Stephanie C. Blum, Esq.
Of Counsel
Stephanie C. Blum, Esq. is a seasoned litigator with the Washington, D.C. office of Solomon Law Firm, PLLC, where she focuses her practice on representing employees in a broad spectrum of employment law matters. With over twenty-five years as an attorney and more than a decade of experience advocating for clients in cases involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower claims, and requests for disability and religious accommodations, Stephanie is dedicated to ensuring fairness in the workplace.
She has extensive experience litigating and mediating cases before federal administrative bodies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Stephanie also advises on matters of national security including security clearances and holds a Top-Secret Security Clearance with full-scope polygraph.
Before joining Solomon Law Firm, Stephanie served in key legal roles across the federal government. Her distinguished career includes positions at the National Security Agency (NSA), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the National Security Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ). She also clerked for three federal judges and began her legal career in the private sector as an Associate in the Labor and Employment Litigation Group of a prominent law firm representing Fortune 500 clients.
In addition to her legal practice, Stephanie is a certified EEO mediator, adjunct professor, and published author. She has served as a mediator for the DHS Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Group and has taught at institutions including Johns Hopkins University, the Naval Postgraduate School, Michigan State University, University of Toledo College of Law, and Cooley Law School. Her scholarly work includes numerous law review articles on national security and constitutional law and a book derived from her award-winning master’s thesis on detention of terrorists.
Stephanie earned her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where she participated in an employment discrimination legal clinic. She graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with distinction in Political Science from Yale University. She also holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, where she was awarded the “Outstanding Thesis Award.”
Stephanie is a member of the Michigan bar.
Publications
Books and book chapters
- The Department of Homeland Security and Intelligence: Past, Present and Future, in HOMELAND SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE (Praeger Security, 2010).
- THE NECESSARY EVIL OF PREVENTIVE DETENTION IN THE WAR ON TERROR, A PLAN FOR A MORE MODERATE AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION (Cambria Press, 2008).
Academic Articles
- Federalism: Fault or Feature – An Analysis of Whether the United States Should Implement a Federal Pandemic Statute, Washburn Law Journal, Vol. 60, Issue 1, (Fall 2020).
- “Terrorist Victim or Perpetrator? Foreign Solutions to Challenges Posed by the U.S.’s Terrorist Bars to Asylum,” 3 INT’L COMP., POL’Y & ETHICS L. REV., 591 (2020).
- Drying Up the Slippery Slope: A New Approach to the Second Amendment, 64 Buffalo Law Review, 961 (2019)
- “Use it or Lose It”: An Exploration of Unused Counterterrorism Tools and Implications for Future Counterterrorism Policies, 16 LEWIS & CLARK L. REV. 677 (2012).
- What Really Is at Stake with the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 and Ideas for Future Surveillance Reform, 18 B.U. PUB. INT. L.J. 269 (2009).
- The Why and How of Preventive Detention in the War on Terror, 26 T.M. COOLEY L. REV. 51 (2009).
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Same Priorities, Different Perspectives: Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff on Homeland Security, HOMELAND SECURITY AFFAIRS, Jan. 2010.
- Preventive Detention in the War on Terror: A Comparison of How the United States, Britain, and Israel Detain and Incapacitate Terrorist Suspects, HOMELAND SECURITY AFFAIRS, Oct. 2008.
Teaching Experience
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Academic Programs, Krieger School Lecturer
- “Legal Issues in Intelligence” for the MS in Intelligence Analysis program.
Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security Lecturer
- Designed an online course on homeland security and constitutional issues focusing on profiling, equal protection, material support of terrorism, federalism, border searches of electronic devices and the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
- Designed online course on Fourth Amendment and Technology in Homeland Security
Michigan State University, Criminal Justice School Instructor
- Graduate and undergraduate courses focusing on civil rights/liberties, national security, liability of law enforcement, Bivens actions, and section 1983 litigation.
University of Toledo, College of Law Visiting assistant professor of law
- Seminar on national security law covering the detention, prosecution, targeted killing, interrogation, and surveillance of terrorists as compared to criminals.
- Employment discrimination course covering Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and other statutes as well as the administrative process and remedies.
Awards & Notable Mentions
- Special Recognition Award for outstanding legal work (2024)
- Core Values Award (2022)
- Special Act Award for volunteering for additional assignments outside area of expertise and working on special projects under very short deadlines (2021)
- Chief Counsel’s Award for Exemplary Writing, recognizing attorneys who have written an extraordinary memorandum, brief, regulation, or other legal document (2019)
- Excellence Award for excellent legal service in resolving complex administrative litigation cases before administrative agencies as both an advocate for cases involving TSA and as a mediator for cases involving other components of DHS (2017)
- Silver Medal Award for “tenacity, strength, and persuasiveness in litigating cases before the EEOC, MSPB and district courts.” (2008)
- Illumination Award for “superior written work, resourcefulness, and thoroughness.” (2007)
- Special Act Award for “unparalleled work ethic, positive attitude, and devotion to duty while working an extraordinarily heavy caseload.” (2006)
- Bronze Medal for “excellent contributions before the EEOC, MSPB and the federal courts in demonstrating excellent trial skills, including extensive pretrial briefing, thorough witness preparation, and highly effective direct and cross examination.” (2006)