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 an associate 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.
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 Ohio State Bar Association and the Columbus Bar Association. She is also a member of the John Mercer Langston Bar Association, where she serves as President-elect.
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
- John Mercer Langston Bar Association, President
- City of Columbus, Civilian Review Board Working Group
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow, 2017; City Lead, 2018-2020
- American Academy of Pediatrics | Ohio Chapter, Foundation Advisory Board Member
- Women Lawyers of Franklin County, Board Member
- YWCA Columbus, Chase Gen Y Leadership Project, Class VI Participant
- Columbus Bar Association, Managing Partners Diversity Initiative, Advisory Committee
- Columbus Bar Association, Minorities in the Law Committee, Member
- Equitas Health, Pro Bono Legal Services Volunteer
- Big Brother Big Sister Community Mentor Program, Volunteer
- Columbus Urban League Young Professionals, Member
Honors & Awards
- Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Employment Litigation, 2019-2020
- The National Black Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40 in Ohio, 2020
News
- 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
- 6/26/2019Vorys Associate Janay Stevens presented at the Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce (COAACC) Classroom on June 26, 2019.
Insights
- 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).