Profile

J. Francesca Gross represents consumer financial services companies in civil consumer litigation, including class actions, as well as appellate advocacy, and government investigations & enforcement actions before federal and state agencies. She brings a strong background in federal practice, agency oversight, and courtroom advocacy, developed through her work with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Maryland judiciary.

Before joining Hudson Cook, Francesca served as an EEO Attorney at AFGE, where she managed high-impact litigation before federal administrative bodies and advised on compliance with Title VII, FMLA, ADA, FLSA, and the Rehabilitation Act. She drafted motions and appellate briefs, developed trial strategies, led negotiations that secured over $300,000 in settlements, and counseled union leadership on regulatory risk and grievance matters tied to collective bargaining agreements.

At the SBA, Francesca worked as an Attorney Advisor, contributing to agency rulemaking, regulatory interpretation, and internal compliance matters. She began her legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Karla N. Smith of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland, where she gained substantial experience in civil litigation, motion practice, and judicial decision- making.

Francesca earned her J. D. from American University Washington College of Law. While there, she served as a Student Attorney in the Glushko- Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic and was the Senior Trademark & Copyright Articles Editor for the American University Intellectual Property Brief. She also held leadership roles in the Transactional Law Society and earned top honors in national negotiation competitions.

She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, with pending admission to the Maryland Bar.

Francesca is an active member of the American Bar Association's Business Law and Litigation Sections, the National Bar Association, and the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia.