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Faculty

Kathleen D. Parker

Partner at
K&L Gates LLP

Admitted Jurisdictions

Massachusetts

Practice Areas

Biography

Kathleen Parker is a partner in the firm’s Boston office, where she is a member of the labor, employment & workplace safety practice group. Kathleen focuses her practice on counseling international and domestic businesses on various employment issues, including preparing and revising internal policies, navigating pre- and post-employment relationships, and properly classifying employees and contractors. She also regularly conducts discrimination and harassment prevention training for corporate clients, represents businesses in civil and administrative employment litigation matters, and conducts internal employment investigations on behalf of her clients. Kathleen is dedicated to working with her clients to achieve their business goals while ensuring compliance with constantly evolving employment laws.

Kathleen’s employment-related work is complemented by her significant experience representing clients in complex commercial disputes in both state and federal court, managing complex discovery for clients, responding to both formal and informal inquiries from the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission, and conducting internal investigations in connection with government enforcement actions.

Kathleen is also passionate about providing pro bono clients with legal representation and frequently advises non-profit organizations in various ways, including reviewing employee handbooks and conducting employment audits. In 2018, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recognized Kathleen with an Excellence in the Law - Pro Bono Award for her pro bono work helping to secure the release of Fred Weichel, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 36 years for a crime he did not commit.

Kathleen is a member of the Boston office’s associate review committee and is the co-chair of the Boston office's chapter of the firm’s Women in the Profession Committee.


PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

While in law school, Kathleen was a student lawyer in the Commercial Litigation Clinic where she represented a client at a Department of Unemployment Assistance hearing and obtained a favorable ruling. Prior to joining K&L Gates, Kathleen interned at Preservation of Affordable Housing and was a paralegal at a midsized law firm in Boston. She was a summer associate at K&L Gates in 2010.

In 2019, Kathleen successfully completed two Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) courses − Conducting Internal Discrimination Complaint Investigation and Train-the-Trainer: Preventing Workplace Discrimination & Harassment.


ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation, 2022
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2021
  • Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Excellence in the Law - Pro Bono, 2018

PROFESSIONAL / CIVIC ACTIVITIES

  • Steering Committee Member, Boston Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section\
  • Mentor, Boston Bar Association Women’s Leadership & Advancement Forum
  • Career Transition Mentor, Boston Bar Association
  • Member, Women’s Bar Association Law Firm Advancement Committee
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS 

  • Speaker, "U.S. Regulatory Agenda: The Latest Labor Updates," K&L Gates CLE Webinar, 15 March 2022.
  • Boston Bar Association, “Substance Abuse, Alcoholism, and Mental Health Issues in the Workplace: Considerations with Respect to Accommodations and Employee Well-Being,” 15 June 2021
  • Endeavor, “Doing Business in the United States,” 1 December 2020
  • Boston Bar Association, “Understanding the Unsettled Joint Employment Landscape," 6 November 2020
  • Boston Bar Association, “How Startups and Emerging Growth Companies Are Navigating Employment and Business Law Challenges in 2020,” 9 March 2020
  • National Business Institute, “Is Your Employee Handbook Up to Date?: Essential Components and Sample Policies for Today’s Workplace,” 13 November 2019
  • National Business Institute, “Workplace Behavior and Privacy Issues,” 13 November 2019

EDUCATION

  • J.D., Boston College Law School, 2011 (cum laude)
  • B.A., Boston College, 2006 (magna cum laude)


BAR ADMISSIONS

Bar of Massachusetts 


COURT ADMISSIONS 

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts




NEWS & EVENTS

AREAS OF FOCUS


REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE 

Represented international manufacturing company in defense of federal wage and hour misclassification and retaliation action.
Represented experiential learning educational organization in defense of Massachusetts wage and hour lawsuit.
Advised numerous international companies in connection with onboarding and offboarding United States employees and independent contractors, including by drafting employment, termination agreements, and independent contractor agreements.
Provided advice on policies, procedures, and employee classification issues to non-profit organizations focused on giving support to homeless children and children in the foster care system. 
Advised organizations on employment issues, including updating employee handbooks and completing anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training.
Represented public broadcasting station and producer in connection with a variety of matters, including civil litigation, arbitration, mediation, and legal strategy. Representation included successfully defending against a multicount claim alleging tens of millions of dollars in damages.
Represented local banks in connection with a breach of contract, breach of good faith and fair dealing, negligence, and Mass. Gen. Laws. Ch. 93A claims and obtained favorable results in all cases.
Represented public agency in connection with civil rights lawsuit.
Represented independent public authority in declaratory judgment action brought by the municipality in connection with the authority’s development and use of land within the municipality. Representation included a successful motion to dismiss.
Represented leading provider of technology and infrastructure for the energy industry and its senior executives in a cross-border, multi-jurisdictional criminal investigation and civil arbitration.
Represented public company in Foreign Corrupt Practices investigations by the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission.
Represented international manufacturing and marketing company in connection with a Department of Justice investigation, which included overseeing the collection, review, and analysis of thousands of documents, interviewing key witnesses and preparing presentations to the Department of Justice.
Represented an international financial services company in connection with an internal investigation to assess compliance issues.
Successfully obtained the release from prison of a man serving a life sentence as a result of a wrongful murder conviction in the early 1980s.
Co-author of pro bono amicus brief filed on behalf of the Boston Bar Association in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) in a matter concerning the rights due to a defendant under the Massachusetts DNA testing statute and an issue concerning the attorney-client privilege (Commonwealth v. Wade, 475 Mass. 54 (2016)).



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3 Courses taught by Kathleen D. Parker

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