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Since 2008, Rachael has focused her practice on employment law and related litigation, including non-competition and non-solicitation litigation.  Rachael not only represents clients in federal, state, and appellate courts, but also advises clients on a variety of employment related matters prior to litigation.  This includes assisting clients with day-to-day employment and personnel issues, preparing employment related contracts, policies, and handbooks, and responding to charges of discrimination and other formal complaints or government investigations.   

Distinctions & Memberships

  • Admitted to the Florida Bar
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • The Best Lawyers in America© since 2019 – Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • The Best Lawyers in America© 2022 Litigation – Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year”
  • Named as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2016 and 2017
  • Board Chair of the Board of Directors for the Dunedin Fine Art Center, beginning October 2023
  • Board of Directors Member for the Dunedin Fine Art Center, 2020 – Present
  • Leadership Pinellas, Class of 2019
  • Co-Chair of the St. Petersburg Bar Association Employment Section, 2016 – 2018
  • President of the Clearwater Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, 2013 – 2014
  • Stetson College of Law Edward D. Foreman Most Distinguished Student Award Recipient
  • Trial Team, 1st Place: American Bar Association Law Student Division, Regional Arbitration Competition; 1st Place: Florida Bar Chester Bedell Memorial Mock Trial Competition

Education 

  • Stetson University College of Law, Juris Doctor, cum laude, Honors Program Graduate, December 2007
  • University of South Florida, Masters of Arts, Criminology December 2004
  • University of Texas at Arlington, Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, University Scholar Criminology/Criminal Justice December 2002

Personal Endeavors

When Rachael is not working hard for her clients, Rachael enjoys grabbing her camera and photographing the world around her, whether that be capturing the beauty of flowers through macro photography, finding the perfect sunset with her 14 mm lens, or snapping action shots of her skateboarding son.  Rachael also enjoys downtime with her family and looks forward to their movie and game nights.  Finally, Rachael, thanks to her son, is well versed in all things Pokémon and can often be found helping other parents decipher the trading card game.

Articles

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood September 2021

  We know that the announcement of The White House: Path out of the Pandemic: President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan (the “Action Plan”) has left many of us with more questions than answers.  We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide a more detailed summary when the applicable Occupational Safety […]

Categories: Articles, Blogs, COVID-19 task force, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood July 2021

With the rise in vaccination rates and the increased return of workers to the workplace, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) have issued updated guidance for employers and employees relating to safety standards and vaccine policies.  Specifically, on May 28, 2021, the […]

Categories: Articles, Blogs, COVID-19 task force, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood May 2021

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of activity at both the federal and state level relating to COVID-19.  Most recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued updated guidance concerning the use of masks for fully vaccinated individuals.  This article will provide you a brief overview […]

Categories: Articles, Blogs, COVID-19 task force, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood March 2020

At the end of January 2020, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners made significant amendments to the Wage Theft and Recovery Ordinance, which applies to any entity or person who employs a person (even just one person) within Pinellas County.  These amendments became effective in February 2020.   With […]

Categories: Articles, Blogs, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood September 2019

Joan M. Vecchioli, Esq., Colleen M. Fynn, Esq., Rachael L. Wood, Esq. invite you to attend their seminar series Best Employment Practices Topics will include Animals in the Workplace Department of Labor Developments Common Employer Mistakes Wednesday, October 23, 2019 8:30 a.m. – Noon Continental Breakfast served Ruth Eckerd Hall […]

Categories: Articles, Blogs, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood September 2019

Many of our clients have been inquiring about their obligations regarding animals in the workplace. For employers, these obligations may vary depending on whether the person wanting to bring an animal into the workplace is a customer or an employee.  Customers If the person is a customer and the business […]

Categories: Articles, Blogs, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodColleen M. Flynn, Joan M. Vecchioli & Rachael L. Wood April 2019

We have seen rapid developments in wage and hour laws over the past several months that will affect a wide range of industries and professions. These developments under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) include Opinion Letters issued by the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) and proposed rules by […]

Categories: Articles, Blogs, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodColleen M. Flynn, Joan M. Vecchioli & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood October 2018

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has long required that its resources be targeted to ensure the strongest possible impact in its efforts to stop unlawful employment discrimination. In 2017, the EEOC revised its Strategic Enforcement Plan (“SEP”) for Fiscal Years 2017-2021 to identify six (6) substantive area priorities and […]

Categories: Blogs, Labor & Employment

By Joan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodColleen M. Flynn, Joan M. Vecchioli & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. WoodJoan M. Vecchioli, Colleen M. Flynn & Rachael L. Wood August 2018

Welcome to our Labor and Employment Group blog where we will discuss legal issues and address questions that frequently arise in our practice and provide updates and analyses of statutory and case law developments in the area of Labor and Employment Law.  Our Labor & Employment Group regularly represents employers […]

Categories: Blogs, Labor & Employment

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