
Schwanda Rountree
WASHINGTON, DC PARTNER
Phone: 202-499-5205
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/schwanda-rountre/
Schwanda Rountree is a Partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp.
At Sanford Heisler Sharp, Schwanda’s practice has focused on whistleblower, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour violation cases, representing both individuals and classes.
Schwanda received her law degree from North Carolina Central School of Law, and her B.A. from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. While at North Carolina Central School of Law, she worked as a student advocate for the Juvenile Law Clinic representing defendants before the criminal division of Durham County District Court and representing students in due process hearings before the Durham County School Board. She also provided pro bono services for abused and neglected women and children at the North Carolina Center for Child and Family Health. She was a North Carolina Governor’s Scholar finalist in the Burton D. Wechsler First Amendment Moot Court Competition, recipient of the Best Oralist Award, Clifton E. Johnson Moot Court Competition, and member of the Trial Advocacy Board.
A member of the District of Columbia, 2006 and Maryland, 2003 bars, Schwanda has presented training on e-discovery and reasonable accommodations for federal government managers.
Before joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Schwanda completed a summer clerkship for The Late Honorable Judge George W. Mitchell of D.C. Superior Court. She most recently served as Deputy General Counsel, Labor and Litigation for Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Office of General Counsel. During her more than 20 years working in the federal government sector, Schwanda has litigated class action discrimination cases and class action labor grievances. She began her career working in the area of disability discrimination investigations and litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
Education
- J.D., North Carolina Central University School of Law
- Honors: Juvenile Law Clinic, Student Advocate
- Honors: North Carolina Governor’s Scholar
- B.A., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, magna cum laude
- Major: Broadcast News and Political Science
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia, 2006
- Maryland, 2003
Honors
- Finalist in the Burton D. Wechsler First Amendment Moot Court Competition
- Recipient of the Best Oralist Award, Clifton E. Johnson Moot Court Competition
Past Positions
- The Late Honorable Judge George W. Mitchell of D.C. Superior Court, Law Clerk
- Deputy General Counsel, Labor and Litigation for Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Office of General Counsel
- NJAG’s Guidance on Student Discipline May Open “Floodgate of Litigation,” New Jersey Law Journal, August 29, 2023
- Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call, Bloomberg Law, August 18, 2023
- Sanford Heisler Adds Longtime DOD, DOJ Atty in DC, Law360, August 17, 2023
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Adds Schwanda Rountree as Partner in Washington, D.C., GlobeNewswire, August 17, 2023