Adriana R. Joens

ADRIANA R. JOENS

ASSOCIATE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Tele: (202) 689-1200 | Fax: (202) 689-1209
ajoens@fortneyscott.com

Adriana Joens is an Associate with 25 years of experience in the legal field, including paralegal (10 years) and compliance specialist (15 years) positions.


Ms. Joens works closely with employers to provide strategic counsel across a wide range of workplace issues, including wage and hour compliance; Title VII and other EEO requirements; navigating evolving federal initiatives and workforce compliance changes; conducting investigations into workplace misconduct; advising on federal‑contractor obligations; and developing compliant workplace policies under state and federal laws. She also develops tailored compliance programs and practical best‑practice frameworks in areas such as prevailing wages, child labor, and pay equity. In addition to her work with U.S.-based employers, she partners with multinational organizations to advise on global pay transparency and pay equity requirements.


Ms. Joens has extensive knowledge and experience in matters regarding the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) and Davis-Bacon Act (DBA).  She advises and represents clients in applying FLSA, SCA, and DBA during self-audits, or audits brought on by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s Wage and Hour Division.  She also works closely with clients to implement and develop policies and practices that comply with the prevailing wage and benefit requirements of the SCA and DBA. Recently, Ms. Joens has assisted clients in securing SCA conformances for jobs that were not listed in the SCA Occupational Directory; successfully representing and closing DOL wage and hour audits with no violations, navigating the prevailing wage obligations under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs, Inflation Reduction, and CHIPS Acts; advising clients through self-audits in complying with SCA and DBA prevailing wage requirements; maintaining a DBA database of wage determinations and conformance rates in preparation for nationwide work under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; and providing support in FortneyScott successfully negotiating regional rates for an SCA nationwide contract.

Firm Practices


Admitted to Practice

  • District of Columbia


Education

  • Creighton University School of Law (J.D.) 
  • Creighton University (M.S., Public Policy)
  • University of Nebraska – Omaha (B.A.) 

Adriana Joens's Speaking Engagements:

  • 7/9/2026 – The National Association of Women in Construction, “NAWIC Roundtable DEI Compliance for federal contractors.”
  • 5/1/2026 – Associated General Contractors of America, “When Compliance Collides: Prevailing Wages, Apprenticeships, and Procurement in the Current Administration.” Read more and register here.
  • 4/9/2026 – DC Insider – Employer Update, “EO 14398 and the Procurement Power Play: Compliance, Contracts, and Consequences.” Listen here.
  • 3/3/2026 – FortneyScott Workplace Legal Compliance Webinar Series, “Part II: What to Expect from DOL.” Watch here.
  • 8/21/2025 – FortneyScott Webinar - DOL Update in Trump 2.0 - What Employers Need to Know
  • 2/13/2025 – FortneyScott Webinar - False Claims Act and Illegal DEI: What Contractors Need to Know
July 21, 2026
The EEOC voted 2 to 1 on Tuesday, July 21st to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to rescind the requirement for employers and other covered entities to file an annual report with the EEOC summarizing aggregate data on their employees’ race and sex (reports known respectively as the EEO-1, EEO-2, EEO-3, EEO-4, EEO-5, and EEO-6 reports or EEO Data Reports). This includes the rescission of recordkeeping requirements related to these reports.  The proposal states that the Commission has determined the EEO Reports are inconsistent with equal employment opportunity law, may raise constitutional concerns, and that the collection of data is not narrowly tailored or necessary to enforce anti-discrimination statutes. EEOC determined that the reports, which had been collected since, 1966, have limited value, which was outweighed by the significant burdens they impose on employers and on the Commission. Once the NPRM is published in the Federal Register, individuals will have only 30 days to submit comments on the 60-page proposal. The Institute for Workforce Equality is planning to submit comments. Please contact your FortneyScott attorney or email us at info@fortneyscott.com with any thoughts you have on the proposed rescission, or on employer record-keeping obligations generally.
June 25, 2026
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) extended EEOC’s information collection under the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP) through June 29, 2029. UGESP requires employers covered by Title VII to collect and maintain records on the race, sex and ethnicity of those impacted by their employment selection procedures but does not require employers to report the data. EEOC and other enforcing agencies can then demand to see such data in connection with any investigation of employment discrimination. Please contact your FortneyScott attorney or email us at info@fortneyscott.com for additional information.
June 11, 2026
The Directive is driving a significant shift in compensation reporting and transparency across the EU, and requires employers to disclose salary ranges to applicants, share internal pay-setting criteria, and conduct gender pay reporting. With the June 7, 2026, deadline for Member States to transpose the Directive into national law, employers need to understand their compliance obligations and prepare for unresolved implementation questions. In this webinar, FortneyScott attorneys will help U.S. companies with operations in the EU understand the Directive’s requirements, including how they differ from U.S. compliance frameworks. We will discuss best practice lessons that can be adopted from U.S. pay transparency and reporting laws and, importantly, provide key contrasts of the U.S. practices that are not applicable in the EU. Key topics include: The Directive’s scope and coverage Reporting obligations under the Directive Status of Member State transposition Practical compliance steps employers can take now Who should attend. This webinar is designed for in-house counsel, HR leaders, and senior professionals at multi-national organizations responsible for compensation, benefits, and employment law compliance.
May 21, 2026
Join FortneyScott attorneys on Thursday, June 11, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT for a complimentary webinar on the European Union (“EU”) Pay Transparency Directive (the “Directive”). To register, please click here . The Directive is driving a significant shift in compensation reporting and transparency across the EU, and requires employers to disclose salary ranges to applicants, share internal pay-setting criteria, and conduct gender pay reporting. With the June 7, 2026, deadline for Member States to transpose the Directive into national law, employers need to understand their compliance obligations and prepare for unresolved implementation questions. In this webinar, FortneyScott attorneys will help U.S. companies with operations in the EU understand the Directive’s requirements, including how they differ from U.S. compliance frameworks. We will discuss best practice lessons that can be adopted from U.S. pay transparency and reporting laws and, importantly, provide key contrasts of the U.S. practices that are not applicable in the EU. Key topics include: · The Directive’s scope and coverage · Reporting obligations under the Directive · Status of Member State transposition · Practical compliance steps employers can take now Who should attend. This webinar is designed for in-house counsel, HR leaders, and senior professionals at multi-national organizations responsible for compensation, benefits, and employment law compliance. Register to attend. To register, please click here .
May 14, 2026
On Thursday, May 14, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued a technical amendment removing the salary threshold increases under 29 C.F.R. Part 541, adopted in April 2024. DOL stated that it was following the decisions made by federal courts in November, and that the amendment reinstated the 2019 salary levels applicable to the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The current salary levels are $684 per week for exempt employees and $107,432 annually for highly compensated employees. This change codifies the enforcement posture DOL has maintained since the 2024 rule was invalidated. While this does not alter current compliance obligations, it resolves regulatory inconsistency by restoring the 2019 framework in the regulations and eliminating the 2024 provisions. Employers should confirm that exemption classifications continue to be evaluated against the reinstated 2019 thresholds and remain attentive to any future rulemaking in this area. Stay tuned. FortneyScott will continue to monitor whether there will be further substantive revisions to the white collar regulations. If so, it is likely be in the DOL’s regulatory agenda, which we understand will be published in the near future. Should you have any questions, please reach out to your FortneyScott attorney.
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