Attorneys

Heidi R. Burakiewicz

Heidi is a founding partner in the firm and one of the most prominent plaintiff-side employment attorneys in the country. During her 23-year career, Heidi has won or settled dozens of significant cases and recovered well over $100 million for employees. Heidi’s clients are famously loyal – she has represented several of her clients for nearly 20 years, and she is known as the “go-to” attorney for high- stakes federal employment litigation.
 

Heidi was lead counsel in White et al. v. Sessions, a class action on behalf of nearly 550 female employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Coleman, Florida, alleging that the government failed to take steps to prevent inmates from egregiously sexually harassing them. The case settled in 2016 for $20 million and a long list of negotiated changes designed to eradicate the sexual harassment, which the judge described as “impressive by any standard.”

Heidi was also lead counsel in Martin et al. v. United States, a collective action on behalf of more than 25,000 federal employees challenging the government’s failure to pay employees timely during the 2013 government shutdown, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In 2017, the court ruled that the government is liable for liquidated damages because it did not act in good faith. When the government shut down again for 35 days in 2018 and 2019, Heidi filed a similar lawsuit, in partnership with the American Federation of Government Employees, in which she represented more than 43,000 federal employees.

 

Heidi was recognized by the National Law Journal in 2020 as one of Washington, DC’s Trailblazers, she is a 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Super Lawyer, previously served on the Advisory Council for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and her cases have been featured in numerous media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, People Magazine, Salon.com, and on NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.
 

Heidi is a graduate of Goucher College and American University’s Washington College of Law.

 

Bar Admissions
  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • Virginia (Inactive)
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Professional Associations and Memberships
  • Former Advisory Council to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for military and civilian pay claims
  • Former Co-chair American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section, Federal Service
  • Labor and Employment Law Committee
  • Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA), Member
  • National Employment Lawyers’ Association (NELA), Member
  • Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, Member
  • AFL-CIO, Union Lawyers Alliance
  • National Women’s Law Center Legal Network for Gender Equity
Publications
  • Labor Union Law and Regulation, Second Edition, ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law/Bloomberg Law (2021) (Chapter Editor)
Awards and Recognition

Robert DePriest

Robert DePriest is a founding partner in the firm and one of the leading federal employment attorneys nationwide. Robert has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of thousands of employees in cases involving wage and hour claims, contract violations, discrimination, wrongful termination, and unlawful retaliation. He is known as a vigorous advocate for his clients and has achieved impressive results.

In just the last year, Robert has achieved important settlements, including a multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of correctional officers who were not paid timely and correctly for their work; and a six-figure settlement on behalf of a female employee involving Title VII discrimination and retaliation.

He has prevailed in cases involving wage and hour issues like unpaid pre- and post-shift work; misclassification of employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act; whistleblower retaliation; and wrongful termination.

Before founding B&D with Heidi Burakiewicz, Robert was an attorney with two plaintiff-side firms in Washington, DC, where he represented clients in federal sector labor and employment matters. He was also previously an attorney with a small Washington, DC firm where he represented clients in connection with government investigations, professional responsibility and ethics matters, and disciplinary actions.

Robert is recognized as a leader in the employment law community. Since 2019, Robert has been the Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Federal Sector Labor and Employment Law Committee. In December 2020 and January 2021, Robert presented widely attended webinars to the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association on the topic, “A Comprehensive Discussion of DC Wage Laws and the FLSA.”  In 2022, Robert was elected to the membership of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Membership in the Fellows is limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction.

Robert graduated from The George Washington University Law School, where he was president of the Native American Law Students Association and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. He received his undergraduate degree in History from Vanderbilt University. Robert is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Bar and Court Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • New York
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Bar Association – Section of Labor and Employment Law
    Co-Chair, Federal Sector Labor and Employment Law Committee
  • American Bar Foundation – Fellow
    Metropolitan Washington
  • Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA) – Member
  • AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance – Member
  • National Employment Lawyers’ Association (NELA) – Member

Publications

  • Labor Union Law and Regulation, Second Edition, ABA Section of Labor and Employment
  • Law/Bloomberg Law (2021) (Chapter Editor – Elections)

 

Speaking Engagements

  • “Workers’ Rights: Obtaining Backpay for Furloughed Federal Workers,” National Lawyers Guild
    Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, April 6, 2019
  •  “A Comprehensive Discussion of the DC Wage Laws and the FLSA,” Metropolitan Washington
    Employment Lawyers Association Webinar, Part 1, December 15, 2020
  •  “A Comprehensive Discussion of Maryland Wage and Hour Laws,” Metropolitan Washington
    Employment Lawyers Association Webinar, Part 2, January 12, 2021
  • Proud Fellow of the American Bar Association