DeAndrea C. Washington, Partner, Spencer Fane LLP
DeAndrea Washington focuses her practice on a variety of labor employment litigation matters. She provides preventive counsel and litigates employment disputes on behalf of public and private employers in federal and state courts, arbitration, and before administrative agencies, such as the Texas Workforce Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the United States Department of Labor. DeAndrea handles litigation matters at the pre-trial, trial, and appellate levels. She represents management in employment discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, noncompetition, and wage and hour disputes. Her litigation practice also includes breach of contract litigation.
With a client-driven approach to practicing law, DeAndrea has successfully advised and resolved matters on behalf of employers of all sizes across a wide range of industries. She prides herself on helping clients identify and defuse potential lawsuits before they are filed. She also has experience representing public and private schools, charter schools, public and private universities, and governmental entities. With extensive trial and oral advocacy experience, DeAndrea has tried jury trials to verdict, arbitrated claims resulting in favorable awards, and has successfully defended judgments for clients on appeal in state and federal court.
While attending law school, DeAndrea served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Nancy F. Atlas — a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas. She also interned for the First Court of Appeals of Texas.
DeAndrea is also a diversity, equity, and inclusion advisor to Spencer Fane’s Executive Committee. As an advisory member for the Executive Committee, DeAndrea is directly involved in the most significant strategic decisions the firm encounters and plays a leading part in ensuring our firm continues its evolution on all fronts.
What is your proudest achievement?
As I reflect on this question, I believe my proudest achievement would be having the strength and ability to turn what was the biggest challenge in my life – losing my best friend Cora Faith Walker in 2022 – and today being able to embrace and continue the work that she devoted her life to in honor of her and in furtherance of her legacy.
Cora and I shared so many goals and dreams involving advocacy and representing the unrepresented. We attended college together at Washington University in St. Louis, attended law school together (albeit at different schools), and ultimately became fierce legal advocates together until Cora’s untimely death at the young age of 37. Cora was a dynamic person with boundless energy and universally beloved – truly wise beyond her 37 years. She was devoted to community service and went on to win a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives, where she served the community of Ferguson, Missouri from 2017-2019 – shortly after the death of Mike Brown, an unarmed black male who was killed in a police shooting sparking a significant amount of social unrest across the nation. Prior to her passing, Cora worked tirelessly as the Chief Policy Officer in St. Louis County.
Reflecting on Cora’s life, I am assured that my proudest achievement is learning the true meaning of perseverance. Although I lost my dearest friend – I have not lost sight of my mission, purpose, and passion. I persevered through the worst of the worst days. Losing Cora was completely devastating and shook me to my core. Yet, I found strength utilizing my platform to encourage and motivate others professionally while going through my personal difficulties. Cora was a fierce advocate and represented the unrepresented. Now, the work that I do as an attorney and in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space is more important than ever. I am not only working to fulfill my goals but am committed to continuing the social justice work for women and minorities that Cora started and devoted her life to. In honor of a life well-lived, my commitment to the work of diversity, equity and inclusion has been strengthened and renewed by her legacy and a life well-lived.
What is one thing people should know about you but don't?
I have been “the first” many times throughout my legal career and beyond. As a first-generation attorney, I had to navigate law school without the benefit of generational knowledge and skill. I excelled in law school and quickly began to understand my ability to make an impact through a career in the legal industry. I became the first Black female partner in my prior firm’s Houston office. I joined Spencer Fane as one of the first Black female partners firmwide. I know I must continue to work tirelessly to build my network in the local community and abroad to develop a true book of business that started “from scratch” – without the benefit of inheriting business like many of my counterparts.
Further, I strive to not allow being one of “the only” in most professional rooms to deter me from being a fierce advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusivity but use obstacles encountered and overcome as fuel to continue to effect change within our firm and the community.
Each life that is touched, each individual who is enlightened, each diverse lawyer who is included, embraced, and simply afforded the opportunities to succeed makes this work abundantly rewarding. I am honored to be among those “leading the charge.” There is no better reward.
Name your hometown/where you were born/where you grew up and where you live now.
I am a native Houstonian and have deep roots and commitment to the city. Both sides of my family are from Fifth Ward, Houston Texas – an area where not many minorities are able to advance in professional careers. My parents have seen most of their peers pass away from either drug abuse or crime. I have been the exception, but I have never lost sight of my roots. I still remain heavily involved in my church community in Fifth Ward and devote significant time to inner-city youth in the area who strive to achieve educational excellence with often times inadequate educational resources and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I was honored to earn appointment to the Spencer Fane Executive Committee in 2021 after my first year joining the firm. Not only am I the first Black female partner at our firm to be appointed to this role – I am also the youngest (at the age of 37). I was chosen specifically to advise firm leadership on diversity and inclusion issues, which offers me the unique opportunity to have direct involvement in significant strategic decisions that impact the firm overall and supports our core value of diversity and inclusivity. This role has been especially challenging and critical as Spencer Fane maintains its distinction as one of the fastest-growing firms in the country.
This appointment came on the heels of groundbreaking work we are doing on the firm’s rapidly expanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. The DEI Committee works in collaboration with the Executive Committee and other firm leadership to assist efforts toward the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Committee features a collection of individuals with a broad range of unique and varied backgrounds and perspectives from across our offices, and these voices combine to guide our internal and external conversations related to providing legal representation that better aligns with the demographics of the communities we serve. I remain eternally grateful for the trust and confidence of my peers and the opportunity to effect change within our organization and the legal community as a whole.
Published December 13, 2023.
