Practice Areas
MENEFEE LAW is a boutique civil rights firm that pursues complex cases at both the trial and appellate level. We litigate civil rights and employment discrimination cases.
Areas we serve: Our firm is headquartered in Washington D.C. but we litigate mostly cases in Alabama and Georgia.
Prisoners’ Rights
People behind bars face often cruel conditions of confinement.
The Constitution guarantees that no one will be subjected to cruel and unsafe conditions of incarceration but defending these rights can be challenging. These cases are more complex than ordinary personal injury cases and require a deep understanding of constitutional and state law, prison procedures, and the federal court system.
We have deep experience representing incarcerated individuals who suffered severe injuries, the loss of a limb, or were killed. We have successfully litigated cases on behalf of clients who suffered severe injuries or wrongful death cases while incarcerated.
We often take prisoners’ rights cases involving serious injuries or wrongful deaths on a contingency basis, so clients do not pay any legal fees unless they win a recovery.
Types of claims we litigate:
denial of medical care, including diabetic treatment or Hepatitis C.
denial of mental healthcare and failure to prevent suicide or self-injury
drug overdose and failure to treat drug addiction
assault by guards or excessive force
assaults or threats by other inmates, including extortion or sexual assault, and failure to protect by prison officials
retaliation by prison officials
denial of religious freedom or accommodations
disability discrimination and failure to accommodate
Additional specific services we offer
Unbundling or limited scope representation — this is an alternative fee arrangement. Instead of handling every aspect of a case from start to finish, for a flat fee we handle only certain parts, such as a pre-suit investigation, obtaining a client’s medical records or institutional files, and drafting a specific brief, or motion. Clients get just the advice and services they need and pay a lower overall fee.
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Pre-suit investigation
We assist clients in investigating whether a prisoner has a viable lawsuit due to threats or injuries he has suffered. Investigating such claims includes interviewing potential witnesses, gathering available documentary evidence, researching legal claims, and consulting potential expert witnesses.
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Obtaining a prisoner’s medical records or institutional files
Prisoners have a right to obtain their medical records and institutional files, but governmental entities often delay or deny access to these records. We use open records laws to help clients obtain their files. If necessary, we go to court to enforce their right to obtain records and files.
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Preliminary injunctions
We litigate in preliminary injunctions, getting into court quickly to seek a court order to stop a defendant from harming a client’s rights, before a client is irreparably injured.
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Demand letters
We try to achieve results for our clients before going to court. This often offers the most leverage in seeking results for a client and spares the length and expense of a trial.
Our results include:
Protecting a mother’s right to visit her incarcerated son at a hospital and make end of life case decisions for him
Securing a client’s release from solitary confinement after two and a half years of confinement without justification
Saving a client’s life by securing his transfer away from his assailants to a facility where he was protected
Police Misconduct
Victims of police misconduct have been beaten or shot by police officers. Such actions violate the Constitutional guarantees every citizen is entitled to. But filing a lawsuit to defend your rights against such federal, state, or local government is complicated. State actors are granted immunities and used to creating barriers and delays.
We have extensive experience suing state and local governments. We draw on extensive experience of police and government procedures to develop effective litigation strategies. Often we bring systemic claims, seeking to not only protect the rights of one individual, but changing a department’s policies to protect the rights of an entire community.
Almost all of our police misconduct cases are based on a contingency fee, which means a client does not pay for legal services unless there is a settlement or judgment in their favor.
Employment Litigation
Menefee Law helps employees fight discrimination made illegal by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and other state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
Employees of workplace discrimination have been denied equal pay because of their race or passed over for promotion because of their gender. We litigate against all forms of workplace discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, and religion.
We have extensive experience at trial and appellate levels in employment discrimination cases. We litigate against private companies and specialize in litigating against local government employers. We will seek compensation, including for any economic and emotional losses, and ensure that the client’s story is heard and justice is served.
Freedom of Information Act
Menefee Law represents individuals, members of the press and organizations concerning information in the government’s possession. The federal Freedom of Information and Privacy Act enables persons and groups to obtain information from the government through a “FOIA” request. States have their own equivalent statutes, entitling citizens to seek information from the government. We have extensive experience litigating under the Federal FOIA, Alabama’s Open Records Act, and Georgia’s Open Records Act.
Retaliation
Menefee Law has defended its clients’ First Amendment rights in Alabama and Georgia. Our clients have had their First Amendment rights denied by government misconduct or faced retaliation for filing grievances and lawsuits against government entities.
How We Help
Co-counsel
We regularly co-counsel with renown civil rights organizations and law firms, sharing our expertise in employment and civil rights law. In turn, co-counsel relationships allow us to handle more complex litigation and achieve greater results for our clients. If you are interested in co-counseling on a case, please reach out.
Civil rights practice
Our civil rights practice focuses on police misconduct and prisoners’ rights. Through prisoner rights cases we work alongside incarcerated individuals to challenge conditions of confinement in the courts. We use litigation to assist movements and highlight the systemic inequality our individual clients and their communities face. Many of our cases are brought in the Deep South—Georgia and Alabama. A focus of our litigation is the Alabama Department of Corrections, a site of the worst human rights abuses and organized crime in the country.
