Laws are made to protect the common interest of people. But, when an employee comes under scrutiny by the federal government, the experience can be intimidating. Without the help of an experienced attorney, it is challenging to back one’s claim. Addressing these issues, The Law Firm of John P. Mahoney, Esq., Attorneys at Law, PLLC, has been working relentlessly to defend the rights & careers of federal employees and many others for nearly 30 years now.
The Firm’s Founding & Managing Partner, Attorney John P. Mahoney, has been in the industry for nearly 30 years, serving the nation’s public servants throughout the USA and worldwide. Attorney Mahoney sat down with the CEO Views team to share his law firm’s experience and entrepreneurial journey.
Founding story
For nearly three decades, Attorney John P. Mahoney has utilized his extensive legal experience to protect, defend, and enhance the federal careers of the firm’s U.S. federal government employee clients in all 50 states and around the world. He and his Firm’s attorneys represent federal employees, unions, employee associations, contractors, and agencies in federal employment, civil rights, and national security clearance litigation throughout the USA and worldwide.
The Firm has been working relentlessly to defend the rights & careers of federal employees and many others for nearly 30 years now.
The Law Firm of John P. Mahoney, Esq., Attorneys at Law, PLLC, was established in 2014, in Washington, DC. With this current organization, John wanted to apply the top-rated and award-winning experience he gained through his over 20 (at its inception) years of effectively representing U.S. federal government employees.
Shaping the industry
In addition to John’s nearly 30 years as federal employment, civil rights, labor, and national security clearance attorney, he also has federal government experience, having been appointed to serve as the statutory Vice Chairman, an executive, and an administrative judge with the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Personnel Appeals Board (PAB), on which he adjudicated GAO federal employee discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, labor law, and disciplinary action cases. Prior to founding his current law firm, John served as a law clerk, associate, senior associate, or partner with four previous DC-based federal employment law firms. His experience, before founding his current Law Firm John P. Mahoney, Esq., Attorneys at Law, PLLC, was that many other firms in the federal employment law space were quite abusive to their attorney employees. John wanted to go in a better direction by paying them 1/3 of their realized revenue, eliminating billable hour requirements, reducing the administrative overhead requirements placed on them, and allowing them to work from home full-time according to their preferred schedule. Those innovations have earned their firm many awards of which he is proud, including the Innovation & Excellence Awards as “Federal Employment Lawyer of the Year in 2021.”
Values and ethics
For any law firm, sticking to its values and ethics is integral. Speaking about the same, John said, “Our values are to first and foremost respect our clients and their dedication to public service on behalf of the American people. As a “Preeminent AV Rated™” Lawyer, I am considered an attorney with ‘preeminent legal ability; expertise, experience, integrity, and overall professional excellence’ and that I ‘clearly demonstrate the highest professional and ethical standards.’ Those are our primary values. Additionally, we value efficiently and effectively
litigating our clients’ cases to enforce their civil and employment rights, protect them from prohibited personnel practices, defend and enhance their careers, and to do so promptly, aggressively, and ethically. We always seek to find the most effective and efficient way to help our clients enforce their rights promptly and as cost-effectively as possible.”
Organization culture
Mostofthefirm’sattorneyshavealsoservedasfederal employees and all of them have been excellent attorneys for over ten years each. That experience is rare and gives them a great perspective on the federal sector clients, their public service dedication, and how the government runs, which helps them earn their clients’ trust, as well as the respect of their agency opponents.
Further adding to this, John said, “As a former federal employment law agency statutory Vice Chairman, executive, and administrative judge myself, not to mention an American citizen who is proud of our country and its government, I always work with our agency attorney counterparts to seek, as much as possible, a win-win resolution to all our client’s cases, so they can get back to work for the American people and so all federal agencies function more efficiently for the American public. As I always say, there is no reason why every case shouldn’t settle, as long as both parties are represented by competent counsel who knows the law and the facts. As long as both parties are not being unreasonably stubborn, each federal employment law case should be resolvable based on the value of its facts and law. We endeavor to resolve all of our client’s cases as quickly, cost-effectively, and on the best terms we can get.”
Remaining on pace with the changes
In a competitive field like the law, it is very important for practitioners to keep abreast of developments in federal employment law and government management. At The Law Firm of John P. Mahoney, Esq., Attorneys at Law, PLLC, they achieve this through remote desktop servers, online research tools, agency electronic filing portals, news outlets, continuing legal education courses, and by working with high-level government clients and agency officials to promptly and effectively resolve clients employee relations problems, so as to best protect their careers and keep them working for the American public. The biggest challenge for the firm is to continue to find qualified attorneys with federal employment law experience to join the firm. But, thanks to its impeccable record, they remain successful in attracting the best talent.
The biggest challenge for the firm is to continue to find qualified attorneys with federal employment law experience to join the firm. But, thanks to its impeccable record, they remain successful in attracting the best talent.
Plans for the future
Explaining his plan for the firm, John said, “In 2023, I will reach my 30th Anniversary of being an Attorney and of representing federal employees in employment law matters.” In 2024, the firm’s 10th anniversary, he plans to offer eligible partners equity ownership percentages in the firm. After that, the plan is to have each new equity partner develop their own team of attorneys and inventory of cases. Thereafter, Attorney Mahoney will focus on institutional client development, such as serving as general counsel to unions and employee associations, writing and speaking more frequently, and perhaps serving as a political appointee in the federal government’s Executive Branch.
