Patice L. Holland

Patice’s practice focuses on employment litigation defense, employment and complex special investigations, transportation law, and civil and commercial litigation. Licensed in Virginia, Florida, and in the District of Columbia, Patice’s practices at both the trial and appellate levels in federal and state courts around the country. 

Her clients depend on her for proactive, practical solutions to their legal and regulatory issues. Through training, policy audits, and issue spotting, Patice helps clients lessen risk and stop issues before the grow into legal problems. Patice vigorously defends employers in actions involving Title VII (harassment, discrimination, and retaliation), breach of employment agreements, including non-competes, whistleblower complaints, ADA and ADEA claims, FMLA non-compliance, FLSA claims and issues involving workplace safety, VOSH, and OSHA claims.

When litigation happens, employers large and small depend on Patice for dedicated defense from claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other Title VII matters. Transportation companies rely on her counsel for matters involving the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA), Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), Safety Appliance Act (SAA), and Locomotive Inspection Act (LIA).

As Co-Chair of the Government & Special Investigations practice, Patice guides companies through investigations ranging from internal employee misconduct to complex Department of Justice investigations. She offers clients creative approaches to navigating investigations and tailors her strategies to match her clients’ priorities.

In addition to her law practice, Patice also serves a Substitute Judge for the Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit (Roanoke City, Roanoke County, and Salem). Patice has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Washington & Lee School of Law.

Patice has been named to the list of Best Lawyers in America for Insurance Law, Litigation - Labor & Employment, and Railroad Law since 2021. In 2019, she was named as an inaugural member of the Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2019 Influential Women of Law. In 2018, she received the Drum Major for Justice Award from the Roanoke Valley chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Employment/Internal Investigations

• Represent companies, government contractors, and school boards in internal investigation of and litigation arising from former executives’ alleged breaches of fiduciary duty.
• Represent boards of directors and corporate executive management in internal investigations of fiduciary duty, fraud, and misappropriation issues.
• Led internal investigation of a national company into discrimination claims by high-ranking executives.
• Represent and counsel employers with workplace compliance issues.
• Prepared and counseled employers with Notices of Inspection by the Department of Homeland Security.
• Represent companies with EEOC and other administrative agencies investigations and requests for onsite inspection, documents and information.

Employment Litigation Defense

• Represented a large employer through successful mediations and negotiations with employees alleging violations of the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Act.
• Defended a large employer from claims of race discrimination after an employee was terminated for violating the workplace violence policy.
• Defended a large multi-state employer from allegations of violating the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Act, disability discrimination, and retaliation.
• Obtained defense verdict for defendant employer at trial from EEOC claims of hostile work environment and quid-pro-quo sexual harassment.

False Claims Act

• Represented government contractor in False Claims Act retaliation case.
• Obtained defense verdict in qui tam claim against federal contractor and international employer in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

Transportation

• Obtained defense verdict in 2024 in FELA and LIA action against railroad defendant in the Roanoke City Circuit Court.
• Defended clients in numerous cases involving injury claims under FELA and the Federal Safety Appliance Act

Recognition

Education

Stetson University College of Law, J.D.

George Mason University, B.A., cum laude

Admissions

Virginia

Florida

District of Columbia Bar

U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia

Languages

• American Bar Association
• Florida Bar Association
• The National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40
• Old Dominion Bar Association
• Roanoke Bar Association

Co-author. “Employment: North America, USA – Virginia.” Lexology Getting the Deal Through, September 19, 2023.

Co-author. “Employment: North America, USA – Virginia.” Lexology Getting the Deal Through, October 17, 2022.

“Subconscious Thoughts and Their Impact on the Workplace.” [pdf] Lynchburg Business, November/December 2018.

“The Big Yellow Taxi Has a New Look.” Lynchburg Business, June 2015.

Lorman Landlord Tenant Seminars, Instructor

Lorman Employment Law Seminars, Instructor