Overview

Peter J. Petesch handles a wide range of labor and employment matters, including litigation under:

  • The Railway Labor Act
  • The Americans With Disabilities Act
  • The Family and Medical Leave Act
  • Title VII
  • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
  • Sarbanes-Oxley
  • AIR 21 – the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century

He has successfully defended employers in individual and class-based cases before federal and state courts and agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Mediation Board, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Labor's Office of Administrative Law Judges.

Peter has more than 30 years of experience in representing employers in disability-related matters under both Titles I and III of the ADA, and he has taught webinars in both areas.  He counsels, litigates and trains on leave issues and whistleblower matters under Sarbanes-Oxley.  Peter often works with airlines, offering strategic advice on:

  • Union avoidance
  • Collective bargaining
  • Arbitrations
  • AIR 21 whistleblower claims

He also works with healthcare facilities and trade associations, as well as the hospitality, retail and service industries. Additionally, he represented a large human resources association as an amicus participant in four employment law cases before the Supreme Court.

Chair of Littler Mendelson's Transportation Industry Practice Group and a core member of the EEO and Leaves of Absence and Disability Accommodation Practice Groups, Peter has published numerous books and articles on the ADA and other employment issues for a variety of trade journals and has been quoted on labor and employment issues in the national media.

Prior to working at Littler, Peter was the managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office of another nationwide labor and employment firm.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

District of Columbia Bar Association

Member

Maryland State Bar Association

Member

American Bar Association

Member

Special Expertise Panel, Ethics / Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Society for Human Resource Management

Member / Former Co-Chair

Business and Labor Partners Board, Business Responds to AIDS Program

U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Recognition

Awarded, AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating

Martindale-Hubbell

2016-2022

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2007-2024

Named, Lawyer of the Year

Labor Law - Management

The Best Lawyers in America®

2021

Named, Top 100 Attorneys

Washington D.C.

Super Lawyers

2019-2022

Named, Super Lawyer

Washington D.C.

Super Lawyers

2013-2022

Named, Top Rated Lawyer® - Transportation Law

The American Lawyer & Martindale-Hubbell™

2013

Recipient

National Business and Labor Award for Leadership on HIV/AIDS

U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

News, Analysis & Press

Snakes Off a Plane

Insight

December 3, 2020

Competition vs. Accommodation

Human Resource Executive Online

January 4, 2017

Employers Urged to Tread Lightly on Obesity

Business Insurance

May 8, 2016

Keeping Up With the EEOC in 2015

Texas Lawyer

February 2, 2015

EEOC Welcomes New Staff to Build on Agency's National Enforcement Strategy

Bloomberg BNA Daily Labor Report

January 26, 2015

Keeping Up With the EEOC in 2015

Corporate Counsel

January 14, 2015

When Is Enough ADA Leave Enough?

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

December 17, 2014

Philadelphia-Area Rail Strike Likely to be Short-Lived

Wall Street Journal

June 14, 2014

ADA: Keep the Plates Spinning on the Poles

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), We Know Next

April 3, 2014

Increase in Disability Cases Means HR Must Focus on Accommodations, Job Descriptions

Bloomberg BNA Human Resources Report

September 24, 2012

Firms struggle to comply with ADA leave rules

Business Insurance

August 21, 2011

EEOC Moves Toward Guidance Addressing Leave As a Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA

BNA's Daily Labor Report

June 2011

Full Breadth of Changes to Federal Disability Law Becomes Clear in EEOC's Final Regulations

BNA Books Monitor

2011

Books & Book Chapters

  • Disability Discrimination and the Workplace, BNA, co-author: P. Susser, 2nd ed., 2011, 2017 supplement

Speaking Engagements

Help! We Keep Getting Sued Over Access to Our Websites and Physical Locations… What Can We Do About It?

Littler Executive Employer Conference

May 5, 2022

Unleashing Accommodations in the Post-Pandemic Workplace

June 23, 2021

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC: A Practical Primer on Organizational, Procedural and Case Developments

April 14, 2021

Not All Who Wander Are Lost: Managing Employee Relocation in the Era of Remote Work

March 11, 2021

Unmasking New COVID-19 Dilemmas: Violence Related to Customer Refusal to Wear Masks, and the Lawful Handling of Employee and Customer Refusal to Wear Masks

August 27, 2020

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC: A Practical Primer On Organizational, Procedural, and Case Developments

March 10, 2020

Anticipating and Beating the Risks of the Latest Wave of Technology Entering the Workplace

2019 Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 9, 2019

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC: Where We’ve Been and What’s on the Horizon

February 22, 2019

Littler's Annual Report on the EEOC: Where We've Been and What's on the Horizon

February 19, 2019

Doggy Dilemmas: Accommodating Service Animals for Employees and Customers

Philadelphia, PA

September 6, 2018

Doggy Dilemmas: Accommodating Service Animals for Employees and Customers

Washington, DC

September 5, 2018

Doggy Dilemmas: Accommodating Service Animals for Employees and Customers

Littler Executive Employer, Phoenix, AZ

May 4, 2018

Transportation Roundtable

Littler Executive Employer, Phoenix, AZ

May 2, 2018

Challenges and Differences in Accommodating Religion, Pregnancy and Disabilities in the Workplace

Webinar

December 13, 2017

Dog Gone It - Hogwash About Emotional Support Animals in the Workplace

2017 CLM Conference, New York, NY

November 30, 2017

Service Animal Accommodations

San Francisco, CA

October 19, 2017

Emerging Issues Under FMLA, ADA, and Workers Comp

Tysons Corner, VA

September 28, 2017

Challenges and Differences in Accommodating Religion, Pregnancy and Disabilities in the Workplace

September 19, 2017

Managing a Growing Business

2017 Mid-Atlantic Employer Conference, Washington, D.C.

June 6, 2017

Who Let the Dogs In?

2017 Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 2017

2016 Mid-Atlantic Employer Conference

Washington, DC

June 7, 2016

Healthcare Industry Roundtable

The 2016 Executive Employer® Conference, Scottsdale, AZ

May 6, 2016

Littler's Annual Report on the EEOC

January 26, 2016

Effectively Handling Leave & Accommodation Issues Under the ADA

Tysons Corner, VA

October 21, 2015

Littler’s Annual Report on the EEOC

January 9, 2015

The EEOC's New Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) Critical Challenges Faced by Employers

January 24, 2013

HR for NFPs: Hot Topics

2012 Not-For-Profit Industry Conference - AICPA

June 20-22, 2012

Ask the Experts Panel: HR

2012 Not-For-Profit Industry Conference - AICPA

June 20-22, 2012

Don’t Be Left Behind: Accommodations and the Interactive Process in the Wake of the ADAAA and the EEOC’s Scrutiny of Maximum Leave Policies

The 2012 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Scottsdale, AZ

May 10, 2012

You Did WHAT? Things Your HR and Legal Experts Wish You Knew

AICPA

June 10, 2011

Update on the ADAAA

Fairfax Bar

May 19, 2011

ADA Compliance Based on the Final Regulations and A Renewed Focus By the EEOC

April 5, 2011

New ADA Accessibility Regulations and Design Standards

December 8, 2010

Education

  • J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1985
  • A.B., University of Michigan, 1982With Honors and Distinction

Bar Admission

District of Columbia
Maryland

Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, District of Maryland