Photo of Laura A. Mitchell

Laura Mitchell is a principal in the Denver office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and leads the firm’s Workplace Analytics and Preventive Strategies Pay Equity subgroup. She partners with employers to evaluate, develop and implement policies and practices that ensure workplace fairness while mitigating legal risk. Laura is a guiding force in the firm’s most specialized and technical practice areas where she leverages an analytics-focused approach to partner with her clients in building legally compliant programs around which they can anchor their workplaces achieving productivity and stability.

Laura understands that creating a competitive advantage for employers in today’s workplace involves using a data-driven approach to counsel companies on the development of proactive and equitable non-discriminatory practices in hiring, promotions, separations and pay—and where advancements in technology can create both opportunities for efficiencies and risk that can be measured. Committed to putting her clients’ organizational goals first and foremost while balancing legal risk, Laura views herself as an extension of her clients’ team, responsible for providing proactive guidance and engaging in transparent, ongoing communication. Staying the course with employers across their organizational journey while balancing legal compliance obligations throughout their employees’ lifecycle ensures Laura’s position as a go-to resource.

Laura works with companies across all industries—both new and well-established multi-national organizations of all sizes—to realize the combined vision of legal compliance, increased productivity and economic growth enhanced by a focus on pay equity.  As part of the pay equity journey, she advises employers on the evolving pay transparency landscape, working to align compliant practices with the practical realities of the business world.

Laura partners closely with government contractors to understand, implement and demonstrate compliance with their EEO regulatory and compliance obligations. She also works closely with non-government contractor clients to conduct risk assessments of their programs, policies, and training to align with federal and state anti-discrimination requirements.

Laura is the editor and a principal contributor of the GovCon Employment Exchange blog and presents on pay equity and government contractor obligations. To round out her days, Laura enjoys spending time with her family and friends attending sports events, working out, riding her bike, playing pickleball and taking in Colorado’s incomparable sunsets.

According to OFCCP, on June 2, 2022, the Center for Investigative Reporting sent OFCCP a request for the disclosure of

 . . .Type 2 EEO-1 reports for all federal contractors, including first-tier subcontractors, from 2016-2020….

The Center for Investigative Reporting, and other persons and organizations, have a history of requesting EEO-1 reports for various

There has been lot of talk in the months since OFCCP released Directive 2022-01: Advancing Pay Equity Through Compensation Analysis, with the topic of attorney-client privilege being the primary topic of concern.  So much so that OFCCP Director Jenny Yang addressed the issue in her remarks last month at the NILG National Conference.  Today,

Today, OFCCP under new Director Jenny Yang published a 2022 Corporate Scheduling Announcement List (CSAL) identifying those establishments of federal contractors and subcontractors that it will schedule for compliance evaluations – more commonly known as “audits” – over the next year or more.  Included with the new CSAL is OFCCP’s methodology for selecting contractors for

The June 30, 2022 deadline is quickly approaching for covered supply and service federal contractors and subcontractors to certify in the Contractor Portal they have developed and maintained AAPs.  This week, OFCCP added an option allowing bulk upload and modification of establishments and functional affirmative action plan (FAAP) business units.

Notably, OFCCP limits this functionality

Speaking to the Institute For Workplace Equality during its 2022 Annual Summit in Washington D.C., personnel from the U.S. Department of Labor Solicitor’s office (OFCCP’s attorneys) clarified the intent of the Agency’s new Compensation Directive 2022-01.  Speaking to conference attendees, Beverly Dankowitz, Associate Solicitor for the Civil Rights and Labor- Management, explained the purpose