Meet the 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
Kathleen Shelton
Kathleen is an experienced attorney who handles high-stakes litigation, large-scale discovery, and complex investigations. She is known by her clients as an effective, creative, and tireless counselor and advocate.
Most recently, Kathleen served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She was responsible for providing legal advice on a range of issues, including data access rights and the Administrative Procedure Act. Before the Bureau, Kathleen practiced at Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, where she drafted motions, briefs, and letters on behalf of clients in federal and state courts throughout the country, including the Supreme Court of the United States. She also led large teams of attorneys and staff in conducting complex, wide-reaching discovery and fact development in consumer protection and antidiscrimination matters. Representative cases include multiple federal antitrust class actions, post-conviction appeals on behalf of state and federal death row inmates, and a successful suit on behalf of a civils rights organization and individual voters claiming defamation and voter intimidation. Prior to law school, Kathleen worked in the nonprofit sector, including as an Americorps member.
Through all of these experiences, Kathleen has seen firsthand the power of good government and the rule of law. She joined the Civil Service Law Center to help ensure that the United States government fulfills its obligations, upholds the law, and serves the people.
Education:
B.A., Birmingham-Southern College
J.D., Harvard Law School (cum laude; Editor, Harvard Law Review)
Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
Emmy Wydman
Emmy is a public interest attorney dedicated to fighting on behalf of the "Davids"—the workers, consumers, and everyday people—wronged by the "Goliaths"—corporations, the government, and other powerful institutions.
Before joining the Civil Service Law Center in 2026, Emmy was an associate at a nationally recognized public interest plaintiffs’ firm. Her cases included class actions seeking to hold corporations accountable for the community devastation resulting from the largest taxpayer-funded fraud in a state’s history and the consequences of the 2022 infant formula shortage, as well as enforcement actions on behalf of various state attorneys general.
One of her proudest accomplishments of her career to date was serving on the team that represented Harvard professors and graduate students in their successful action against the Trump administration’s freeze of over $2 billion of the university’s federal grant funding, securing sweeping victories on both Title VI and First Amendment grounds—including the full return of the researchers’ grant money. She also previously litigated pro bono appeals, prevailing on an ex post facto challenge to an unconstitutional restitution regime.
Outside of her litigation practice, Emmy is deeply committed to movement organizing and community involvement, and is actively engaged with her alma maters.
Emmy is thrilled to join CSLC and to extend her dedication to democracy to vindicating the rights of federal workers.
Education:
B.S., The Ohio State University
J.D., Duke University School of Law
Clerkships:
Judge R. Guy Cole Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Chief Judge Algenon L. Marbley, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
Morgan Conover
Before joining the Civil Service Law Center as a paralegal, Morgan was a federal employee at Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a small government agency focused on international development and foreign assistance. Morgan worked in MCC’s Congressional Affairs division for eight years, until DOGE offered a deferred resignation option to agency employees, which Morgan accepted along with a third of the agency.
At MCC, Morgan helped maintain bipartisan support with Members of Congress, with a focus on appropriations and foreign affairs. She advised subject-matter experts for congressional hearings, analyzed the implications of pending legislation on MCC’s programs and budget, and facilitated the drafting and delivery of congressional notifications and reports. During her time at MCC, she also completed a six-month temporary assignment to the House Appropriations Committee.
As a former federal employee, Morgan knows firsthand the impacts of the Trump Administration’s harmful practices against the federal civil service. Morgan is excited to contribute to the CSLC’s important mission.
Outside of her work, Morgan spends most of her time with her two children.
Education:
B.A. Syracuse University
M.S. Johns Hopkins University (in progress)