Karen Whitley

Specialization

• Business litigation
• Labor & employment

About Karen's Practice

Karen Whitley is a member of the Labor & Employment and Litigation Practice Groups. She focuses her practice on management-side employment litigation and counseling, including discrimination, wage and hour, and restrictive covenant proceedings. Karen values working closely with HR professionals and in-house counsel to develop a practical business approach to thorny employment law issues. Karen advises employers on legal compliance in all phases of the employment relationship, conducts sensitive internal investigations, and provides proactive training to management and staff on cutting edge issues. She provides employment law advice arising from mergers and acquisitions, and helps employers protect their proprietary data through the enforcement of restrictive covenants and other policies.

Karen maintains an active practice before state anti-discrimination agencies and trial courts on behalf of private employers in the banking, insurance, recruiting, education, hospitality, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. She has been a trusted advisor to small start-up businesses, mid-size organizations, and multi-national companies to ensure adherence with numerous federal and state laws, including the FLSA, ADA, ACA, FMLA, WARN Act, and COBRA.

Prior to joining the firm in 2014, Karen was a partner at Jones Day in Boston for 4 years. Previously, Karen was with Hanify & King in Boston for 16 years. Karen began her legal career as a Law Clerk to the Justices of the Superior Court of Massachusetts.

Education

• J.D., Boston College Law School
• B.A., magna cum laude, Wellesley College

Major Publications & Speaking Engagements

• Editor, New Hampshire Employment Law Letter
• Contributing Editor, New England Employment Law Letter
• Author, "Five things larger employers should do to comply with OSHA vaccine rules," New Hampshire Employment Law Letter, January 2022, and HR Daily Advisor, December 9, 2021
• Author, "$500K verdict in NH trade secret theft case sends powerful message," New Hampshire Employment Law Letter, March 2018, and HR Daily Advisor, April 20, 2018
• NH Legal Perspective: Consistency still key in Family and Medical Leave Act interference claims
• USDOL Prevails in Case Affecting Two Million Home Care Workers

• NH Legal Perspective: ADA – What’s reasonable and to whom?

• Dress Codes and Discrimination – Motive the key in Abercrombie Supreme Court case

• Client Alert – EEOC’s Proposed Rule Upholds Wellness Plan Incentives

• Client Alert – New Parental Leave Law

• Client Alert – Massachusetts’ Mandatory Sick Time Law

Professional Recognition

• Massachusetts Super Lawyer®, Employment & Labor Law
• Top Women of Law, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2015

Admitted to Practice

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• State of New Hampshire
• Boston Bar Association's Labor and Employment Section