MacDonald Hoague & Bayless is one of the leading plaintiffs’ employment firms in the Pacific Northwest.
For more than half a century, our firm has had a high level of success litigating employment matters against powerful defendants, handling complex cases with high stakes. We represent private and public sector employees in all aspects of disputes, negotiation, litigation, and appeal in:
- discrimination and harassment claims related to sex, race, age, national origin, pregnancy, religion, disability, and sexual orientation
- accommodation of people with disabilities or with religious practice requirements
- wage and hour and overtime pay
- wrongful discharge
- retaliation
- whistleblowing
- employment contracts and severance agreements
- non-competition / non-solicit / confidentiality agreements
- privacy and defamation
- medical leave/FMLA
Our lawyers are leaders in Washington’s employment law community, serving as President and on the board of the Washington Employment Lawyers Association (WELA), head of the employment section of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA), subcommittee chairs of the Pacific Labor & Employment Law Conference committee of the King County Bar Association, and on the board of Legal Voice.
MHB lawyers have also authored a number of pieces of ground-breaking legislation advancing employee rights, testifying before the legislature and shepherding bills through the legislative process. Additionally, our lawyers frequently file amicus briefs with Washington and federal appellate courts to protect employees on behalf of WELA and the ACLU-WA on a wide range of employment issues.
Some of our recent employment victories include:
- A unanimous Washington Supreme Court decision setting national precedent in striking down race-based staffing assignments at Western State Hospital;
- A series of precedent-setting federal appellate decisions holding that the First Amendment prohibits government officials from punishing employees for how they testify in court;
- A $2.2 million verdict against a Fortune 500 company that fired our client because of his disability and failed to reasonably accommodate him;
- A $1.8 million verdict against a public utility district that fired our client because of perceived side effects of treatment for her disability;
- A $415,000 verdict against a large private ambulance company that subjected our client to pregnancy discrimination and harassment after the birth of her child.