Alice C. Hwang

Alice Hwang advocates for the rights of working people and their unions.

Alice Hwang joined James & Hoffman in November 2014 as an associate and became a partner in January 2019. She advises and litigates on behalf of clients in a variety of workplace matters, including employment discrimination and wage & hour cases, among others. She also represents unions in grievance arbitration, negotiations, and offensive and defensive litigation.

Representative matters: Represents a public sector union in collective bargaining negotiations, grievance arbitrations, unfair labor practice and standards of conduct cases and other litigation before the Public Employee Relations Board, D.C. Superior Court, and D.C. Court of Appeals. Has recovered millions of dollars in back pay for bargaining unit members in grievance arbitrations and negotiated settlements.

Successfully defended unions in litigation, including against claims that they violated the duty of fair representation. See Horner v. American Airlines, Inc. & Allied Pilots Ass’n (5th Cir.) (motion to dismiss granted and affirmed on appeal); Krakowski v. Allied Pilots Ass’n (Mo. Ct. App.) (affirming grant of summary judgment in union’s favor on breach of contract claim); Powell v. Davis (D.D.C.) (motion to dismiss and injunction granted against vexatious litigant); Mitchell v. Washington Teachers’ Union (D.C. Sup. Ct.) (motion to dismiss granted).

Obtained jury verdict in favor of client in sexual harassment case. Doe v. District of Columbia (D.D.C. 2023).

Represents federal government and other employees in cases alleging violations of overtime pay requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act, including successfully negotiating settlements. See Doe No. 1 v. United States (Fed. Cl.), Case Nos. 19-1748, 19-1749, 19-1878, 21-1659, 21-1371 (settlements in five FLSA cases on behalf of FBI employees); Li Li v. Friends Health Care Team, Inc. (E.D. Va.) (stipulated dismissal following acceptance of offer of judgment).

Advises and represents staff members of international organizations, such as the World Bank, before international administrative tribunals. Recent cases include favorable decisions in EM v. Int’l Bank for Reconstruction and Development [WBAT Decision No. 578], DV v. Int’l Finance Corp. [WBAT Decision No. 551], and DD v. Int’l Bank for Reconstruction and Development [WBAT Decision No. 526].

Defended local union from unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board.

Represents unions and union officers in challenges to union elections, including investigations conducted and lawsuits initiated by the Department of Labor.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Hwang was an associate at Arnold & Porter LLP, where she focused on complex civil litigation and devoted a significant portion of her time to representing pro bono clients. Before that, Ms. Hwang served as law clerk to the Honorable Mary A. McLaughlin of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Hwang received her law degree in 2011 from Yale Law School, where she represented indigent clients in immigration and federal court proceedings. She filed, briefed, and argued a habeas corpus action before the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut; successfully moved to reopen a case before the Board of Immigration Appeals; represented a client at trial in immigration court; won an appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals; and successfully secured a client’s release from detention—work for which she was awarded the Charles A. Albom Prize for excellence in appellate advocacy in a clinical program. She also served as co-editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law & Ethics. She received her AB in history, cum laude and with Phi Beta Kappa honors, from Harvard University in 2006. In 2023 and 2024, Ms. Hwang was named one of the 500 leading plaintiff employment and civil rights lawyers in the United States by Lawdragon. She is a member of the Bars of New York, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.