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Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP


At Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete (pronounced "Kun-STAN-jee, Brooks, Smith, and Profit"), workplace law is all we do – but we’re not your typical national law firm. Our clients tell us there is “a soul to Constangy that is unique and refreshing, that’s not found with other firms.” For more than 70 years, our clients have appreciated our common-sense approach and our commitment to being a real partner in helping employers navigate the prickly legal and regulatory environments of the changing workplace.

Today we have nearly 200 attorneys across 16 states, offering services ranging from the defense of single and multi-plaintiff employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims to complex wage and hour litigation, workplace safety, and affirmative action compliance issues, as well as OSHA, to workers’ compensation, ERISA and employee benefits, immigration, and labor relations.

Constangy represents a wide range of Fortune 500 corporations, small companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations across the country. Our attorneys are consistently rated among the best by sources including Chambers USA, Martindale-Hubbell, and Best Lawyers in America, and we are ranked as a Tier 1 firm by the U.S. News & World Report/Best Law Firms survey.

Our lawyers know each other. We like each other. Clients benefit from our agility and a financial structure that allows for cross-office teams with the best mix of lawyers to serve clients. The result is optimal responsiveness and consistent service across all locations.

Are we the biggest firm? No—and that’s by design. We have the depth and experience of our “BigLaw” colleagues, combined with the personal service and deep relationships of a smaller firm. In fact, while we have grown exponentially over the past decade, we have more than 800 clients who have been with us for even longer than that. We are a growing and vibrant firm, yet we respect the heritage and culture that has built us into a unified team providing common-sense, practical, and creative solutions that mitigate risk and help you achieve your business objectives.

We are also known for our commitment to diversity. Clients let us know that diverse teams are important to them—they want to work with lawyers of diverse backgrounds, because they believe such teams reflect their own evolving workforces—and, because lawyers looking through “a wider lens” actually bring more innovative ideas to the table.

Our lawyers are not clones. We come from various backgrounds in terms of geography, economic background, and ethnicity. Some of us are parents and sports fans, and former government agency professionals and prior HR managers. We are real people just like you and your employees.

Our focus is labor and employment law, and we have represented management exclusively since 1946. From Title VII to OSHA to ERISA and the NLRA, Constangy attorneys can help you keep policies up-to-date and your workplace running smoothly. We have a full range of experienced attorneys who can help you with everything from developing harassment and workplace safety policies or securing foreign worker visas, to protecting trade secrets and defending against wrongful discharge and discrimination claims.

From our roots in labor relations and manufacturing, to our recent work in helping employers understand the convergence of digital technology in the modern workplace—our capabilities cover all aspects of the employer-employee relationship.

With nearly 200 attorneys and a full complement of paralegal and support staff, Constangy has the ability to work wherever you need, whenever you need. In addition to bar admissions in more than half of the United States, our attorneys regularly appear with permission of the court in jurisdictions nationwide. We also have strong relationships with local counsel in many states, ensuring we can work with clients in locations across the country.

Professional Excellence

US News/Best Law Firms®

  • National Tier 1 firm in employment law (management), employment litigation, and labor relations, (2015-2019)
  • 40 regional rankings across various categories and markets nationwide, including 26 tier 1 rankings (2019)

Best Lawyers in America®

  • 47% of partners listed in Best Lawyers in America (2020)
  • Seven attorneys named as “Lawyer of the Year” in various markets (2020)
  • “Top Listed” as the firm with the most lawyers named to Best Lawyers in employment law (management) in Jacksonville and Winston-Salem (2020)

Chambers USA Guide

  • 24% of partners ranked by Chambers USA (2019)
  • Firm rankings in: Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee

Martindale Hubbell

  • 40% of firm partners rated AV Preeminent® (2019)

SuperLawyers

  • 32% of firm attorneys recognized (2019)

BTI Consulting

  • Client Service A-Team, honor roll (2019)
  • Litigation Outlook honor roll (2019)
  • Brand Elite honor roll (2019)

Legal 500

  • 2018 Top firm for labor & employment defense

College of Labor & Employment Lawyers

  • Eight attorneys currently admitted as fellows

Diversity & Quality of Life

Vault.com Survey

  • #1 – diversity for minorities (2020)
  • #2 – diversity for women (2020)
  • #3 – overall diversity (2020)
  • #4 – diversity for individuals with disabilities (2020)
  • #10 – associate/partner relations (2020)

National Law Journal Women’s Scorecard

  • Women’s Scorecard - top 5 firms for women attorneys (2016-2019)

The American Lawyer Diversity Scorecard

  • Top 5 for African-American attorneys (2016-2019)
  • Top 50 firms for minorities (2017-2019)

Law360

  • “Ceiling Smashers” – Top 10 midsize firm for women partners (2018, 2019)
  • #1 firm for women attorneys (2019)

Working Mother Magazine

  • 60 Best Law Firms for Women (2018, 2019)

Profile picture of Alyssa Peters

Alyssa Peters

Alyssa Peters is a partner at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete. She practices in all areas of employment and labor law with an emphasis in employment litigation and management training.  Alyssa has represented a broad range of clients in employment and traditional labor matters, specializing in single-plaintiff cases, class action litigation and wage and hour compliance litigation. Alyssa advises employers on a wide topic of practical management and employer issues such as EEO policies, attendance and leave policies and non-competition and non-solicitation agreements.  She enjoys taking an active role with her clients to really learn and understand their working...
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Profile picture of John E. MacDonald

John E. MacDonald

John is the office head of the firm's Princeton office. He concentrates his practice in the area of employment and labor litigation with an emphasis on discrimination litigation, employment counseling, restrictive covenant litigation (non-competition, non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreement litigation), and FINRA securities arbitration. John has extensive trial experience in both state and federal courts in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York. John has argued cases before the New Jersey Appellate Division, the New Jersey Supreme Court, and before the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals.


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Profile picture of Patricia-Anne Brownback

Patricia-Anne Brownback

Patricia-Anne Brownback is a fourth-year associate at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete. She counsels and defends employers in actions brought under state common law and federal law, including Title VII, the ADA, ADEA, FLSA, and FMLA. She advises clients on a range of practical management and employer issues such as hiring and termination, disability and leave issues, employment policies and practices, employment agreements and separation agreements. She attended Mercer University Law School and graduated in the top ten percent of her class. While in law school, Patricia-Anne was a member of the Mercer Law Review...
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Profile picture of Timothy A. Davis

Timothy A. Davis

Tim Davis is the Managing Partner of Constangy’s Kansas City office. He advises clients on all aspects of the employer/employee relationship, including compliance with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Equal Pay Act (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), Executive Order 11246, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and state and local employment statutes. He has assisted numerous clients in proactively addressing issues such as: