Desireé Langley

Biography

Desireé Langley, a partner at Mehri & Skalet, represents public school districts, employees, executives, and communities in complex litigation involving corporate misconduct, civil rights, and workplace injustice.

Desireé’s practice includes nationwide litigation on behalf of public school districts seeking accountability and resources to address the effects of the opioid crisis and harmful social-media practices on children and school communities.

In her employment and civil-rights practice, Desireé represents employees and executives in matters involving discrimination, retaliation, harassment, workplace accommodations, and wrongful termination. She counsels clients through every stage of a dispute, including pre-litigation negotiations, administrative proceedings, mediation, arbitration, and litigation in state and federal courts.

Desireé brings experience from both sides of the employment bar. She first joined Mehri & Skalet earlier in her career, working on class-action discrimination, civil-rights, consumer-protection, and individual employment matters. She later represented employers in complex workplace litigation at Jackson Lewis, gaining insight into how companies evaluate, defend, and resolve disputes. Most recently, at The Washington Law Firm, she represented employees and executives in high-stakes employment matters from pre-litigation negotiations through discovery, dispositive briefing, and trial.

Before entering private practice, Desireé worked with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and served as a special education teacher prior to enrolling in law school. Those experiences continue to shape her approach to advocacy. She listens closely, explains complicated issues clearly, and remains mindful that every legal dispute involves real people whose lives extend far beyond the case. Her experience in education also gives her a personal appreciation for the work of the school districts she now represents and the challenges facing students, educators, and school communities.

Desireé’s experience representing individuals, classes, employers, and public institutions allows her to anticipate institutional strategy while remaining focused on her clients’ goals and lived experiences. She approaches each matter with preparation, curiosity, empathy, and a healthy respect for how much there is always left to learn. She believes strong advocacy begins with understanding a client’s story and translating it into a clear, persuasive legal strategy.

For Desireé, returning to Mehri & Skalet as a partner is both a homecoming and an opportunity to contribute to work that matters deeply to her. She is grateful to collaborate again with colleagues who helped shape her development as a lawyer and to help pursue meaningful accountability for schools, children, employees, and communities.