| Biography | Kathleen Pontone is the practice group leader for the Labor & Employment, Benefits, Immigration and Environmental Group and a member of the Board of Directors of the Firm. She practices exclusively in the employment area on the management side. She has been involved in several important non-competition cases and has successfully obtained preliminary injunctions and blocked them. These matters included confidentiality and trade secret claims and some have international implications. She has represented employers in complex occupational health and safety cases brought by OSHA, including alleged willful violations in death cases and cases dealing with indoor air quality. She has had several important cases defending hospitals, banks, and educational institutions in claims alleging a failure to accommodate various disabilities in both physical access and employment. She successfully defended a world-wide bank in a case challenging the accessibility of a bank in a suit that examined the historic exemption. She specializes in the defense of discrimination cases, with extensive experience in leave related claims, sexual harassment and compensation disputes. She also defends cases involving employment-related torts and wage and hour claims. She has substantive experience in arbitration, including the representation of the financial services and securities industry employers in arbitrations. She also defended claims alleging housing and mortgage discrimination as well as other civil rights claims. In addition, she has extensive experience in negotiating severance agreements and employment agreements on behalf of management and in representing government contractors with respect to affirmative action issues. She represents several major educational institutions and non-profit organizations, financial services companies, manufacturers, hospitality and food service providers, governments, medical institutions and medical device providers. Kathie formerly served as labor counsel at Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation in Oakland, California. She has served as the chairman of the section on Employment and Labor Law of the Maryland Association of Defense Trial Counsel and is a member of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Relations Committee and their Wage and Hour Subcommittee. Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. appointed her to the Board of Directors of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture where she serves as Secretary and a member of its Executive Committee, and she is also the Vice President of the Valleys Planning Council, Inc and a member of its Executive Committee. Kathie has been cited by Chambers USA as a leading management side employment lawyer and singled out as one who is not afraid to litigate, but takes a long-term perspective. Credentials American Bar Association: Labor & Employment Law Section Baltimore Business Journal: "Who's Who in Law" (May 2003-2011) Best Lawyers in America ®: Employment Law - Management (2006-2012); Labor Law - Management (2006-2012) Top Attorneys in Maryland (2011) Baltimore Magazine Martindale Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers, (2011) American Registry America's Most Honored Professionals (2011) Chambers and Partners: Listed in the area of Labor & Employment (2002-2011) Defense Research Institute: Chairman of Maryland Employment & Labor Law Section (1992-1993); Maryland Association of Defense Trial Counsel Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (2009-2010) Maryland Chamber of Commerce: Employment Committee Maryland Super Lawyers®: Selected for inclusion in the area of Employment & Labor, Employment Litigation: Defense, Civil Rights/First Amendment (2007-2012); Named among the Top 50 women Maryland Super Lawyers (2012) Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture: Board Member, Secretary to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee Member State Bar of California: Labor and Employment Law Section Super Lawyers - Corporate Counsel Edition: Listed in the area of Employment & Labor Law (2008-2010) The Best of the US (2008-2010) The Daily Record: Received "Leadership in Law" Award (2004) U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Labor Relations Committee Women's Bar Association Publications "Micro-Evaluations Anyone?," The Defense Line, Maryland Defense Council, Inc. "Congress Expands FMLA Rights for Military Families," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (February 2008). "Fundamentals of Employment and Labor Law," MICPEL, Baltimore, Maryland "OSHA: Injury Reporting Rules and Emergency Action Plans" National Multi-Housing Council "Employment Issues," Tech Council of Maryland, Howard County, Maryland "Minimizing Personal Liability," Council on Education in Management, Baltimore, Maryland (February 2002). Speaking Engagements Hot Topics in Employment Law Seminar Miles & Stockbridge P.C., Baltimore, Maryland (2003-2011). "Privacy Issues, Background Checks and other Related Litigation Risks: An Interactive Briefing," National MultiHousing Council (April 16, 2008). "General Counsel Briefing," National Multi-Housing Council (Speaker) (September 24, 2007). "Tax Consequences of Litigation Settlement and Verdicts," A Joint Bench Bar Conference ' The Maryland Judiciary and Maryland State Bar Association, Ocean City, Maryland (June 14, 2007). "FLSA Compliance," Kronos, Easton, Maryland (March 2006). "The Obligations of Counselors," AIMS, Baltimore, Maryland (October 2003). "OSHA Recordkeeping and Fire & Emergency Plans," Lorman Education Services, Baltimore, Maryland (November 2002). "OSHA Recordkeeping," National Multi-Housing Council, Dallas, Texas (November 2002). "View from the Bench," Georgetown Law Center, Washington, D.C. (October 2002). "Sexual Harassment Investigations," Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association, Washington, D.C. (April 2002). |