Our Team
Clayton L. Bailey
Clayton has accumulated extensive experience in federal district court, often in first-of-its-kind litigation. As a result, Clayton has learned to be adaptable, keeping case strategy up-to-date with the changing circumstances customary of complex litigation.
As a trial attorney with the Department of Justice Federal Programs Branch, he defended Biden Administration policies on behalf of more than a dozen federal agencies and the White House. His cases often involved novel issues of constitutional and administrative law, and included multiple high-profile challenges to federal employment practices.
Before that, Clayton was a litigator at Covington & Burling LLP, where he developed a focus on trial work and expert testimony. During that time, he represented a class of Virginia prisoners challenging solitary confinement conditions. He also represented voting rights groups defending the results of the 2020 Presidential Election in Pennsylvania.
Originally from Louisville, KY, Clayton began his legal career in DC due in part to a long-held respect for the U.S. government and its ability to improve the lives of people across the country (and beyond). The Civil Service Law Center represents, first and foremost, a defense of the many federal workers who feel the same way.
Education:
B.S., University of Kentucky
J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
Virginia
Jessica Merry Samuels
Jessi brings to her matters a deep understanding of public law as well as an expertise in appellate strategy. Relying on her breadth of experience across the public and private sectors, Jessi works to develop creative legal theories, anticipate roadblocks, and craft winning arguments with an eye toward appeal.
Most recently, Jessi served as an appellate attorney in the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she litigated appeals across the country to enforce federal civil rights and anti-discrimination laws. One of her proudest accomplishments there was persuading the Fourth Circuit to recognize retaliation claims under the Affordable Care Act’s non-discrimination provision.
Jessi also served in state government in Virginia, where she managed high-profile strategic litigation and first-chaired dozens of cases on behalf of the Commonwealth. During the first Trump administration, she helped lead multi-state litigation against the federal government on a wide range of issues including immigration policy and gender equality. In addition, Jessi previously worked at Covington & Burling LLP, where she honed her skills as a litigator in the appellate and class action practice groups.
As a former federal worker herself, Jessi believes in the power of government to make the world a better place. She is proud to support and defend our public servants through her work at the Civil Service Law Center.
Education:
B.A., Dartmouth College
J.D., Yale Law School
Clerkships:
Judge Robert N. Chatigny, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
Judge Christopher F. Droney, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Judge Toby J. Heytens, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
Virginia
Supreme Court of the United States