Fiona W. Ong
ATTORNEYS
Fiona W. Ong
Phone: 410-843-3471
Fax: 410-752-8861
E-Mail: ong@shawe.com
Fiona W. Ong defends employers in the areas of employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, and wage/hour regulation, both in court and before federal and state agencies. She also provides advice to managers and human resources on a wide variety of personnel matters, and conducts training on harassment, reasonable accommodations, and other issues for both supervisors and employees. She prepares employee handbooks and personnel policies. She assists government contractors in complying with affirmative action obligations.
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Fiona serves as General Counsel to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Chamber’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Fiona also co-chairs the Maryland Chamber’s Employment Issues Committee, and has testified before the General Assembly regarding various employment bills. She has presented at the local and national level, including the annual conference of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Maryland State Bar Association, as well as the Maryland Chamber of Commerce’s Employment Law Conference.
Fiona is the primary author of “Chambers Global Practice Guide – Employment – U.S. Trends and Developments” and “Chambers USA Regional Practice Guide – Employment – Maryland,” as well as the USA chapter for the Legal 500’s “Employment & Labour Law Country Comparative Guide” and Lexology’s “Employment USA 2022 – Maryland.” She is also the editor for the “Maryland Human Resources Manual,” a publication of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and HRSimple.com. In addition, she has co-authored a number of articles for the Matthew Bender monthly “Labor and Employment Law Bulletin.” She was the revisions editor for “The Employment Law Deskbook” and “Labor and Employment Law Volume 10 General Employment Issues” published by Matthew Bender.
Before entering private practice, Fiona served as a law clerk to the Honorable Mary J. Mullarkey of the Colorado Supreme Court.
Practice Areas
- Accommodations – Disability and Religion
- Affirmative Action and OFCCP Compliance
- Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation
- Employment Agreements and Restrictive Covenants
- FMLA/ADA/Workers’ Compensation Leave Management
- Human Resources Advice and Counsel
- Independent Contractor Issues
- Investigations and Corporate Governance
- Personnel Policies, Procedures and Handbooks
- Training
- Wage and Hour Compliance
Honors
- Chambers USA, 2017-present
- Best Lawyers, 2020-present
- Super Lawyers, 2015-present
- Acritas Star, 2017
- Lexology’s “Legal Influencer” in U.S. Labor and Employment 2018 Q4, 2019 Q2-4, 2020 Q1-4, 2021 Q1-4, 2022 Q1-4, 2023 Q1
- Recipient, NAPABA Best Under 40 Award
Memberships
- Maryland Chambers of Commerce
- General Counsel and Executive Committee Member
- Co-Chair, Employment Issues Committee
- American Bar Association
- Member, Section of Labor and Employment Law
- Maryland State Bar Association
- National Asian-Pacific American Bar Association
- Society for Human Resources Management
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. 1992
- Princeton University, A.B., 1989
– Member, Kappa Alpha Theta
Bar Admissions
- Maryland
- United States District Court for the District of Maryland
- United States Courts of Appeals for the 3rd, 4th, 10th, and D.C. Circuits
News
Publications
EEOC Releases Expansive “Proposed Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace”
TOP TIP: What to Expect from Maryland’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program – The Sequel
Requiring an Employee to Pay for a Leadership Program May Be Discrimination
An Aggressive Offense Is Not Always the Best Defense
Separation Agreements Should Not Prohibit Whistleblowing Activity or Recovery
Employers – Beware of the EEOC’s Targeted Priorities
A New Disability Resource for Federal Contractors from the EEOC and U.S. DOL
The DOL is Serious About PUMP Act Rights for Breastfeeding Mothers.
Can Maryland Employers Test and Discipline for Recreational Marijuana Use?
Denial of Religious Accommodation Requires Proof of “Substantial” Burden
Volume 10, Labor and Employment Law
NEWS & EVENTS
Webinar: 2023 NLRB Update Recent Board Decisions Alter Landscape for Union and Non-Union Employers
J. Michael McGuire and Chad M. Horton presented a webinar, “NLRB Update 2023: Landscape-Altering Changes to Employee Handbook Standards, Paths to Unionization, and the Protected Concerted Activity Doctrine,” on September
Shawe Rosenthal Attorneys Author Maryland Chapter of Chambers’ 2023 Regional Employment Practice Guide
Chambers’ 2023 Regional Employment Practice Guide, for which Shawe Rosenthal authored the Maryland Chapter, has been released. Our chapter provides a comprehensive overview of labor and employment law in the state. Chambers
Michael McGuire and Fiona Ong Present Update on NLRB Developments to ABC of Greater Baltimore
J. Michael McGuire and Fiona W. Ong presented an update on NLRB developments and an overview of federal, D.C. and Maryland leave laws for the Associated Builders and Contractors of
Lindsey White and Veronica Yu Welsh win Motion for Summary Judgment
Lindsey A. White and Veronica Yu Welsh won summary judgment in a case where the employee of a contractor attempted to sue a large corporation on the grounds that it
Parker Thoeni Quoted for Fast Company
Parker E. Thoeni was quoted in an August 8, 2023 article by Simon Spichak for Fast Company, “‘I’m the only one still masking’: What it’s like to still be COVID-cautious
Fiona Ong Quoted in Society for Human resource Management
Fiona Ong was quoted in an August 10, 2023 article by Leah Shepherd for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM.org), “Stay Abreast of New Federal Regulations About to Arrive.”
Chad Horton Guest Speaker on US Employers
Chad M. Horton was a guest speaker for the August 24, 2023 installment of the Employment Law Alliance’s podcast series, Episode 516: US Employers – The NLRB Has Just Made
Fiona Ong Quoted in Law.com
Fiona Ong was quoted in an August 18, 2023 article by Chris O’Malley for Law.com, “Companies ‘Throwing Up Hands’ as DEI Risks Loom.” (Subscription may be required for access). Fiona
Fiona Ong Quoted in LA Times
Fiona Ong was quoted in an August 3, 2023 article by Don Lee for the Los Angeles Times, “Employers’ push to end remote work and return to office is stalling.”