Dee Spagnuolo represents companies and individuals in a wide range of internal investigations in educational, non-profit and corporate settings, as well as compliance and regulatory matters. Dee is the Leader of the firm's Title IX Team and is a Co-Leader of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Counseling Team. Dee also serves as Ballard Spahr's Partner in Charge of Attorney Career Advancement and a member of the Executive Team of the firm's Management Committee.
Dee's practice focuses on the institutional response to sexual misconduct. Domestic and international clients have included educational institutions, sports governing bodies, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and religious institutions. She was one of the lead Ballard Spahr attorneys conducting a review of cases and internal procedures for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia following a grand jury indictment of several priests accused of sexual abuse. Dee has extensive experience managing internal investigations, including interdisciplinary teams of forensic and crisis management professionals, communications with law enforcement, disciplinary proceedings, and the interplay between civil and criminal proceedings in the area of sexual misconduct.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Conducts internal investigations of alleged sexual misconduct, child abuse, and civil rights violations in a wide range of settings
- Represents a number of clients in litigation and internal investigations involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, regulatory and ethics compliance, and various business frauds
- Counsels organizations in the development and implementation of policies, practices and training programs relating to sexual misconduct, healthy boundaries, and SafeSport compliance
- Advises corporations on their diversity and inclusion policies and practices
Professional Highlights
Judicial Clerkships
Hon. R. Barclay Surrick, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2003-2004
Professional Activities
American Bar Association
Pennsylvania Bar Association
National Association of College and University Attorneys
Ballard Spahr's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council
Recognition & Accomplishments
National Law Journal, "Trailblazer," 2021
Named a Diverse Attorney of the Year, The Legal Intelligencer, 2015
Named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers "Rising Star," 2008-2014
Speaking Engagements
“Building Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Through Compliance with Dodd-Frank Section 342,” Keynote speaker, Auriemma Roundtables, September 30, 2021
“Game Changers: The Fight for Pay Equity in Women’s Athletics,” The Sky is the Limit…Unless There is a Ceiling in the Way, University of Pennsylvania Law School Journal of Law & Public Affairs’ Annual Symposium, (with Julie Foudy, Meghan Duggan, and John Langel), March 24, 2021
"The In-House Counsel Perspective," Perrin Diversity & Inclusion Conference, November 2, 2017
Board Memberships & Community Service
Bowdoin College Board of Trustees
Publications
Co-author, "Complying with the Diversity & Inclusion Standards of Section 342 of Dodd-Frank Through Sponsorship Programs: Key Considerations for Development and Implementation," Mortgage Compliance Magazine, November 16, 2017
Co-author, "Getting with the Program: Tackling Section 342," Mortgage Compliance Magazine, November 1, 2016
Co-author, "Laying the Groundwork: Creating a Complaint Section 342 Program," Mortgage Compliance Magazine, February 4, 2015
Credentials
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D. 2003)
Class President; Legal Writing Fellow; Editor-in-Chief, Journal of International Economic Law
Bowdoin College (A.B. 1996)
Captain of the varsity Field Hockey, Women's Ice Hockey, and Softball teams; All-American Honors in Field Hockey
Languages
Non-native fluency in Spanish; conversational in Italian
Admissions
Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit