Joycelyn S. Peyton joined Charlson Bredehoft Cohen Brown & Nadelhaft in March 2025. Her practice focuses on employment discrimination, civil rights, retaliation, and complex federal civil litigation. She brings more than eleven years of federal trial experience to the firm, including nearly a decade as a Senior Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, where she served as lead counsel in over 100 complex civil cases across U.S. District Courts nationwide.

At the Department of Justice, Ms. Peyton developed a broad and battle-tested trial practice spanning government enforcement actions, regulatory compliance, FOIA defense, FBAR penalty litigation, and multi-party bankruptcy adversary proceedings. She achieved favorable outcomes through summary judgment, settlement, and trial—including a successful trial verdict against a sitting judge, for which she received DOJ’s Outstanding Performance Award in 2021. In 2023, she earned a second Outstanding Performance Award for her work on a multi-defendant criminal prosecution involving complex financial fraud. Over the course of her DOJ tenure, Ms. Peyton secured more than $10 million in judgments and settlements on behalf of the United States.

Ms. Peyton’s trial arguments formed the basis for affirmed published decisions in federal courts, including a landmark Fourth Circuit ruling affecting § 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and first-impression rulings in the D.C. Circuit on federal disclosure requirements under the Freedom of Information Act. She has also designed and delivered Department-wide training on expert witness retention and litigation strategies to more than 40 government attorneys.

Prior to the DOJ, Ms. Peyton was an associate at Jenner & Block LLP in Washington, D.C. where she represented Fortune 500 clients in complex commercial litigation, internal investigations, international arbitration, and corporate monitorships involving antitrust, securities, and FCPA matters. She also provided more than 400 hours of pro bono representation to families and incarcerated individuals in child custody, family law, and federal sentencing matters in the District of Columbia.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Peyton served as a Trial Clerk and Courtroom Deputy at the U.S. Tax Court, where she managed courtroom operations and docket administration for federal judges, facilitated settlement discussions, and gained comprehensive exposure to federal trial practice and judicial decision-making across trial sessions held nationwide.

Ms. Peyton is also deeply committed to the nonprofit sector. She serves as Board Member for the Anna V. Waters Scholarship Fund, a Baltimore-based § 501(c)(3) organization that supports African American students with a G.P.A. of 2.0 to 2.9 in accessing higher education.

Outside of the office, Ms. Peyton enjoys classical literature and philosophy, tai chi, and spending time with her family.