Jessica Farrelly

Partner

Tampa, FL
D 813.774.3486
jessica.farrelly@fmglaw.com

Education

University of Dayton, B.A., English, cum laude; Scholar Athlete
Suffolk Law, J.D., cum laude; Executive Member, Moot Court Honor Board

Practice Sections

Commercial Litigation/Directors & Officers

Labor and Employment Law

Professional Liability / Errors and Omissions

Tort and Catastrophic Loss

Interdisciplinary Teams

ADA Accessibility

Fair Housing

Homeowners Associations (HOA)

Wage and Hour

Overview

Jessica Farrelly is a Partner and Office Chair of Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP's Tampa office. She is also Vice-Chair of the firm's Southeast Employment practice team. Ms. Farrelly concentrates her practice in the area of employment law. Her extensive employment litigation experience includes representing employers in the defense of all types of employment law claims at the administrative, trial and appellate levels. In the state and federal courts in Florida and Massachusetts, Ms. Farrelly has litigated claims of race, national origin, sex, pregnancy, religious discrimination, and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; age discrimination claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, disability discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and wage and hour claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ms. Farrelly has defended similar discrimination and harassment claims under state law, as well as retaliation claims under Florida’s workers’ compensation retaliation statute and the public and private sector Whistleblower Acts.

Ms. Farrelly also represents management before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. She has conducted workplace investigations involving allegations of employee misconduct, sexual and other harassment, discrimination, and bullying.

Ms. Farrelly also regularly provides practical counseling and risk management guidance to management and assists with developing proactive measures to minimize future risk and liability. She assists employers with a broad range of employment issues, such as analyzing staffing arrangements, drafting employment and independent contractor agreements, and guiding management and human resources personnel through potential pitfalls related to interviewing, hiring, performance evaluations, discipline, accommodations, and terminations. Ms. Farrelly also collaborates with employers regarding review and drafting of handbooks and policy manuals. She provides tailored in-house training regarding discrimination, harassment, discipline, and other employment law issues.

In addition to employment law, Ms. Farrelly’s broad-based litigation experience spans several other areas. She has successfully litigated numerous complex commercial disputes as well as claims involving wrongful death, negligence, premises liability, over-service or dram shop allegations, professional liability, and other general complex liability matters. Throughout her career, Ms. Farrelly has won jury trials in state and federal courts in both Florida and Massachusetts.

Ms. Farrelly also has significant appellate experience. She has successfully handled appeals and argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Appeals Court of Massachusetts, and the District Court of Appeals in Florida, First and Fifth Districts.

Outside of work, Ms. Farrelly is an avid runner who completed the Boston Marathon. She was also a Division I tennis player while at the University of Dayton. She currently enjoys watching her son play basketball, and her daughter perform on stage.