Steven R. Semler started his career with the Appellate Court Branch of the National Labor Relations Board. There, he briefed and argued cases for the government in almost all circuits of the United States Court of Appeals. From there, he advanced to a law firm in Chicago that specialized in labor and employment law litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States.

He returned to Washington DC and founded a boutique law firm (Semler & Pritzker) which specialized in representing employers in labor and employment litigation, union elections, collective bargaining, arbitration, administrative agency rule making challenges, and strategic counseling. That practice grew nationally, representing universities, department store chains, manufacturing facilities, the printing, hair salon, the electric line clearance tree trimming industries, and trade associations. Building on his legal writing and analytical skills, Steven honed the skill of frequently achieving federal court dismissals of high-profile lawsuits for clients on motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment.

When his law partner retired, Steven was recruited into a national labor and employment law firm (Ogletree Deakins) as a partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office. For consecutive years, he was awarded the position among “100 Best Labor Lawyers in the United States”.

For twenty years, while a practicing lawyer, Steven was a volunteer EMT at the Kensington (MD) Volunteer Fire Department. He served several years as elected president and continues to serve as Chair of the Trial Board and of the Investment Advisory Committee. He was responsible for creation of KVFD’s 9-11 Memorial Park, which includes significant 9-11 structural artifacts from the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Steven is a graduate of Hunter College and the George Washington University law school. He and his wife have two daughters. The couple (and Leonardo the dog) live in Washington, DC. He has taught as a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Columbus School of Law since 2012.