CV Stephani Ayers

Founding Partner and Trial Litigator, T.M. Guyer and Ayers & Friends, PC (Seattle and Miami) January 2005 to Present:   Private law practice in two partner firm with exclusive focus on employee whistleblower litigation in state and federal courts and agencies.  The law firm devotes approximately half of its time resources to litigating cases on behalf of the Government Accountability Project under its Adjunct Attorney Program.  Extensive experience in jury trials in state and federal courts in Alaska, New Mexico, Oregon and Tennessee, significant litigation in Washington state and federal courts, and lengthy hearings across the United States in the Department of Labor, Merit Systems Protection Board and Department of Energy Office of Hearings and Appeals.  Co-counsel in International Employment Retaliation cases in Geneva and Tunisia.

Litigation Associate and Associate General Counsel, Government Accountability Project (Washington, DC and Seattle) April 2002 to January 2005:  Assisted senior counsel and co-litigators with state and federal court and agency litigation.  Focused extensively on the employee protection provisions of environmental statutes at DOE nuclear facilities including INL/INEEL, the Hanford Site, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and Los Alamos National Laboratory litigating on behalf of workers advocating environmental and public health and safety.  Experience in Department of Labor investigations and hearings and Merit Systems Protection Board cases on behalf of corporate fraud and environmental whistleblowers.  Trial co-counsel in Keefer & Six Law Enforcement Agents vs. U.S. Forest Service, MSPB, a one month trial in two cities requiring cross examination of FBI agents and U.S. Attorneys, with a four lawyer GAP trial team. Litigation Committee member in planning and launching GAP’s Litigation Unit with offices in Washington, D.C. and Seattle and a nationwide case docket.

Volunteer, Housing Justice Project (Seattle), April 2002 to March 2005: Assist in providing legal advice and representation for low-income tenants having problems with their landlords, including help answering eviction paperwork, negotiation with landlords, and court representation.  

Legal Associate, Environmental International, Ltd. (Seattle, Washington), December 2001 – March 2002, assisted in the researching, drafting, and editing of “The Natural Resource Damage Assessment Deskbook: A Legal and Technical Analysis” under guidance of authors Valerie Ann Lee and P.J. Bridgen.  Secondary duties included assisting Northwest tribes with legal issues surrounding the treatment of contaminated sediments, and composing a Federal Advisory Committee Act training manual for government employees.

Freedom of Information Clearinghouse Assistant Director, Public Citizen (Washington, DC) October 2000 – June 2001. Public Citizen is a non-profit founded by Ralph Nader that includes a litigation team devoted to the public’s right to access information.  Duties included assisting approximately 40 individuals or groups per week in drafting Freedom of Information Act requests and appeals; advising public interest groups, reporters and citizens regarding each state’s open record and open meeting laws; and assisting in presentations for visiting foreign journalists and activists regarding access laws.

Law Clerk, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund (Seattle, WA)
Summer 2000.  Earthjustice is a nonprofit law firm dedicated to legal action on behalf of environmental protection.   Duties included drafting memoranda addressing issues of statutory interpretation and administrative review, conducting extensive discovery document review in preparation for trial, and researching legal issues for lawsuits brought under the Administrative Procedures Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Legal Intern, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Washington, DC)
Spring 1999-Fall 1999.  PEER is a whistleblower advocacy nonprofit protecting federal employees who report on environmental wrongdoing, pressing their cases both in litigation and in Congress and state legislatures.  Duties included composing federal agency administrative filings and petitions, press releases, and a report on violence against federal environmental agency employees.  Also assisted in client intake conferences and litigation strategy meetings.

EDUCATION

The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC, J.D., High Honors, May 2001:
The George Washington Law School was one of the leading environmental law schools from 1998-2001, offering extensive coursework in environmental law including federal RCRA, CERCLA and CWA legislation and regulations; and in coastal ecology, species protection, and international environmental law.  Class Rank: top 15%, member of the “Environmental Lawyer” Journal, and GW Volleyball Club.  Performed clinical work with the National Committee to End Wrongful Executions (September–December 2000) and clinical work assisting students with disabilities before the D.C. Office of Human Rights from December 2000-April 2001.

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, B.A., Environmental Science and Public Policy, Cum Laude, June 1997:
In 1993, Harvard University began a new course of study that combined rigorous science requirements with study of the history and sociology of the US and international environmental movements.  Published senior honors thesis, “Is the Destruction of Wetlands a Legal Nuisance?”; member, Varsity Volleyball Team; volunteer for four years, People Making a Difference.