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OUR ATTORNEYS
Deborah L. Gordon
Deborah L. Gordon is a trial lawyer who has specialized in employment and civil rights law for over 30 years. She graduated from The University of Michigan and The University of Detroit School of Law. She was Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan in the Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Division, and Senior Trial Attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) prior to entering private practice in 1980.
Deborah has tried dozens of cases successfully in the state and federal courts. Some of her trial work has been on a pro bono basis - in 1986 she litigated the case of Rick Sitz vs. State of Michigan on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, which ultimately put an end to drunk driving road block stops by the State Police on the basis that they are a violation of individual civil liberties.
Since 1987 Deborah has been listed in Best Lawyers in America (published annually by Woodward & White) as one of the best employment lawyers in the United States. She is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, widely considered to be the premiere legal professional organization in America comprised of the best of the trial bar in the United States and Canada, and has received the highest rating possible, “AV”, from Martindale-Hubbell’s peer review national Legal Directory. Deborah was named one of the "top ten" lawyers in Michigan in "Michigan Super Lawyers", published September, 2006 and 2007, and by Crain's Detroit Business as one of Michigan's '100 Most Influential Women' in 2007.
Deborah was President of the Labor & Employment Council of the State Bar of Michigan for the 2005-2006 term, which represents approximately 2000 labor and employment attorneys throughout Michigan. She is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Wayne County Case Evaluation Tribunal Plaintiff’s Selection Committee, and the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association. She formerly served on the Federal Bar Association’s Board of Directors. She has authored or co-authored the following publications: Sexual Harassment Law and Practice, a Michigan practitioner’s guide; Michigan Causes of Action Formbook (Employment Claims chapter); Advising the Older Client (Age and Handicap Discrimination chapter); and Attorney Fee Agreements in Michigan Forms and Practice Guide (Employment Litigation chapter) - all published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She participates in local radio and television news and talk programs and lectures extensively on employment law and trial skills to her peers.
And yes, for you long-time Detroiters, Deborah is the daughter of the late Lou Gordon, of WKBD’s “The Lou Gordon Program”. Lou was described this way in a recently-published book: “He was Detroit’s Mike Wallace, a broadcast cop who cowered before no one. The bigger the interview, the tougher he got. Most interviewers bowed and scraped before Bob Hope, but Gordon asked him about his defense of President Richard Nixon during the Viet Nam era. Gordon questioned George Wallace’s sanity - to his face. Gordon was, by far, the most feared man in television, maybe in the history of the local medium.” (From Soupy to Nuts! A History of Detroit Television, by Tim Kiska, Momentum Books LLC, 2005).
Carol Laughbaum has over 18 years civil litigation and appellate experience representing plaintiffs. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School.
Carol has written or co-written numerous amicus (friend of the court) briefs which have been filed with the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court on issues of major importance in the area of employment and civil rights law. She has authored briefs on behalf of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, the Michigan AFL/CIO, the International UAW, the National Lawyers Guild, and the American Civil Liberties Union. Carol is a contributing author to Employment Litigation in Michigan, Michigan Causes of Action Formbook, and Advising the Older Client (all published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education), and has written numerous articles on employment law and litigation.Sarah S. Prescott
Sarah joined the firm in 2006, having previously practiced in California and Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and Harvard Law School and is author or co-author of several articles that have appeared in foreign and U.S. legal journals, including the Harvard Law Review. While practicing in Washington, D.C., Sarah specialized in employee benefits matters, focusing in particular on ERISA and Tax Code compliance for pension plans. Her experience includes troubleshooting some the country’s largest private pension and 401(k) plans, and she also brings practical experience in arbitration. In California, Sarah worked in the Federal Court system as clerk to the Honorable Gary Alan Feess. As a clerk, she gained first-hand insight into the inner workings of the judicial system.
In addition to the Michigan Bar, Sarah is a member of the State Bar of California and the Bar of the District of Columbia.Sharon Dolente
Sharon Dolente is a graduate of Vassar College, the University of Michigan Law School (2004) and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
Sharon was the 2004 recipient of the Law School’s Jane L. Mixer Award for the greatest contributions to social justice.
Prior to joining the Law Office of Deborah Gordon, Sharon worked at the Detroit law firm of Gurewitz & Raben, PLC. Sharon is admitted to practice law in Michigan, Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Sharon is a member of the Board of Directors for the Detroit Metropolitian Chapter of the American Civil Liberities Union.
