Legal Elite 2023: Labor/ Employment Law Q&A

Title: Member

Other legal specialties: I occasionally take on matters outside my practice area that pique my interest. I’m currently engaging in trusts and estates litigation that involves the slayer statute and a dispute over who owns a very large collection of guns.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in history and law degree, University of Virginia

Family: I’m married to Stephen Pettler, who is also a lawyer. I have two adult children, Jack and Kate Rasmussen, from my previous marriage, and I now have three adult stepdaughters: Zoe, Olivia and Sophia Pettler. It’s a fun crowd when we’re all together.

Career mentors: I’m so happy to have this forum to thank Eddie Isler and Steve Ray at Isler Dare for all of their encouragement and support. They have been my mentors since I worked as of counsel at Ray & Isler in 2002-03. I loved working there, but decided to go solo to work part time at home while my children were young.

What aspect of employment law do you find most challenging or rewarding? I particularly enjoy conducting internal investigations. I am often retained by employers or their legal counsel to investigate particularly complicated and sensitive factual allegations of unlawful discrimination and harassment, including allegations of sexual assault and predatory behavior. I believe I have a gift for getting people to open up and share critical, private information that enables me to get to the truth.

You joined Harrison & Johnston in 2021 but were a solo practitioner before that. Why did you make that decision? The long answer is that I always wanted to work at a small but sophisticated country law practice and live on a horse farm. The short answer is that in 2021, I married Steve Pettler, H&J’s managing partner.  

Check out the rest of the 2023 Legal Elite.