LAWYER PROFILE
Jeremy Merkelson

Jeremy Merkelson

USA 2026

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Ranked in 2 practice areas

About

Provided by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

USA

Practice Areas

Jeremy Ben Merkelson is a full-service employment lawyer who serves clients across a wide range of industries. He brings substantial first-chair trial experience to the firm's East Coast employment and labor team.

Jeremy provides regular advice and counsel to businesses of all sizes on managing workplace-related concerns, developing top-tier personnel policies, minimizing employment-related risks, and avoiding costly litigation. He also provides counsel to deal teams, advising on employment aspects of complex, cross-border M&A transactions.

A seasoned litigator, Jeremy has broad experience representing clients in state and federal courts, including in the nation's capital, as well as in administrative proceedings and arbitrations throughout the United States. Jeremy has advised on impactful and complex employment litigation in closely watched sectors such as financial services, technology, and healthcare. His first-chair trial experience includes defending employers in nationwide wage-and-hour class and collective actions, restrictive covenant/employee mobility and trade secrets disputes, and whistleblower retaliation and discrimination cases. He also helps stakeholders resolve "business divorce" disputes, skillfully navigating internal conflicts among partners, shareholders, co-owners, investors, and members of closely held business entities.

After serving in a leadership and legal advisory role at the Association of American Law Schools, a nonprofit comprising more than 170 U.S. law schools, Jeremy used his experience to build a subspecialty practice advising nonprofits and trade associations in the D.C. area, including serving as pro bono counsel to the Federation of American Scientists.

In 2025, Jeremy was named as one of "America's Leading Business Lawyers" by Chambers USA in Intellectual Property: Trade Secrets (Nationwide). Super Lawyers named Jeremy to its list of "Rising Stars" for Labor & Employment in Washington, D.C., in 2021 and 2022. He is a prolific public speaker on state and federal employment law updates and matters related to running a successful workplace, addressing a wide range of subjects from conducting internal investigations and auditing HR operations to independent contractor misclassification and the #MeToo movement.

Professional Memberships

Labor and Employment Law Section, American Bar Association

Member, Working Group 12, Sedona Conference Trade Secrets

Member, AIPLA Trade Secret Law Committee

Firm sponsor partner, National Capitol Region, Association of Corporation Counsel

Former member, National Capitol Region, Association of Corporate Counsel

Delegate, National Association of College and University Attorneys, 2015-2017

Board of Directors, Rising for Justice, 2024

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Guide to the USA

Intellectual Property: Trade Secrets - USA - Nationwide

Band 3
Band 3

Individual Editorial

Jeremy Merkelson is a first chair litigator who leverages his employment law expertise to advise clients on employee mobility related trade secrets matters.

Labor & Employment - District of Columbia

Band 4
Band 4

Individual Editorial

Jeremy Merkelson of Davis Wright Tremaine often deftly advises clients on contentious cases involving discrimination, violation of covenants and trade secrets.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Jeremy is my go-to advisor for all trade secret-related matters and I trust his guidance. He has proven himself to be wise and practical.

    Intellectual Property: Trade SecretsChambers Guide to the USA
  • Jeremy is smart lawyer who is easy to work with, provides trusted responses and knows how to assess risk.

    Intellectual Property: Trade SecretsChambers Guide to the USA
  • Jeremy is responsive and pragmatic. He also works incredibly proactively with opposing counsel to provide excellent representation.

    Intellectual Property: Trade SecretsChambers Guide to the USA
  • Jeremy is not just coming at it from a really theoretical or overly legal perspective and gives advice we can apply.

    Labor & EmploymentChambers Guide to the USA
  • You call him and he just knows how to deal with the situation.

    Labor & EmploymentChambers Guide to the USA

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