Sunshine R. Fellows is a Partner and Office Co-Chair in the Pittsburgh office of Freeman Mathis & Gary and a member of the Firm’s Labor & Employment Law Section. She is also Co-Chair of the firm's Midwest Employment practice team. Ms. Fellows has spent her entire legal career focusing her practice on various aspects of workplace law, having represented and advised management clients in the area of labor and employment law for nearly twenty years. She regularly defends employers in state and federal court litigation and administrative proceedings arising out of all aspects of the employment relationship. Her litigation practice includes providing representation to employers in matters involving claims relating to discrimination, retaliation, employment at-will, restrictive covenants, wrongful discharge, protected leaves of absence, breach of contract, defamation, and fraud before various judicial and administrative tribunals, including federal and state courts throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia and government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and the City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations. Ms. Fellows also has extensive experience representing employers in state and federal wage and hour class and collective action litigation.
Education
- University of Pittsburgh School of Law Pittsburgh, PA – Juris Doctor, cum laude, May 2001
- University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences Philadelphia, PA – Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, May 1998
Practice Sections
Interdisciplinary Teams
Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
United States Supreme Court
US District Court of Southern District of West Virginia
West Virginia
- American Bar Association
- Civil Litigation and Labor & Employment Sections Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Civil Litigation and Labor & Employment Sections Allegheny County Bar Association
- Civil Litigation and Labor & Employment Sections Society for Human Resource Management
- “Everything You Need to Know About Leaves of Absence Due to Mental Health,” FMG Webinar, October 2023
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Employment Law Institute West, Developments in LGBT Employment Rights, Pittsburgh, PA, November 2019
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Employment Law Institute West, NLRB Scrutiny of Employee Handbook Policies Relaxed – GC Memo Provides Updated Guidance on Common Employer Work Rules, Pittsburgh, PA, November 2018
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Employment Law Institute West, Top 10 Ways to Legally Hire the Best Employees, Pittsburgh, PA, November 2017
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Employment Law Institute West, Guidance on Pre-Employment Background Screening: Structuring Policies to Comply with Title VII, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and State Laws, Pittsburgh, PA, November 2014
- American Conference Institute’s National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims and Class Actions, Views from the Plaintiffs’ Bar: Adapting Your Strategies to New and Innovative Techniques and Tactics, Miami, FL and Los Angeles, CA, September 2014 and January, 2014
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Employment Law Institute West, The Hidden Costs of ‘Free’ Labor: Be Aware of Labor Laws Before You Decide to Hire an Unpaid Intern, Pittsburgh, PA, November 2013
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Basics of Employment Law: Privacy and Social Media, Pittsburgh, PA, June 2013