Sarah Wimberly spearheads FordHarrison's airline litigation and arbitration practice and is the co-leader of the airline service practice group. For 27 years she has focused her practice primarily on labor and employment matters unique to the aviation industry. She is an industry leader on absence management and leave abuse, as well as disability accommodation and compliance.
Sarah frequently works with aviation clients on complicated or sensitive harassment and discrimination complaints, complex discipline or discharge, and fitness for duty evaluations, with particular emphasis on flight crews. She arbitrates employment-related union grievances, responds to crew-related administrative charges before the FAA, OSHA, EEOC and similar state agencies (including administrative trials), and litigates employment and labor (RLA) claims in state and federal court. Sarah has particular expertise and experience with leaves of absence issues (FMLA), disability accommodation (ADA), and whistleblower complaints (AIR21).
Sarah represents clients across the country in all aspects of the industry. In her 27 years of practice, she has handled litigation, arbitrations and administrative charges and complaints in almost every state. She works with mainline carriers, low cost carriers, regional carriers, cargo carriers, charter and on-demand operators, ground support companies and MROs. Sarah is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and champion of the advancement of women in the industry.