Melinda K. Holmes

Partner

Mindy sees opportunities, not barriers.

Good lawyering is about answering questions; great lawyering is about turning problems into opportunities. Mindy prides herself on being an idea person, either coming up with new approaches or executing her client’s ideas. Mindy’s philosophy is based on two principles — that clients know best and that she is part of a team who brings special skills that generates extraordinary results.

Mindy is General Counsel to the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, and has served as an attorney for the APWU for over thirty years. She has had a hand in every part of the APWU’s operations – arbitration, interest arbitration, negotiations, HR, contract review, litigating NLRB, OLMS, and EEO matters, federal litigation, organizing, officer and member training, and lobbying and political activity. She has worked with and learned from many different leadership styles which has helped her be a valued advisor to other union and organizational leaders on a variety of matters. Mindy also counsels a FEHB/PSHB carrier and is always prepared to provide strategic counsel to unions and organizations of all sizes.

Experience

Partner, Murphy Anderson PLLC (2014-2026)

Partner and Associate, O’Donnell, Schwartz and Anderson, PC (1997-2014)

Co-Director, My Vote, My Right – AFL-CIO Voter Protection Program (2008)

Law Clerk, the Honorable Robert I. Richter, D.C. Superior Court (1996-1997)

Board Member and Chair, Sheridan School Board of Trustees (2011-2017)

Board of Directors, AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance (2017-2024)

Chair, ULA Committee on Diversity and Racial Justice

Minority Caucus/Lawyers of Color Caucus Steering Committee

Co-Chair, National Programs, ABA Labor & Employment Section (2009-2011)

Founding Board Member, D.C. Employment Justice Center

Community Outreach Chair, D.C. Bar Labor and Employment Section

Board Member, NYU Center for Labor and Employment Law (2022-2025)

Founding architect of the D.C. Bar and Georgetown Law Street Law Partnership

Member, American Law Institute

Leadership

Board Member and Chair, Sheridan School Board of Trustees (2011-2017)

Board of Directors, AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance (2017-2024)

Chair, ULA Committee on Diversity and Racial Justice

Minority Caucus/Lawyers of Color Caucus Steering Committee

Co-Chair, National Programs, ABA Labor & Employment Section (2009-2011)

Founding Board Member, D.C. Employment Justice Center

Community Outreach Chair, D.C. Bar Labor and Employment Section

Board Member, NYU Center for Labor and Employment Law (2022-2025)

Founding architect of the D.C. Bar and Georgetown Law Street Law Partnership

Member, American Law Institute

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Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. cum laude 1996)

Northwestern University (B.A. Political Science and International Studies 1992)

DC, PA

Education

Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. cum laude 1996)

Northwestern University (B.A. Political Science and International Studies 1992)

Bar Admissions

DC, PA
“Getting to do the work I do for the people I work for is a dream come true – nothing is more inspiring than working with people who show amazing fortitude and sacrifice to help others. I love learning about where that comes from and mental models of success. I also want to honor the opportunities to learn, to travel, and to contribute to society that my parents gave me by giving those same opportunities to my kids — more than anything, my kids motivate me to be the best example of a lawyer, a mother, and a person. I love to be outside and I am an avid equestrian and passionate horse owner which is a whole other level of learning, communicating, and challenging oneself – reminding me to trust the process, that we are masters of our own success, that patience is a virtue, that having many horses in the barn doesn’t guarantee you will have one to ride, and that there is a lot of magic waiting to be discovered and learned.”