Sarah R. Jewell, River Valley Law, P.A.

What are the biggest challenges you currently see in employment law?

The many changes to the legal landscape, both in terms of enforcement priorities and in the interpretation of federal policies are some current challenges. That, along with the staggering number of cases. We are told to expect at least nine to 10 months for an EEOC charge to be processed, but sometimes that takes even longer, depending on the nature of the case.

What are the biggest misconceptions about the field of employment law?

Possibly the notion that it is not emotional, it’s just business. I have found that employment law can be very emotional, as a person’s identity is directly tied to their career or profession. Just like attorneys, there are many employees who feel a strong connection with their career and their personal identity in their communities. When that changes due to a sudden or unexpected job loss, it can be devastating.

Without revealing the names of a client, what is the most interesting case you’ve worked on lately?

A former employee from a medical company who blew the whistle on alleged wrongful activities and was fired. I have a few of those right now. It is interesting because I get to learn about the nitty gritty details of billing, scope of practice issues, funding issues, medical coding and other medical-legal matters that expand my understanding of how things work.

How do you manage work/life balance?

I try really hard not to work weekends, to keep that for myself and my family. I volunteer and try to connect some of my personal/vacation time off with giving back. I volunteered with a medical missions trip in Honduras this spring for a week and it was amazing to see a group of doctors, nurses and other professionals give services to those who could not pay — yet see them so happy just to be able to make a difference.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I took a year of fencing classes in Heidelberg, Germany, when I was in undergrad studies with Pepperdine University from a former Olympic level coach. The coaching was great, but the 12-year-old German kids still beat me. I think they start out earlier.