Sally Griffith Cimini
Partner
Sally Griffith Cimini is a Partner with Leech Tishman and chairs the firm’s Employment and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Groups. Based in Leech Tishman’s Pittsburgh office, Sally is highly regarded for her experience in the areas of employment law and alternative dispute resolution. For many years, Sally served on the firm’s Management Committee.
Sally has over 32 years of experience devoted exclusively to counseling and litigating on behalf of private and public sector employers in all aspects of the employment relationship, from hiring through termination. She regularly advises clients on employment discrimination issues, workplace and sexual harassment, disability accommodation, Family & Medical Leave Act compliance, employee handbooks, human resource policies and practices, wage and hour issues, use of temporary/leased/contract employees and independent contractors, performance appraisals, workplace investigations, drug and alcohol testing, workplace privacy issues, disciplinary action and termination, reductions in force, employment at-will/wrongful discharge, alternative dispute resolution, union avoidance, employment agreements, restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements, severance agreements, waivers and releases, and unemployment compensation claims.
Sally routinely represents employers in employment discrimination litigation before the federal and state courts as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations. She also represents employers in all aspects of labor relations, including collective bargaining, grievances, arbitration and National Labor Relations Board proceedings. Sally has extensive experience with wage and hour practice before the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division.
Sally is well-known in the field of alternative dispute resolution, particularly as an employment dispute mediator, arbitrator and early neutral evaluator. She regularly serves as a mediator, arbitrator and early neutral evaluator for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Sally is a mediator and arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and also provides services as a private mediator. She is also a panel mediator on the UPMC Intermediation Panel. Sally has served as a contract mediator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and as a member of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) Panel of Distinguished Neutrals. In May 2014, the Pennsylvania Bar Association awarded her its annual Sir Francis Bacon Dispute Resolution Award in recognition and appreciation for her pioneering efforts to develop and enhance mediation throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is the past president of the Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania, and formerly chaired the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s ADR Committee.
Prior to joining Leech Tishman, Sally was a shareholder and associate at various prominent law firms in Pittsburgh. During the course of her career, she has practiced employment and labor law in both private practice and as in-house employment counsel for a major electric utility in Pittsburgh. Her work has always focused on employment and labor matters, prior to, while attending and since graduating from law school. While attending law school, Sally worked as a personnel specialist at Union Switch and Signal and also spent time as a law clerk for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
Sally has published numerous articles on employment law and is a regular speaker on employment, labor law and human resources issues and has served on the faculty of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Employment Law Institute and other PBI employment programs for many years.
Academics
J.D., Duquesne University School of Law
Certificate in Personnel & Industrial Relations, University of Pittsburgh
B.A. in Speech Communication & Theatre and Journalism/Public Relations, Duquesne University
Admissions
Pennsylvania
West Virginia
Ohio (Inactive Status)
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court, West Virginia
U.S. District Court, Indiana
U.S. District Court, New York
Experience
Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C.
Polito & Smock, PC
Buchanan Ingersoll, PC (now Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC)
In-House Employment and Labor Counsel, Duquesne Light Company
Baskin, Flaherty, Elliott & Mannino, P.C.
Law Clerk, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
Professional Memberships
American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Law Section; Section of Dispute Resolution)
Pennsylvania Bar Association (Former Chair and Vice Chair, ADR Committee; Member, Labor and Employment Section; Member, Women in the Profession Commission)
Allegheny County Bar Association (Council Member, Labor & Employment Law Section; Member, ADR Committee; Member, Women in the Law Division Model Policy Committee)
Allegheny County Personnel Board (Member)
Association for Conflict Resolution
College of Labor & Employment Lawyers (Fellow, 2018, 2016)
Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania (Immediate Past President; Former Program Chair)
Pennsylvania Council of Mediators
Pittsburgh Human Resources Association (Former Board Member; Former Newsletter Editor; Former Membership Chairperson)
Society for Human Resource Management
Tri-State Society for Human Resources Management (Founding Member; Board Member; Former President)
Professional Accolades
Martindale-Hubbell
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated Attorney
Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers
Best Lawyers
The Best Lawyers in America: Mediation (2010-2019), Alternative Dispute Resolution (2015-2017), Litigation- Labor and Employment (2011-2019), Employment Law- Management (2011-2019)
The Best Lawyers in America: Women in the Law Edition: Mediation (2016-2019)
Best Lawyers Pennsylvania (2019)
Best Lawyers Pittsburgh Mediator of the Year (2018; 2016)
Best Lawyers Pittsburgh, Mediation (2010-2019), Alternative Dispute Resolution (2015-2017), Litigation- Labor and Employment (2011-2019), Employment Law- Management (2011-2019)
Super Lawyers
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine, Top 50 Women Pennsylvania Super Lawyers (2009-2011)
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine, Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2005, 2007-2018)
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine, Top 50 Pittsburgh Super Lawyers (2009-2011)
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Pennsylvania Bar Association Sir Francis Bacon Alternative Dispute Resolution Award (2014)
Publications
List of speaking engagements/published articles available upon request.
ADR Training
Advanced Mediation Training, Center for Dispute Resolution (2000, 2004, 2015)
Mediation Workshop, Harvard Law School (1999)
Conflict Resolution and Mediation Training, Pittsburgh Mediation Center (1998)
AAA Employment Arbitration I & II Training Programs
ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Mediation Training
Certifications & Designations
Certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Human Resources Certification Institute
Advanced Workplace Practitioner status, Association for Conflict Resolution