Overview

James A. Paretti, Jr. is an experienced management-side employment and labor relations attorney with in-depth political and policy knowledge of labor, pension, healthcare and employment law, regulations and legislation. Jim is well versed in all aspects of legislative and political processes with demonstrated knowledge in the substance of federal labor and employment policy. He has over two decades of experience working with federal legislators and policymakers, including former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Chairmen of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and senior level administration officials. 

Prior to joining Littler, Jim was chief of staff and senior counsel to the acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He provided legal and political counsel with respect to all aspects of agency business, administered and managed the Office of the Chair where he was responsible for over 2,200 employees and a 375 million dollar annual budget, and served as primary liaison to regulated stakeholders and Capitol Hill.

His extensive experience includes developing policy and providing legal counsel on the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as coordinating external communications and media relations for a senior member of Congress. Jim represented corporate and nonprofit clients in employment litigation in federal and state court, before administrative agencies and in private arbitration while with two Boston firms. 

During law school, he held positions as editor as well as note and comment editor for the New York University Law Review. 

Recognition

Recipient, John J. Galgay Fellowship in Bankruptcy and Reorganization Law

New York University School of Law

1995

Dean's List

Harvard College

all semesters

News, Analysis & Press

Littler WPI’s Election Report 2024

WPI Report

November 7, 2024

GOP Election Wins May Set Stage For Curbing Workplace DEI

Law360 Employment Authority

November 6, 2024

What a Trump return would mean for the EEOC

POLITICO Pro

November 4, 2024

Law360 Gives Attys New Tool To Track EEOC Amicus Briefs

Law360 Employment Authority

November 4, 2024

Six high-stakes employment rules that could tilt on the election

American City Business Journals

November 4, 2024

Ten Employment Issues This Labor Day

Insight

September 2, 2024

The Global Guide Quarterly (Quarter 2, 2024)

Global Guide Quarterly

July 24, 2024

EEOC Charges Show Workers' Quick Grasp Of Pregnancy Law

Law360 Employment Authority

May 17, 2024

New overtime rule may not survive expected court challenge

American City Business Journals

May 10, 2024

3 Tips For Navigating DOL's New OT Rule

Law360 Employment Authority

April 29, 2024

4 Takeaways From The DOL's Final Overtime Rule

Law360 Employment Authority

April 24, 2024

New overtime rule may not survive expected court challenge

American City Business Journals

April 24, 2024

Partisan Split On Display As EEOC Makes Policy Strides

Law360 Employment Authority

April 11, 2024

House Hearing Highlights Real Estate Contractor Question

Law360 Employment Authority

February 15, 2024

Chevron's Potential Demise: What Bias Attys Should Know

Law360 Employment Authority

January 26, 2024

5 Cases General Counsel Should Watch In 2024

Law360 Pulse

January 2, 2024

How The High Court Shook Up Workplace Bias Law In 2023

Law360 Employment Authority

December 12, 2023

Justice O'Connor's Lasting Impact On Sex Harassment Law

Law360 Employment Authority

December 4, 2023

10 California Bills that May Resurface in 2024

SHRM Online

November 21, 2023

3 Takeaways From NLRB's Latest Joint Employment Rule

Law360 Employment Authority

October 26, 2023

New EEOC Top Cop Bolsters Dem Leaders' Playbook

Law360 Employment Authority

October 17, 2023

EEOC's Year-End Lawsuit Surge Puts Focus On ADA

Law360 Employment Authority

October 6, 2023

What To Know If Partisan Gridlock Shuts Down EEOC

Law360 Employment Authority

September 27, 2023

3 Takeaways From EEOC's Finalized Enforcement Strategy

Law360 Employment Authority

September 25, 2023

Littler AI in the Workplace Survey Report 2023

Littler Report

September 25, 2023

WPI Labor Day Report 2023

WPI Report

September 5, 2023

4 Areas To Watch As EEOC Gets Final Puzzle Piece In Place

Law360 Employment Authority

August 8, 2023

Kotagal's Arrival Pushes EEOC Into High Gear

Law360 Employment Authority

July 13, 2023

EEOC Issues Guidance on Use of AI

SHRM Online

May 18, 2023

3 Takeaways From The EEOC's Latest Performance Report

Law360 Employment Authority

March 14, 2023

4 Priorities Highlighted In The EEOC's Draft Enforcement Plan

Law360 Employment Authority

January 11, 2023

Discrimination Legislation And Regulations To Watch In 2023

Law360 Employment Authority

January 2, 2023

3 Areas Where A Democratic-Led EEOC Will Leave Its Mark

Law360 Employment Authority

November 10, 2022

Midterm Election Results Could Put EEOC Under Microscope

Law360 Employment Authority

November 4, 2022

NLRB's Joint Employer Move May Foreshadow EEOC Action

Law360 Employment Authority

September 12, 2022

Littler’s Annual Labor Day Report

Industry Today

September 7, 2022

WPI Labor Day Report 2022

WPI Report

September 5, 2022

NLRB GC's Settlement Push Already Being Felt, Attys Say

Law360 Employment Authority

July 12, 2022

How Federal Workplace Law Could Apply In A Post-Roe World

Law360 Employment Authority

May 20, 2022

The Littler Annual Employer Survey 2022

Littler Report

May 4, 2022

4 More Things The EEOC Could Do To Help LGBTQ Workers

Law360 Employment Authority

April 1, 2022

EEOC Budget Could See $15.5M Boost From Spending Bill

Law360 Employment Authority

March 10, 2022

Court shifts vaccine choice back to employers

Business Insurance

February 1, 2022

4 Discrimination Questions Employers Have About COVID-19

Law360 Employment Authority

January 21, 2022

WPI Labor Day Report 2021

WPI Report

September 6, 2021

Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines

HR Professionals Magazine

July 28, 2021

EEOC’s Pandemic Operations Get High Marks From Lawyers

Law360 Employment Authority

July 20, 2021

What To Know About EEOC Conciliation Regs' Coming Demise

Law360 Employment Authority

June 24, 2021

EEOC Blesses Vaccine Incentives, But Gray Areas Remain

Law360 Employment Authority

May 28, 2021

Can My Boss Force Me Not to Wear a Face Mask at Work?

The Wall Street Journal

April 26, 2021

EEOC Hiring Bump May Mean Faster Outcomes, Bigger Cases

Law360 Employment Authority

April 20, 2021

What’s at Stake with the PRO Act Vote

World at Work

April 14, 2021

OFCCP Week In Review

Direct Employers Association

March 29, 2021

W-2s May Need to Be Corrected Due to the FFCRA

SHRM Online

January 27, 2021

COVID-19 employment lawsuits

Thomson Reuters Westlaw

September 29, 2020

WPI Labor Day Report 2020

WPI Report

September 8, 2020

The “New” AB 5

Podcast

September 1, 2020

CARES Act: Implications for Employers

Insight

March 30, 2020

California Challenges The Gig-Economy Giants

Global Finance

February 5, 2020

Now what? Practical tips for navigating California post-A.B. 5

Thomson Reuters Westlaw

October 17, 2019

How will the Supreme Court vote on LGBTQ protections?

Human Resource Executive

October 10, 2019

WPI Labor Day Report 2019

WPI Report

September 3, 2019

What’s New with the EEOC?

Podcast

August 21, 2019

EEOC Mulls Revoking General Counsel’s Litigation Authority

Bloomburg Big Law Business

July 10, 2019

EEOC to Require Compensation Data by End of September

Human Resource Executive

May 7, 2019

What To Watch At The EEOC In 2019

Law360

January 1, 2019

Industry Experts React to Midterm Elections

Benefits Pro

November 9, 2018

New Joint-Employer Rule Would Be a Reversal for NLRB

Human Resource Executive

September 18, 2018

Littler's WPI Labor Day Report 2018

WPI Report

August 30, 2018

What's Ahead in Workforce Regulations

IndustryWeek

August 31, 2018

Speaking Engagements

2024 Florida Regional Employer Conference

Orlando, FL

November 14, 2024

2024 Mid-Atlantic Regional Employer Conference

Washington, DC

June 21, 2024

An Insider's View of the EEOC: Recent and Current Strategies, Litigation, Settlements and What's on the Horizon

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 10, 2024

My Rights Versus Yours: Human Rights Protection in Tension with Religious Freedoms

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 8, 2024

A View from D.C. - What’s Happening with the DOL, EEOC, and OSHA

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Annual Workforce & HR Conference, Madison, WI

May 2, 2024

Joint Employer: Are Franchise Companies in the Clear?

International Franchise Association (IFA)

April 23, 2024

2023 Littler AI Summit

Washington, DC

September 21, 2023

2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional Employer Conference

Washington, DC

June 16, 2023

WPI: The New Era of Divided Government: What are the Implications for Employers?

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 11, 2023

Inclusion, Equity & Diversity 2.0 – A Panoramic View and Update of IE&D's Hot Issues

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 10, 2023

2022 Philadelphia Regional Employer Conference

Philadelphia, PA

October 28, 2022

Session Two: The Current Legislative and Regulatory Framework Governing the Use of AI Tools in HR Decisions

October 13, 2022

Littler AI Summit

Washington, DC

September 28, 2022

Littler WPI Annual Labor Day Report

September 12, 2022

2022 Mid-Atlantic Regional Employer Conference

Washington, DC

June 8, 2022

WPI Insider Briefing: What to Expect in Year Two of the Biden Administration (and in the States!)

Littler Executive Employer Conference

May 5, 2022

The State of Vaccinations and Testing – A Continued Conundrum

Littler Executive Employer Conference

May 5, 2022

AI in HR – Staying Ahead of the Curve

Littler Executive Employer Conference

May 5, 2022

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC: Looking Back at FY 2021 Developments and Looking Forward at the Commission’s Plans for FY 2022

April 27, 2022

What to Expect in Year Two of the Biden Administration: WPI’s Labor and Employment Outlook

February 23, 2022

OFCCP's New Registration and Certification Requirements

February 15, 2022

COVID-19 in the Workplace: Recent Developments and Compliance Challenges - Session 22

Sacramento, CA

January 7, 2022

The COVID Vaccine ETS - What You Need to Know About the New Standard

November 11, 2021

Giving It Your Best Shot! COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates and Accommodation Requests

September 17, 2021

The Biden Labor Agenda: What Lies Ahead

September 16, 2021

2021 Mid-Atlantic Virtual Employer Conference

September 9, 2021

The EEOC: What to Expect from the New Administration

2021 Executive Employer Conference

May 12, 2021

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC: A Practical Primer on Organizational, Procedural and Case Developments

April 14, 2021

What to Expect in the Biden Administration and 117th Congress: WPI’s Labor and Employment Outlook

January 22, 2021

Tysons Corner Fall Mini Series: Elections Matter: An Update on the Impacts of the 2020 Election

Tysons Corner, VA

December 16, 2020

Proposition 22: California and Beyond

November 17, 2020

WPI Post-Election Update

November 6, 2020

A Littler Workplace Policy Institute Webinar: The "New" AB 5

August 27, 2020

COVID-19 in the Workplace: Compliance Challenges, Policy Options

April 10, 2020

Practical Issues for Employers in Navigating the New Federal Emergency Paid FMLA and Sick Leave Mandates

March 24, 2020

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC: A Practical Primer On Organizational, Procedural, and Case Developments

March 10, 2020

Pay Equity: EEO-1s, the EEOC and the States - Where Do We Go From Here?

November 22, 2019

It's NOT as Easy as A-B-C! Practical Tips for Doing Business in California Post AB 5

October 1, 2019

EEO-1 Component 2 Reporting: What You Need to Know and How to Get It Done

July 19, 2019

EEOC Update

2019 Mid-Atlantic Employer Conference, Bethesda, MD

June 7, 2019

The Latest Developments in Federal Labor Policy: A Workplace Policy Institute Briefing

April 9, 2019

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC: Where We’ve Been and What’s on the Horizon

February 22, 2019

Littler's Annual Report on the EEOC: Where We've Been and What's on the Horizon

February 19, 2019

WPI Post-Election Update

Washington, DC

November 9, 2018

Education

  • J.D., New York University School of Law, 1997cum laude
  • A.B., Harvard College, 1990

Bar Admission

District of Columbia
New York
Massachusetts