Darah Okeke

Bio

Darah M. Okeke is a Partner and the Employment Law Practice Leader of FairPlay Law. An employment lawyer with nearly two decades of experience, she has spent much of her career advising employers on complex and high-stakes workplace matters and now brings that experience to representing professionals navigating consequential moments in their careers.

Darah began her legal career as an Associate in the Labor and Employment practice at Miles & Stockbridge, P.C., and later served as Vice President, Associate General Counsel at Erickson Living Management before moving into senior employment law roles at some of the technology industry’s most recognized companies. She served as Senior Counsel, Employment and Interim Head of Employee Relations at Uber Technologies; Associate Director and Senior Counsel, Global Employment Law at Twitter; and, most recently, Director and Assistant General Counsel, Employment at Etsy.

In those roles, Darah advised business leaders, executives, and human resources teams across the full spectrum of employment law. Her work included executive employment and separation agreements, workplace investigations, discrimination, harassment and retaliation matters, performance and termination decisions, reductions in force, employee relations, and compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.

That experience gives Darah an informed perspective on the other side of the employment relationship. She understands how companies approach sensitive personnel decisions, evaluate employment-related risk, structure employment contracts and separation agreements, and assess negotiation strategy. At FairPlay Law, she draws on that perspective to help employees understand the dynamics at play, identify meaningful areas of leverage, and approach important career decisions with clarity and strength.

Darah is also an adjunct graduate professor, teaching courses focused on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her academic work examines how organizational systems, policies, and practices shape opportunity and fairness in the workplace: insight that informs her advocacy for employees, including professionals from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds.

In 2022, Emory University recognized Darah with its 40 Under Forty Award, honoring alumni making significant contributions in their professions and communities.

Focus

Employment Offers & Negotiations  ·  Compensation and Benefits  ·  Separations & Severance  · Workplace Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation  ·  Discipline, PIPs & Internal Investigations  ·  Executive Employment Matters  ·  Employment Litigation & Disputes

Education

J.D., University of Maryland School of Law, cum laude (Law Review; Leadership Scholar)
B.B.A., Emory University, Goizueta Business School 

Admitted In

Maryland

Washington, D.C.