Hon. Natasha L. Abel (Ret.)
Hon. Natasha L. Abel (Ret.) brings more than 16 years of experience as a trial attorney, program manager, administrative judge and supervisory administrative judge for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to her role as a neutral at JAMS. As a Judge and mediator/settlement judge for the EEOC Federal Hearings Unit, she has successfully resolved hundreds of employment discrimination complaints involving allegations covering the entire spectrum of laws making it unlawful to discriminate against employees and applicants in the workplace, including claims of hostile work environment, disparate treatment, denial of reasonable accommodation, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation.
During her tenure at the EEOC, Judge Abel managed a broad range of employment discrimination cases involving race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, transgender status and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability and genetic information. As supervisory administrative judge, she oversaw a staff of administrative judges and paralegals, served as the unit chief for the Federal Sector Hearings program and managed a robust alternative dispute resolution (ADR) program for volunteer mediators.
Earlier in her career, Judge Abel practiced civil litigation in private law firms in California; Washington, D.C.; and Pennsylvania, representing clients in matters involving contracts, product liability, intellectual property, employment, personal injury and medical malpractice. She also served as a pro bono arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
At JAMS, Judge Abel brings a calm, respectful and solutions-oriented approach to mediation, arbitration and neutral evaluation. Known for her fairness, efficiency and balanced judgment, she helps parties resolve disputes with clarity, empathy and integrity.
ADR Experience and Qualifications
- Designed and delivered training for judges and mediators on settlement practices, ethics and case-management efficiency
- Completed 40-Hour Business, Family & Divorce Mediation Training Program by the National Association of Certified Mediators (NACM), 2025
- Completed mediation training (The Peace Center, 2012) and Conflict Management Workshop (American Management Association, 2015)
- Served as pro bono arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Arbitration Center (2005–2009)
Representative Matters
- Employment Law
Disparate Treatment
- Mediated and presided over cases where employees alleged denial of overtime hours because of their protected classes or because they engaged in protected employment activity
- Mediated and presided over cases where employees alleged discriminatory schedule changes, reassignment, discipline and termination
- Mediated and presided over cases where employees were subjected to different terms and conditions of employment because of their race, color, disability or age
- Presided over and mediated numerous “failure to hire” or “failure to promote” cases due to an applicant’s sex, religion, race, national origin, color, disability or age
Hostile Work Environment
- Presided over a national origin discrimination case where an employee was repeatedly investigated for security infractions due to ordinary activity at the workplace
- Presided over and mediated numerous cases where female and male employees were physically and verbally subjected to sexually harassing behavior in and out of the workplace, including harassment via social media
- Presided over and mediated numerous sexual harassment cases where a male supervisor or manager subjected a subordinate female employee to a sexually harassing environment, including engaging in sexual favoritism, unwanted touching, offensive remarks, quid pro quo behavior and abuse of authority
- Presided over cases where a manager or supervisor was subjected to national origin and religious discrimination by subordinates
- Presided over cases where employees were harassed because of their sexual orientation
- Presided over cases where female employees were subjected to repeated exposure to sexually explicit graffiti in the workplace
- Litigated and settled a case where a mentally disabled employee of a fast-food chain was repeatedly harassed, bullied and given the most unpleasant tasks
- Mediated and presided over numerous reprisal cases where employees alleged they were harassed because they complained about job discrimination or because they assisted with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit
Pregnancy Discrimination
- Litigated and settled a case where an employee was treated differently at a retail store when she became pregnant and was denied workplace accommodations that were previously provided to her and co-workers
- Presided over cases involving denial of temporary accommodations due to pregnancy, such as schedule changes, job transfers, frequent and longer breaks, dress code or uniform modifications and a private space to pump breast milk
Religious Discrimination
- Litigated, presided over and mediated cases alleging religious discrimination, including workplace accommodation requests to allow prayer at work, uniform modifications, schedule modifications and other accommodation requests
Reprisal
- Presided over and mediated cases of per se reprisal where management is accused of making comments that cause employees to be fearful of complaining about discrimination
Denial of Reasonable Accommodation
- Presided over and mediated cases of denied accommodations based on physical and mental disabilities, including PTSD, depression, asthma, paranoid schizophrenia, anxiety, ADHD, arthritis, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer and heart disease
- Presided over cases where the requested accommodations were a hardship to the employer, including requests to telework, modify schedules, reduce hours, transfer, make ergonomic adjustments and restructure a position
- Presided over and mediated cases of denied religious accommodations, including requests to make exceptions to dress/grooming policies, schedule changes for religious holidays or daily prayer, and changes to job tasks
Age Discrimination
- Presided over and mediated cases alleging failure to hire, performance rating-based harassment and forced retirement based on applicant’s age
- Business Commercial
- Represented a small business owner accused of copying a competitor’s product and copyright- and trademark-protected text and images on advertisements and internet marketing materials
- Litigated contract, intellectual property and employment cases in federal and state courts
- Represented national clients in class actions and toxic-tort defense matters involving complex regulatory and scientific issues
- Represented clients in asbestos matters involving direct exposures through employment as well as claimed secondhand exposure
- Represented a manufacturer against claims of inadequate warning labels
- Represented a chemical manufacturer of hazardous materials involving exposure that spanned several decades and involved hundreds of litigants and voluminous discovery
- Represented employers in cases alleging personal injuries (including cancer, neurological and cognitive injury, and risk and fear of future injury claims) due to chemical exposures occurring at the workplace, from drinking water, or from using industrial or consumer products
- Civil Rights
- Oversaw administrative hearings involving alleged violations of federal civil rights statutes in public-service employment contexts
- Provided training to legal and HR professionals on preventing harassment and ensuring compliance with EEOC standards to public and private employers and attorneys
- Personal Injury
- Litigated personal injury, premises liability and product liability cases in federal and state courts
- Construction
- Litigated construction defect matters, including design defect cases that allegedly caused cracked foundations and leaky roofs
Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities
Memberships and Affiliations
- Former Member, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
- Former Member, Labor & Employment Law Section, American Bar Association
Selected Awards and Honors
- California Western School of Law, American Jurisprudence Awards
- Trial Practice, 1997
- Legal Skills, 1996
Speaking Engagements
- FDR Annual Training Conference, Cyberfeds, “Dos and Don’ts for Practitioners at EEOC Administrative Hearings,” 2022
- Philadelphia Federal Executive Board EEO/Diversity Day of Training, 2019 and 2021
- “Administrative Processing of EEO Discrimination Complaints, Hearings and Harassment: The EEOC Administrative Judge Perspective”
- “Damages and Relief in Federal Discrimination Case Processing”
- “An Overview of Federal Case Processing”
Background and Education
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Philadelphia District
- Supervisory Administrative Judge, 2022–2025
- Administrative Judge, EEOC Federal Hearings Unit, 2017–2022
- Program Manager, EEOC State and Local Practices, 2012–2017
- Senior Trial Attorney, EEOC Legal Unit, 2009–2012
- Pro Bono Arbitrator, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Arbitration Center, 2005–2009
- Associate; Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C.; 2003–2009
- Associate, Keller and Heckman LLP, 2000–2003
- Shea McNitt & Carter, 1998–2000
- Associate, 1998–2000
- Law Clerk, 1998
- Law Clerk to Hon. Ronald S. Prager, San Diego County Superior Court, 1997
- J.D., cum laude, California Western School of Law
- B.A., magna cum laude, Psychology, University of California, Riverside
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania Bar, 2004
- U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- District of Columbia Bar (2000; inactive)
- California Bar (1998; inactive)
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