocolate, hiking, or eating chocolate while hiking.