Janay M. Stevens
Practice Areas
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Labor and Employment
- Employer Internal Investigations
- Employment Litigation
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Employment Relations, Policies, and Regulatory Practice
- Affirmative Action Programs
- Drug and Alcohol Policies and Testing
- Employee Discipline and Termination
- Employment Counseling
- Employment Policies and Manuals
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Family and Medical Leave Act
- Management Training
- Wage and Hour/Fair Labor Standards Act
- Workplace Harassment, Including Sexual Harassment
Industries
Education
- The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, J.D., 2013
- Ohio State Law Journal, business editor, 2012-2013
- University of Nevada, B.A., 2010
Bar & Court Admissions
Janay is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the labor and employment group. She focuses her practice on counseling employers in both employment and traditional labor law matters. Janay regularly assists employers in complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and its amendments, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. She also has experience defending employers against employment lawsuits that include claims of wrongful discharge, discrimination, hostile work environment and harassment, wage and hour violations, breach of contract and violations of non-competition covenants. Janay has represented clients in state and federal court, before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and other similar state agencies throughout the country.
Janay also advises on best practices in hiring, firing, and other disciplinary decisions; conducting internal investigations; and maintaining effective and compliant employee policies and regulations. She frequently conducts on-site training for managers and human resources professionals, including drafting employee handbooks, in an effort to keep her clients informed and well positioned to prevent and defend against litigation.
Janay founded and leads the Vorys Initiative for Business Empowerment, an innovative program aimed at making legal services more accessible to racial and ethnic minority owned businesses.
Janay also serves on the Vorys Hiring Committee, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and serves as the chair of the Vorys Diversity Network.
Her notable experience includes:
- Successful defense of clients in nationwide Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions.
- Obtaining summary judgment in favor of a national employer in age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit.
- Obtaining summary judgment in favor of a national employer in sex discrimination, hostile work environment, and promissory estoppel lawsuit.
- Obtaining summary judgment in favor of a regional employer in race discrimination and hostile work environment lawsuit.
- Obtaining preliminary injunctions and securing the denial of preliminary injunctions for non-compete agreements in state and federal courts.
Janay is a member of the Columbus Bar Association. She is also a member of the John Mercer Langston Bar Association, where she serves as the organization's immediate past president.
Janay received her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where she was the business editor of the Ohio State Law Journal. She received her B.A. from the University of Nevada. While in law school, Janay served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Algenon L. Marbley in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Professional and Community Activities
- Columbus Bar Association, Board of Governors, June 2020-present
- John Mercer Langston Bar Association, Immediate Past President, July 2021-present
- City of Columbus, Civilian Review Board Working Group, August 2020-December 2020
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow, 2017; City Lead, 2018-2020
- American Academy of Pediatrics | Ohio Chapter, Foundation Advisory Board Member, May 2019-May 2021
- Women Lawyers of Franklin County, Board Member, June 2019-June2021
- YWCA Columbus, Chase Gen Y Leadership Project, Class VI Participant, 2014-2015
- Columbus Bar Association, Managing Partners Diversity Initiative, Advisory Committee, 2018-present
- Columbus Bar Association, Minorities in the Law Committee, Member, 2019-2021
- Equitas Health, Pro Bono Legal Services Volunteer, 2016-2019
Honors & Awards
- Chambers and Partners, Leading Lawyer in Labor and Employment, 2022
- Columbus Business First, 40 Under 40, 2022
- Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Labor and Employment Law - Management, 2021-2022
- Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), 2022
- Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Employment Litigation, 2019-2022
- The National Black Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40 in Ohio, 2020
- Lawyers of Color, Hot List, 2020
News
- 6/1/2022Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease is pleased to announce that 33 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA.
- 3/31/2022Through the Vorys Initiative for Business Empowerment (VIBE), Vorys attorneys helped PWR WMN and Way Down Yonder Beignets & Coffee satisfy their trademark needs and continue to provide access to attorney resources for additional legal needs as they arise.
- 1/4/2022Vorys is pleased to announce that 42 attorneys from the firm have been named either 2022 Ohio Super Lawyers or Rising Stars.
- 1/3/2022Vorys is pleased to announce that Jessica K. Baverman, James (Jay) A. Carr II, Andrew E. DeBord, Laura E. Erdman, Lauren L. Gilbert, Barbara J. Jordan, Mihsun Koh, Jeffrey A. Miller, Kara M. Mundy, Patrick J. Reardon, Michael J. Shoenfelt, Janay M. Stevens and Mitchell A. Tobias became partners of the law firm on January 1, 2022.
- 8/19/2021One hundred and sixteen lawyers from Vorys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2022 edition. In addition, 34 Vorys attorneys were named to the 2022 Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 3/19/2021
- 2/8/2021Vorys is pleased to announce that Akilah Craig, Nita Garg and Janay Stevens have been named to the Lawyers of Color Hot List 2020. The list recognizes in-house counsel, law firm associates and partners, and government attorneys of color those who have excelled in the legal field.
- 12/17/2020Vorys is pleased to announce that 31 attorneys from the firm have been named 2021 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 11/9/2020Janay Stevens, an associate in the Vorys Columbus office, was recently profiled in the Columbus Dispatch.
- 10/27/2020Janay Stevens was quoted throughout a Columbus CEO article about the launch of the Vorys Initiative for Business Empowerment.
- 9/10/2020Vorys today announced the launch of a new innovative program aimed at supporting businesses owned by racial and ethnic minorities.
- 8/20/2020One hundred and twelve lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2021 edition. In addition, 26 Vorys attorneys were named to the inaugural Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 7/13/2020Janay Stevens, an associate in the labor and employment group, was elected as the JMLBA President. Arryn Miner, an associate in the litigation group, was elected as the JMLBA President-Elect. And Ryan Wheeler, an associate in the technology and intellectual property group, was elected as a JMLBA Law Student Mentoring Co-Chair.
- 1/6/2020Akilah Craig, an associate in the Vorys Houston office, and Janay Stevens, an associate in the Vorys Columbus office, have been selected by The National Black Lawyers for inclusion on the organization’s “Top Lawyers Under 40” List.
- 12/9/2019Vorys is pleased to announce that 39 attorneys from the firm have been named 2020 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 12/5/2018Vorys is pleased to announce that 48 attorneys from the firm have been named 2019 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
Events
- 4/25/2022Janay Stevens, a partner in the Vorys Columbus office, was a panelist at the Diverse Leaders in Law Forum on Thursday, April 7, 2022. The event, hosted by Columbus CEO magazine, concentrated on how law firms can amplify marginalized voices through the use of pro bono work.
- 2/25/2022Vorys’ Economic Development Incentives Conference, the largest such annual conference in the nation, returned for the seventh year. We hosted a multitude of sessions focused on trends and best practices regarding economic development incentives for developers, companies and community leaders.
- 2/12/2021Vorys attorney Janay Stevens spoke at an Ohio Women's Bar Foudation CLE on what it means to be antiracist and how a commitment to be an antiracist impacts the workplace and legal profession.
- 11/11/2020Vorys associate Janay M. Stevens participated in a roundtable discussion exploring the dual lives of black lawyers and other professionals and the real challenge of what it means to be protected by credentials.
- 10/12/2020Vorys was proud to host a weeklong virtual program providing insights and updates for HR professionals from October 12-15, 2020.
- 9/16/2020JMLBA and Vorys virtual fireside chat with Minda Harts, best-selling author of The Memo.
- 6/26/2019Vorys Associate Janay Stevens presented at the Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce (COAACC) Classroom on June 26, 2019.
Insights
- 10/2/2020Janay Stevens, an associate in the Columbus office, and Michael Griffaton, of counsel in the Columbus office, authored an article for the Columbus Bar Association titled "Mandatory COVID Vaccinations: There is No Vaccine Against Legal Risk." The article discussing potential legal risks for employers who require employees to receive a vaccine for COVID-19.
- 6/1/2020As employers begin to reopen their businesses and employees start to return to work, New Mexico employers will need to contend with new workplace laws in addition to confronting the myriad workplace changes wrought by COVID-19).
- 7/8/2019Nevada is one of nine states to have “legalized” recreational marijuana use and one of 33 states to have “legalized” medical marijuana (marijuana use for any purpose remains illegal under federal law).