Engelmeier & Umanah PA

Sheila Engelmeier is an exceptional attorney, a true champion for justice, and an extraordinary human. Her fierce advocacy, strategic insights, and tenacity are matched only by her unwavering integrity, deep empathy, and genuine compassion. Sheila approaches her work and her clients with steadfast commitment and determination to ensure they are seen, heard, supported, and fully represented in bringing matters to a successful resolution. Every member of the E&U team - from administrative assistants to paralegals and associates - demonstrates consummate professionalism, kindness, and respect in every interaction. The dedication, moral clarity, and relentless advocacy at Engelmeier and Umanah is truly best-in-class. It is a team I wholeheartedly trust and would recommend without hesitation.

Based on the research I have gathered, I can add a section to your statement that provides context on the historical and contemporary use of denial or cancellation of service as a form of racial discrimination. ​Here is the full statement with the research included at the end: ​ The receptionist at Engelmeier and Umanah demonstrated a clear act of reverse racism. When I gave her my address, she was immediately argumentative and demanded to know the street or avenue, as well as the direction, even though I had already provided this information. ​I explained to both her and the second lady on the phone that I am hyper-logical autistic, and that illogical information does not register well with me. The second lady, who also said she understood my disability, kept saying "sir, sir, sir" in an attempt to shut me up and change the narrative. After I began recording the call, this person eventually hung up, saying my questions were rude, uncalled for, and disrespectful. ​The entire interaction was unprofessional and deeply troubling. I would not recommend this firm to anyone. A place where they claim to understand the disability but don't care for your disability is a huge problem. To call a hyper-logical person that asked a lot of questions rude is very disrespectful, not only to somebody that stated that they're hyper-logical and autistic, but also to somebody that is also African American, because it shows that they can obviously tell my race through my accent on the phone. A cancellation of service is also a form of racism that has always been used. ​Research ​The act of denying service based on race has a long and well-documented history in the United States. During the Jim Crow era, "denial of service" was a common tool of segregation, legally enforced by "separate but equal" laws that barred African Americans from entering white-only establishments, including restaurants, hotels, and businesses. Even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed this practice, subtle forms of discrimination persisted. ​Today, while explicit denial of service is illegal, research from various fields demonstrates that implicit bias and unconscious discrimination can still lead to similar outcomes. Studies in sociology and consumer behavior have shown that people of color often receive less favorable service, are made to wait longer, or are subject to different treatment in commercial transactions. This can manifest as businesses and service providers "canceling service" or making it difficult to proceed with a transaction, effectively acting as a modern form of discrimination. Legal frameworks, such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibit discrimination on the basis of race in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

I had the opportunity to work with Sheila today & I can not even find the words to express how appreciative and thankful I am not only for her hard work in settling my case but, more importantly for how she made me feel. From the very beginning she told me “today is about you, it’s your day.” I had to hold myself back from getting emotional when she introduced herself and was able to show understanding & empathy by relating to my own situation. This entire process has been a hard exhausting almost 2 years and I was stressing over this day for a very long time .Thank you Sheila for making today possible , it wouldn’t have happened with out you. If I ever need representation in the future (hopefully not !) I wouldn’t go to anyone else she has a heart of gold. -AB

I received a consultation from Tom. Even though I wasn't a plausible case for them, Tom took the time to guide and educate me on my best path so that I could pursue it on my own. I genuinely felt that he cared, and I would come back here for any all future cases.

I had the pleasure of working with Charlie Firth. He was referred to me by a friend who had recently used his services and also had a great experience. I cannot say enough good things about him and my experience working with him. In my first introductory call with Charlie I instantly felt comfortable. Due to COVID and the stay at home order I never had a chance to meet Charlie in person, but this did not impact our working relationships or the job he did for me in anyway. He was incredibly attentive, did a great job keeping me in the loop of the process, he was a great listener when I just needed to vent about the situation, and I appreciated he was always so calm and confident. He really listened to the needs I expressed to him from day one and he never let me down. I highly recommend Charlie Firth should you ever require the type of legal services he offers.

Very good lawyers. Colin and Shelia handled my case with dignity and pride. I would recommend them to anyone with employment issues.

Very good lawyers.

Charlie Firth is an outstanding attorney. He helped me resolve a dispute with my employer. He was always available to talk with me and I really felt he had my best interests at heart. I recommend him without reservation and in the highest possible terms.

Sheila Engelmeier and Charlie Firth fought for me against a Goliath and won. Sheila's reputation proceeds herself and as a result big corporations are held accountable for discriminatory practices. I am so so so thankful for this group.

It was a great experience and made the estate planning process seamless. Very friendly and professional staff made this difficult process go smoothly. If you need any legal work done please contact Jacqueline Schuh office.

Timely & Tenacious – yet practical. We have used the lawyers at Engelmeier & Umanah for our human resource legal needs for decades and have always found their work outstanding. We have also used E&U for estate planning guidance and probate disputes involving the family business and have been thoroughly impressed in that area as well. One example typifies E&U’s work. Our company experienced an unusual problem involving a competitor suddenly attacking us in a blitzkrieg style smear campaign. The competitor did everything in its power to ruin our reputation in the market place by casting aspersions on our good name. The competitor even contacted a local newspaper and the BBB making all kinds of unfounded and untrue claims including fraud. The competitor also contacted customers we were doing business with to try frighten them and discredit us. When our phones started ringing off the hook from concerned customers, we turned to Englemeier & Umanah for assistance. Within an hour of contacting E&U, they started gathering all of the relevant facts ASAP. Shortly after our initial contact, an E&U attorney contacted the perpetrators demanding a stop of the attack. Our competitor agreed to suspend its attack. Within days however the competitor attempted to continue the attack covertly so they wouldn’t be liable. Fortunately for us E&U was vigilant and discovered proof of the competitor’s indirect tactics and put an immediate stop to it. Our competitor was so shocked by E&U’s ability to identify what it was doing, it slithered away and we have never heard another peep. We will be forever grateful that we have E&U on our side!

My daughter, son and I have used various lawyers at Engelmeier & Umanah to assist us with our legal needs over the last several decades. The work was excellent on all counts. For example, Sheila Engelmeier, Jamie Flom and Tom Marshall helped my daughter with a disability benefits claim. They were also very helpful with a discrimination claim for a member of my family. Similarly, the firm assisted me with executive compensation issues and employment transition issues. Ivory Umanah helped our family with a number of estate planning and probate dispute issues. We not only received great service, but a lot of compassion. We recommend them to anyone who is looking for great lawyers and people, as well as a place that feels like home.