ROBYN HYLTON HANSEN

Biography

Robyn is Chairman of the Employment Law Practice Group and has extensive experience in handling labor and employment issues on behalf of both public and private sector employers.  Robyn represents both employers and employees in all aspects of employment law including, for example, claims and employment issues arising under the various federal statutes including for example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, National Labor Relations Act, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. In addition to the statutory issues, she also handles contract and tort claims including, for example, claims of wrongful termination and defamation that so often arise in employment termination cases.  She represents clients before various administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Department of Labor, both the Wage and Hour Division and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance. She also represents clients in matters in both Federal and State Courts. 

On a proactive level, she  helps clients develop and preserve their employment population by preparing employment, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements as well as developing and drafting effective employment policies.  She also provides counsel on the establishment and maintenance of employee benefit plans including both qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and welfare benefit plans. She, along with other members of the practice group, give seminars, lectures, workshops, and training sessions to help employers avoid potential claims. 

Robyn currently is Vice President of the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA, and Secertary of the Board of Directors of Heart for Orphans.  She formerly has held positions as Secretary of the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA, Secretary, Assistant Chairman, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Newport News YMCA, Secretary/Treasurer and Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, Secretary of the Board of Directors for Street Missions and Restoration Team; as Secretary and Treasurer for the Newport News Bar Association and as a Member of the Board of Directors for The Volunteer Center of the Virginia Peninsula.  Additionally, she has served a member of the Board of Trustees for the City of Newport News Retirement Plan and Health and Welfare Plan.

Robyn was an adjunct professor at the Marshall‑Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary for the 2002 fall term. 

She currently holds membership with the American Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Bar Association and the Newport News Bar Association. 

Practice Highlights

• Litigation in Federal and State Court
• Administrative claims
• Employment contracts
• Noncompete agreements
• Employment Policies
• Qualified and Non-Qualified Retirement Plans
• Welfare Benefit Plans
• Severance agreements
  

Educational and Professional Background

• College of William and Mary, BA
  (Economics and History 1978)
• Marshall-Wythe School of Law, JD (1983)

Activities and Affiliations

• Board of Directors of the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA, Vice President and Chairman of the Executive Compensation Committee.
• Secretary of the Board of Directors of Heart for Orphans
• Virginia’s Legal Elite in Labor/Employment Law  (2005)
• Virginia’s Legal Elite in Labor/Employment Law  (2006)
• Virginia’s Legal Elite in Labor/Employment Law (2007)Virginia Super Lawyer in Employment & Labor Law (2008)
• Virginia Super Lawyer in Employment & Labor Law (2009)
• Virginia’s Legal Elite in Labor/Employment Law (2011)

Representative Clients

• Riverside Health System
• Hampton Roads Sanitation District
• Virginia Health Services
• Peninsula Institute for Community Health
• Tidewater Physical Therapy, Inc.