Melissa L. Z. Lolotai

Ms. Lolotai demonstrated exceptional knowledge of Civil Service Law in representing me in an Equal Opportunity Complaint regarding a position classification appeal. She has the practical application experience to conduct settlement agreements and successfully represented me in securing a negotiated s...ettlement and avoiding lengthy litigation.

Melissa coached me on what to expect during a terrible process, she helped me understand what to say, she reviewed my written statements and provided feedback that put me in the best possible light. She even came to my Inspector General interrogation. Before calling Melissa, I expected to be fired. W...ith her help, I got through the difficult, stressful process and ultimately received verbal counseling, full reinstatement, and nothing in my record, the best possible outcome. I hope nothing like that ever happens again, but if it does, I’ll call Melissa immediately.

I am writing this review for the services that Melissa Lolotai provided to me from the Law Firm of John P. Mahoney, Esq. Attorney at Law. In December of 2019 I was terminated from the Census Bureau. I filed an EEOC complaint the next day and started the process on my behalf. After about nine mont...hs into the process, I started researching EEOC Law Firms and decided to go with a Washington, D.C. firm with a good reputation in dealing with Federal Agencies. I was assigned to Melissa Lolotai who work with me for the next two years as the process can be a long trip. I filed a complaint based on discrimination for age, race and retaliation. The challenge for Melissa was that I was an older white male. Currently an extremely difficult case to pursue. Melissa guided me through every step and explain what needed to be accomplished and the possible result, good or bad, in each situation. The adage of “you get what you paid for” was never truer with this Law Firm. Even though their costs were somewhat high, you got the best legal counsel related to EEOC issues. In my case there was no smoking gun, it was all heresy and his word against mine. Melissa was able to construct a winning case in an extremely professional manner that kept the Agency’s attorney on their back heels. She knew when being aggressive was needed and knew when to sit back and let the Administrative Judge take the lead. In the end, with her presentation, was able to convince the Administrative Judge to say to the Agency’s Attorney that I had been discriminated against for all three items (Age, Race and Retaliation). This cause the Agency to quickly ask for a settlement hearing and I received my pay for the next supervisory level and all the attorney fees that I had paid. In addition, I received some money for pain and suffering. I would highly recommend the Law Firm and personally ask for Melissa if I needed any EEOC help in dealing with any unfair Federal Agency practices that someone has encounter.

Thank you, Melissa, for resolving my workplace issue. You showed the profession as a valuable tool in resolving workplace matters, especially employment discrimination. My initial interaction with you gave a sense of comfort, truthfulness, and belief that you were going to represent my interest in th...e matter. Your integrity and honesty were definitely on display! You listened to what I had to say, provided professional advice, was very respectful, and allowed flexibility to discuss any issues/or concerns that arose after a session. I felt confident that you provided the best possible representation in this matter and would not hesitate to retain or refer you to any family or friend looking for an attorney in a similar matter. Once again thank you for your efforts and hopefully and prayerfully you will be able to continue helping others the same way that you have helped me.