Emily Mordecai is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation team. Emily’s experience spans nearly every phase of litigation-focused practice, from pre-litigation counseling through trial and appeal. Her subject-matter experience ranges from complex commercial disputes to products liability and personal injury cases to nationwide employment class actions.
Emily maintains an active pro bono practice. Prior to joining Gentry Locke, she argued an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which resulted in a favorable outcome for her client and established precedent governing “rough ride” claims by prisoners and arrestees. Emily’s pro bono practice also includes housing and contracts cases.
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Years playing volleyball
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Entries in my One Line a Day journal
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Experience in a flash mob
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Is it More-deh-key or More-deh-chai?
My last name is pronounced More-deh-key, like a key to a door. I come from a long line of Mordecais who adopted that pronunciation after arriving to America in the eighteenth century, though Queen Esther’s uncle Mordecai (who used the traditional pronunciation) still has us beat by thousands of years.
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Now that we have that out of the way, where do you spend your time outside of the office and the courtroom?
I love spending time with friends on outdoor trails and in restaurants and breweries here in Richmond, which has been my home since 2018. And as a lifelong Virginian, I have accumulated many favorite spots in the Commonwealth that I love to visit. Those include my hometown of Virginia Beach for summer beach days, John Paul Jones Arena for UVA Men's Basketball games, the Blue Ridge Mountains for hiking (Spy Rock is my top pick!), and Northern Virginia for time with family. My farthest intrastate trek to date took me to the Creeper Trail in Abington for biking.
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One last thing…you were in a flash mob?
Not only was I in it; I orchestrated it! My maid of honor toast at my older sister’s wedding concluded with a surprise choregraphed dance to Heavy D & The Boyz’ “Now That We Found Love.” I am one of nineteen first cousins, so I had no trouble recruiting a sizeable group of friends and family for the routine.
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, J.D.
- University of Virginia, B.A.; Phi Beta Kappa
Experience
- Represented corporate clients including housing developers and military contractors in complex commercial disputes involving breach of contract, intellectual property, and unfair business practice claims
- Served as national trial counsel for Fortune 500 clients in product liability/personal injury MDLs and other coordinated proceedings
- Advised clients on regulatory compliance issues including COVID-19 workplace safety requirements
- Defended Fortune 100 retailer in early stages of putative nationwide class action asserting claims under Title VII and state employment discrimination laws
- Represented employers in OSHA investigations
- Argued appeal in prisoners’ rights case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Representative matters reflect work prior to joining Gentry Locke
Admissions
- Virginia State Bar
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
