Background
Blackwell earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from McNeese State University (1999) and her J.D. from Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center (2002). She currently (April 2018) teaches Employment Law at the University of South Florida. Her public sector experience includes working for a judge as a federal court law clerk and she served as an attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. In the private sector, she has worked for several firms as an employment attorney. She is currently the president of The Blackwell Firm.High profile cases
H-1B visa foreign worker replacement
In 2016, Blackwell represented former Information Technology (IT) personnel of Walt Disney Company, in Perrero v. HCL America, Inc. et al. In dismissing the case, Judge Gregory A. Presnell exposed a loophole in the displacement protections afforded United States workers. In the 1998 amendment, a class of exempt H-1B workers was created with the minimum criterion of either a master's degree or a $60,000 salary. The exemption is only available to H-1B Dependent firms who employ 15% or more of their personnel on H-1B (or L-1) visas. '' The Atlantic'' reports that these firms, primarily specializing in outsourcing, are free to replace older or more expensive employees with temporary foreign workers. Undeterred with the dismissal in Perrero v. HCL America, Inc. et al., Blackwell provided representation and organizational expertise in several similar H-1B cases: 49 career IT personnel at the University of California, Davis, forced to train their replacements, resulting in a workforce reduction of 97 personnel, 400 IT personnel trained their replacements at Southern California Edison, 200 similarly dismissed IT personnel from Carnival Cruise Line, and in its 220 personnel separation, Eversource Energy labeled the training of replacements as "knowledge transfer". Blackwell has appeared onNFL cheerleaders differential treatment
In March 2018, the '' New York Times'' printed the story of a former New Orleans Saints cheerleader's E.E.O.C. filing concerning the team's employment policies. ''The New York Times'' learned from Bailey Davis' interviews, emails and an eight-page handbook that unlike the rule for NFL players, the team has an anti-fraternization policy where cheerleaders must leave public accommodations if a player enters the room, may not speak to and must block NFL players on social media, may not be photographed in uniform and may not appear nude or in revealing attire. Davis was fired for appearing on her private Instagram in a one piece bathing suit. Blackwell orchestrated a series of television interviews which gained wide exposure in the United States and with some international publishers. In April, former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, Kristan Ann Ware, joined with Davis as an additional plaintiff concerning an incident related to her religion, the team admits to the incident and that it reprimanded the supervisory employee; however, that employee is still with the team. As of April 29, 2018, the plaintiffs are seeking arbitration with thePublications
Blackwell has contributed to the ''Jambalaya News'', the '' Times Southwest'' and the ''City Social of Baton Rouge''.Books
* ''Destiny Of One'', Sara Blackwell, The Peppertree Press, December 3, 2014, * ''Venergy'', Sara Blackwell and Emily Gerety, Pants On Fire Press, Mar 16, 2017,References
External links
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