Attorney Profile

Melissa L. Watkins

Partner

Ms. Watkins is a partner who concentrates her practice on representing federal employees in complex employment, discrimination, and national security matters. She is a trusted advocate for individuals navigating the most sensitive and career-defining challenges arising in federal service, and she is recognized for delivering strategic, candid, and solution-oriented counsel in high-stakes administrative proceedings.

With extensive experience across the federal employment landscape, Ms. Watkins routinely represents clients in disciplinary and adverse action matters, guiding them through every stage of the process, from responding to proposed removals, suspensions, and demotions, to pursuing litigation and appeals before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and other adjudicatory bodies. Her practice frequently involves intricate procedural issues, evidentiary disputes, and the defense of employee rights in proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).

Ms. Watkins also maintains a robust federal-sector discrimination practice, advising employees on claims of discrimination, retaliation, and workplace misconduct through the full EEO process. She provides comprehensive representation from the earliest stages of informal counseling through formal investigations and litigation before the EEOC, and she has guided numerous clients through all phases of the EEOC hearing process, including discovery, motions practice, hearings, and post-hearing appeals and advocacy.

In addition, Ms. Watkins is highly experienced in security clearance and suitability matters, representing clients whose eligibility for access to classified information is at risk. She counsels individuals through each stage of the clearance process, including questionnaire completion, investigative scrutiny, and clearance suspension or revocation proceedings. Her clearance work spans multiple adjudicative authorities, including the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Consolidated Adjudication Services (DCSA CAS), the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA), and proceedings involving agencies such as the Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and components of the Intelligence Community. Ms. Watkins is a member of the Security Clearance Lawyers Association.

Beyond her core practice, Ms. Watkins handles a range of specialized federal employment matters, including VA credentialing and privileging disputes, desk audits, USERRA complaints, and other highly technical administrative issues affecting federal employees nationwide.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Watkins served as an attorney advisor with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she authored appellate decisions addressing complex veterans’ benefits disputes. She also gained valuable federal litigation experience as a legal intern with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, supporting attorneys on matters involving civil rights claims, correctional law, mental health proceedings, and Federal Tort Claims Act litigation.

Ms. Watkins earned her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University, where she double majored in History and Political Science. She obtained her law degree from Elon University, where she participated as a member of her University’s Law Review and Moot Court Board. She is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and represents clients before federal agencies nationwide.

Ms. Watkins resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband, children, and dogs. Outside of her practice, she enjoys returning to tennis and spending time cooking and baking with her family.