Crowley So & KCNF to Represent Former USAID Employees

Click Here for our Intake Form

Following the MSPB’s decision that USAID’s reduction-in-force (“RIF”) cannot be appealed as a class action, Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, P.C. (“KCNF”), and Crowley So, LLP, are collaborating to jointly represent USAID Foreign Service Officers (“FSOs”) affected by the RIF in individual appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board (“MSPB”).

In order to reduce costs for each participating client and because we believe the appeals would largely raise the same issues, we will seek to have the cases consolidated, or grouped, into one or possibly several cohorts before the MSPB. This consolidated approach will maximize efficiency in case preparation and presentation, share litigation costs across numerous clients, present a unified legal strategy addressing common procedural and substantive issues, and leverage economies of scale to make quality representation more accessible.

Because of the strong interest expressed in response to AFSA's survey, and because we can achieve significant cost savings through consolidation, the cost to join this effort is $3,500 per person.

If you are interested in retaining KCNF and Crowley So to represent you in your MSPB appeal, please complete the intake form linked here. We will then send you a retainer agreement for your signature, a conflict of interest waiver, MSPB form 185, and other relevant information for your review. There is no deadline to retain the firms, but the deadline to file all appeals for those FSOs RIFed on July 1, 2025, is August 19, 2025. To ensure that we have time to submit your appeal, we ask that you make every effort to make your payment and return the required documents to us by August 5, 2025.

For those FSOs who accepted LNA positions and were forced to resign prior to the RIF date, or FSOs who otherwise separated from the Agency prior to the RIF date, we are going to exercise an abundance of caution and file your appeals within 30 days of your separation. To ensure we meet the deadline, please send official confirmation of the effective date of your separation. We will need to receive your signed retainer agreement at least three business days prior to the deadline to file your appeal.

KCNF and Crowley So will host an informational town hall on Wednesday, July 23 at 10:00 AM to discuss this opportunity. You can join us using this link. The town hall will include a discussion of the firms’ experience and qualifications, an overview of our consolidated representation strategy, a discussion of the MSPB appeal process, timeline and next steps, and a moderated Q&A session. You can submit questions in advance using this form. We encourage early submission to ensure we can address your specific concerns during the session.

We understand the significant impact that the USAID RIF has had on Foreign Service Officers and their families, and we are committed to providing effective, affordable representation to help you pursue your rights through the MSPB appeal process. It is important to have counsel with experience representing Foreign Service Officers and who understand the differences in rules and customs that apply to them. Our firms not only have decades of experience representing FSOs at USAID but have been deeply involved in events as they have unfolded over the past six months.