Kate Thompson is an associate in the Cross-Border Practice Group of Ogletree Deakins. Kate is based out of the firm’s New York and Boston offices. Her practice focuses on advising multinational companies with issues arising during all stages of the employment life cycle.
Kate works regularly with employers in all major industry sectors, including pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, and technology businesses. Kate advises stakeholders on a full range of issues facing employers, including hiring practices, performance management, leaves of absence, wage and hour compliance, worker classification, reductions in force, terminations, and dispute resolution. In addition to Kate’s broad experience counseling clients, she is skilled in drafting employment agreements, Employee Handbooks, and workplace policies.
Kate also has experience conducting high-profile investigations, working with stakeholders to explore allegations of employee misconduct and potential legal claims raised by employees, interviewing witnesses, and preparing comprehensive investigation reports and related strategic documents.
Kate’s practice is keenly focused on compliance and litigation avoidance. Kate regularly delivers highly engaging training on a host of labor and employment topics, and assists clients on matters related to wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. When litigation is unavoidable, Kate is adept at all phases of litigation and arbitration and has appeared before state and federal courts in defense of employers.
Additionally, Kate had the unique opportunity to work directly in-house for a client, where she advised and collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify legal and compliance risks associated with engaging contingent workers outside of the United States. Through this experience, Kate has developed a highly pragmatic approach to delivering effective and efficient guidance.
During law school, Kate served clerkships for the Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo and the Honorable Michael A. Shipp in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Prior to joining Ogletree, Kate practiced at two international law firms in Boston and New York City.