Kate Levering is a partner in the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group, former chair of the Litigation Department and a former managing partner. She concentrates her practice in employment-related litigation with particular emphasis in the areas of employment discrimination and wrongful discharge. She has extensive experience in advising clients on how to avoid litigation and how to structure management decisions to better position themselves for threatened or pending litigation. She has litigated major cases of considerable complexity in both federal and state courts. She also has handles charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and various state commissions.
Employment Discrimination Law. Kate's experience ranges from nationwide class actions to multiple plaintiffs and individual plaintiff claims. She has successfully defended employers as diverse as Fortune 100 companies, colleges and universities and nonprofit organizations in age, gender, race, national origin, disability and other discrimination actions, including retaliation claims. Kate is a seasoned trial lawyer who successfully has tried a significant number of cases to defense verdicts, and has convinced both federal and state courts to grant summary disposition of claims in favor of her clients.
Wrongful Discharge Litigation. Kate has successfully litigated wrongful termination claims in both state and federal courts. In the great majority of these cases, she has convinced tribunals to dismiss these claims before trial.
Reductions in Force. Kate has guided companies through the difficult process of reducing their work force. She approaches such matters with a litigator's eye, scrutinizing the defensibility of the decision-making, and ensuring that clients comply with state and federal requirements.
Personnel Policy Development. Kate has advised clients on the implementation of a wide range of personnel policies aimed at increasing employer effectiveness and decreasing employer exposure to litigation, union organizing and other problems.
Sexual Harassment Issues. Kate has devised practical and effective sexual harassment policies intended to sensitize employees to the scope of offending conduct and to afford victims and employers a reasonable alternative in dealing with these problems. In particularly sensitive cases, she has conducted the investigation of such claims for employers.
Collective Bargaining, Arbitration and Related Litigation. Kate has acted as chief spokesperson in a number of negotiations and has represented employers in a vast number of arbitrations. She also has represented employers in unfair labor practice proceedings, in "fair representation" litigation and in matters involving unlawful picketing or violence, secondary boycotts and related problems.
In General. Kate is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She is also a member of the Litigation and Labor and Employment Sections of the American Bar Association.
Speaking Engagements
7/21/2010, National Association of Women Lawyers 2010 Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon
"How the Economy and In House Counsel Are Changing the Legal Landscape: Opportunities and Challenges for All"
Kathryn Levering, New York, NY