Eugenia Valais

Ms. Eugenia (Genie) Valais is an associate with Gilbert Employment Law, focusing on the representation of both federal and private sector employees on claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as well as violations of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related state and local laws. Ms. Valais’s practice includes litigating on behalf of clients in federal and state courts, as well as administrative forums such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Ms. Valais graduated from the University of Maryland Carey Law with the Litigation and Advocacy Award.

Prior to joining Gilbert Employment Law as an associate in 2025, Ms. Valais served as a law clerk with the firm.  In addition to clerking with Gilbert Employment Law during law school, Ms. Valais externed for EEOC Administrative Judge Sharlee Cendrosky, where she reviewed claims and drafted briefs on suggested decisions for the Judge’s review. She also served as an Executive Member on Maryland Carey Law’s Moot Court Board, and together with one of her peers, was responsible for drafting the fall Moot Court problem. As a Research Assistant for her Employment Law Professor, Ms. Valais analyzed laws concerning H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers, with a focus on housing, and as a student attorney in Maryland Carey’s Immigration Clinic, she fought for clients facing a range of immigration issues.

Prior to law school, Ms. Valais worked for the European Union Agency for Asylum, where she interviewed asylum seekers and made determinations on asylum cases. She also conducted freelance research for the International Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racist Police Violence of People of African American Descent, for an advisory report sent to the United Nations Human Rights Council, under the guidance of a former president of the National Lawyers Guild. Ms. Valais holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a focus on European and international law from Sciences Po University in France.

Ms. Valais is a member of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association.