Marla N. Presley

Marla Presley is the President of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

Ms. Presley is the Office Managing Principal and the Litigation Manager of the Pittsburgh office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuses exclusively on the representation of employers in wage and hour disputes, class and collective actions, and claims of discrimination under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and various state tort theories. She also appears regularly before administrative judges and agencies.

Ms. Presley has successfully tried cases before juries and judges in state and federal courts and has prevailed in appeals before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the West Virginia Supreme Court, and numerous appellate courts in Pennsylvania.

Ms. Presley also provides ongoing legal support and counsel for a multitude of clients, including those in the retail, restaurant, and service industries. This includes reviewing and revising employee policies, reviewing and counseling management on termination decisions, and performing complex human resource and wage audits. In addition, she is experienced in drafting various employment agreements including non-competes. She routinely provides training to managers and supervisors in all areas of employment law, including supervisory training, sexual harassment prevention, investigation and disciplinary procedures, and leave management.

A significant portion of Ms. Presley’s practice is dedicated to the representation of institutions of higher education. In this role, she provides advice and counsel on Title IX and Clery Act issues, student and faculty claims, constitutional and state statutory issues, and wage and hour matters. She frequently conducts third-party investigations and advises universities on Title IX compliance. She has developed Title IX/Sexual Violence policies and standard operating procedures and provides training to Responsible Persons, Investigators, and Hearing Panels.

A graduate of the University of Mount Union, Ms. Presley earned a bachelor of arts in political science in 2000. She then attended the Duquesne University School of Law where she was the recipient of the Lynette Norton Award for excellence in trial advocacy and earned her juris doctorate in 2003. She was named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by the Legal Intelligencer (2021), a “Rising Star” (2010-2017) and “Super Lawyer (2018-2020) by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, and she’s listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2021). She was also inducted into the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County.

Throughout her legal career, Ms. Pressley has been involved with numerous aspects of the ACBA. She’s been a member of the Board of Governors, Finance Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section, Managing Partners Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Women in the Law Division and Young Lawyers Division. She was named the ACBA’s Outstanding Young Lawyer in 2021 and is a Young Lawyer Fellow of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation.

In addition to her membership in the ACBA, Ms. Presley is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Ms. Presley also is involved in several community pursuits, including serving as a member of the Children’s Trust at Children’s Hospital of UPMC and as a volunteer with the Wills for Heroes program.