About Janet
Janet Wise studied politics and the liberal arts before turning to law. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Newberry College in 1989 and took her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law, receiving her J.D. in 1992. Those formative years set the stage for a multi-decade career in labor and employment matters.
Her early work began in private practice at the Law Office of Mary Ann B. Oakley and Dana E. McDonald, P.C., where she started in 1992. Two years later she joined Kelly & McKee, P.A. and continued to build courtroom and counseling experience. The mid-2000s brought a pair of roles at Kyres Law Office and Burr & Smith, LLP in 2004. By 2006 she was working at Sass Law Office, where she remains listed in the office records.
She is licensed to practice in both Florida and Georgia. In 2001 The Florida Bar awarded her Board Certification in Labor and Employment Law, a credential she has maintained since then. That certification marks a long-term engagement with employment law standards and practice in the state.
Outside of client work she has been active in professional organizations. She has held leadership posts in the Florida Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, serving as President in 2007–2008 and President-Elect the year prior. At the national level she co-chaired the Ethics and Sanctions Committee for NELA from 2008 to 2015 and later served on the Governance Committee. Her involvement with The Florida Bar’s Labor & Employment Law Certification Committee has included a turn as Vice Chair in 2019–2020 and Chair in 2020–2021. She remains a member of multiple standing committees and advisory groups that address certification, ethics, and professional standards.
Colleagues note a steady presence in the labor and employment bar over many years. Her committee work on ethics and sanctions and her long-standing certification indicate a practice shaped by professional rules as much as by litigation and counseling. She has combined committee leadership with ongoing practice in private firms.
Janet Wise currently practices at Sass Law Office and maintains an active role in labor and employment law, including matters touching on professional ethics and certification within the Florida Bar.
