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Kathleen Pontone is the practice group leader for the Labor & Employment group and a member of the Board of Directors of the Firm. Her practice includes the defense of discrimination cases, with extensive experience in disability related claims, occupational safety and health cases, sexual harassment and compensation disputes. She has represented employers in complex 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 including the hearing impaired and the blind. She successfully defended a world-wide bank in a case challenging the accessibility of a bank in a suit that examined the historic exemption of the ADA for the first time (Speciner v. NationsBank). She also defends cases involving employment-related torts and wage and hour claims. She has substantive experience in arbitration, including the representation of securities industry employers in arbitrations. She has also been involved in several important non-competition cases and has successfully obtained TRO’s and blocked them. These matters included confidentiality and trade secrets and some have international implications. 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 financial services companies, manufacturers, hospitality and food service providers, governments, medical institutions and medical device providers, and several major educational institutions and non-profit organizations. Kathleen Pontone 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. Ms. Pontone 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. Ms. Pontone was also cited as a Leader in the Law by The Daily Record in 2004 and as a Best Lawyer by Baltimore Magazine in 2006. Practice Areas: Labor & Employment ADA & FMLA Claims Employment Discrimination Litigation Government Audits & Investigations Human Resource Management Investigations & Internal Compliance Audits Non-Competition Agreements & Trade Secrets Public Accommodation & Housing Representing Employers in Health & Safety Issues Severance Agreements Traditional Labor, Collective Bargaining & Labor Antitrust Matters Workforce Reduction, Plant Closings & WARN Bar Admissions/Court Admissions:California District of Columbia Maryland Education:Duke University, School of Law, J.D. 1977. Vassar College, A.B. 1972. Affiliations, Associations and Special Achievements: American Bar Association: Labor & Employment Law Section Baltimore Business Journal: "Who's Who in Law" (May 2003) Baltimore Magazine: Listed as a Maryland Super Lawyer (2006, 2007, 2008) Chambers USA: Listed in the area of Labor & Employment (2003-2005; 2007) Defense Research Institute: Chairman of Maryland Employment & Labor Law Section (1992-1993); Maryland Association of Defense Trial Counsel Maryland Chamber of Commerce: Employment Committee Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture: Board Member, Secretary and Executive Committee Member State Bar of California: Labor and Employment Law Section The Best Lawyers in America (2006, 2007) The Daily Record: "Leadership in Law" Award (2004) U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Labor Relations Committee Women's Bar Association Publications: Employment Issues, Tech Council of Maryland, Howard County, Maryland (March 2002). Fundamentals of Employment and Labor Law, MICPEL, Baltimore, Maryland (December 2002). Minimizing Personal Liability, Council on Education in Management, Baltimore, Maryland (February 2002). OSHA: Injury Reporting Rules and Emergency Action Plans National Multi-Housing Council (November 2002). Speaking Engagements: FLSA Compliance, Kronos, Easton, Maryland (March 2006). OSHA Recordkeeping and Fire & Emergency Plans, Lorman Education Services, Baltimore, Maryland (November 2002). OSHA Recordkeeping, National Multi-Housing Council, Dallas, Texas (November 2002). Sexual Harassment Investigation, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association, Washington, D.C. (April 2002). 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). The Obligations of Counselors, AIMS, Baltimore, Maryland (October 2003). Understanding Today's Workplace, Miles & Stockbridge P.C., Baltimore, Maryland (May 2003). View from the Bench, Georgetown Law Center, Washington, D.C. (October 2002). Speaker, "General Counsel Briefing," National Multi-Housing Council (September 24, 2007). |
