Sandra L. Blevins
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Sandra Blevins has that highly sought gem of careeralignment with her sense of values. "What gives meaning to my work is the factthat I am in a position to help people and can make a difference by making theworkplace more fair," she explains. "This is why I feel such a greatresponsibility to do an outstanding job for every client that comes through thedoor." Sandra's areas of legal focus cover employment law, civil rights,general litigation, and media law.
Sandra became a Betz & Associate advocate forindividuals in 2003 after leaving the Indianapolis law firm Leagre Chandler& Millard. While there, she concentrated her practice on labor and employmentlaw, providing employment-related counsel to startup companies and small firmslacking human resources departments. To enhance her knowledge of the humanresources environment as a practitioner of employment law, Sandra studied forand passed the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) exam. Holding theSPHR designation, combined with her former background in defending employersagainst employee claims and providing HR counsel to employers, gives her aninvaluable global perspective that informs her work on employment rights casesat Betz & Associates.
During her three years at Leagre Chandler & Millard,Sandra achieved a significant record in successfully handling employment lawmatters, which included: representing clients in mediations before the U.S.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); preparing more than 100position statements in response to EEOC charges of discrimination; composingand editing more than 50 employee handbooks; drafting and reviewing hundreds ofemployment agreements involving non-competition, non-solicitation, settlement,severance, confidentiality, and general employment releases; counselingnational organizations on hiring, retention, and termination issues; andconducting management training programs on discrimination, anti-harassment, anddiversity.
From 1991 - 2000 Sandra worked for Krieg DeVault, LLP, inIndianapolis, where she met Kevin Betz. Sandra came up through the ranks atKrieg DeVault, initially working as a legal secretary then law clerk, obtainingher law degree in 1996, and spending the next four years practicing in theareas of employment law, ERISA (Employment Retirement Income Security Act), andgeneral litigation. She defended employers against discrimination claimsarising under, among others, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), ADEA (Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967), FMLA(Family and Medical Leave Act), Title VII (of the Civil Rights Act of 1964),and Title IX (of the Education Amendments of 1972, prohibiting sexdiscrimination in education). As well, she assisted with general litigationinvolving ERISA, commercial transactions, trade secrets, contract disputes, andcollection and trust matters.
Sandra received her bachelor of arts degree in English fromThe Ohio State University in 1986. She graduated from the IndianaUniversity School of Law - Indianapolis in 1996.
She is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, IndianaState Bar Association, National Employment Lawyers Association, and the Societyfor Human Resource Management. She is admitted to practice law in all courts inthe state of Indiana, including the Indiana Supreme Court as well as the U.S.District Court's Northern and Southern Districts and the U.S. Court of Appealsfor the Seventh Circuit.
Bar Admissions:
Indiana, 1996
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, 1996
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, 1996
U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1998
Indiana Supreme Court, 1996
Education:
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio: B.A. in English, 1986
Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana: J.D., 1996
Professional Associations and Memberships:
Member - Indiana State Bar Association
Member - Indianapolis Bar Association
Member - National Employment Lawyers Association
Member - Society for Human Resource Management
Certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)