Kate is an associate in the firm's Boston office, where she practices in the Employment, Labor and Benefits Section. Her work primarily involves litigation and counseling on federal and state labor and employment issues, including discrimination and harassment, leaves of absence, wage-and-hour, employee classification, wrongful termination, and the enforcement of noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements.
Kate handles employment and business litigation before federal and state courts, arbitrators, and administrative agencies (including state fair employment/human rights agencies). Representative cases involve claims pertaining to discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, wage-and-hour laws, trade secret protection, enforcement of noncompetition/nonsolicitation agreements, the False Claims Act, insider trading, and shareholder disputes. In her labor practice, Kate advises clients on a range of collective bargaining issues, and represents clients before the National Labor Relations Board with respect to unfair labor practice charges and union election proceedings.
She also counsels clients on a wide variety of employment issues, such as leaves of absence, independent contractor/employee classification, exempt/nonexempt worker classification, reasonable accommodation for handicapped employees, disciplining and terminating employees, investigating claims of harassment, and protecting trade secrets and confidential information. Kate also has significant experience advising clients on the terms and use of offer letters, non-competition and non-disclosure agreements, employee handbooks, and personnel policies. Kate also conducts trainings to educate clients' employees on anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies and procedures, as well as effective management practices.
During her third year of law school, Kate was a student attorney in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, where she represented state agencies in appeals of adjudicatory proceedings before the Superior Court. Kate also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Sydney E. Hanlon, First Justice of the Dorchester District Court. Prior to attending law school, Kate served as chief-of-staff to Massachusetts State Representative Vincent A. Pedone for three-and-a-half years.
Kate is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She received her B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross (2000), her Masters of Science in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts-Boston (2003), and her J.D. from Boston College Law School (2006).
Kate was a participant in the 2010-2011 Boston Chamber of Commerce Women's Leadership Program.