Foley Expands Labor & Employment Practice With Addition of Katharine Beattie in Boston
Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that Katharine Beattie, an experienced labor and employment litigator and counselor, has joined the firm’s Boston office as a partner in its Labor & Employment Practice Group.
Beattie represents and counsels employers on a wide range of employment issues, including discrimination and harassment, leaves of absence, wage and hour disputes, employment classification, wrongful termination, trade secret protection, and the enforcement of noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements. She has extensive experience representing clients in cases before federal and state courts, arbitrators and administrative agencies, including state fair employment and human rights agencies.
“Kate has built an impressive track record in providing first-rate legal counsel and litigation work across a broad range of employment matters,” said Jack Lord, co-chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group. “The current global pandemic has reinforced the importance of employment law advice for our clients, and as the labor and employment landscape continues to evolve, Kate’s hiring will help us ensure that we are continuing to meet our clients’ needs. She’s an excellent addition to our national practice.”
Beattie’s practice also includes managing and conducting internal investigations of harassment and discrimination claims, wage and hour compliance issues, whistleblower claims, and allegations of ethics and code of conduct violations. She frequently advises clients on a range of collective bargaining issues and appears before the National Labor Relations Board with respect to unfair labor practice charges and union election proceedings.
In addition, Beattie provides labor and employment guidance on corporate merger and acquisition transactions, and she regularly negotiates and drafts executive employment agreements on behalf of both publicly and privately held companies.
“I’m thrilled to be joining a firm with the stellar reputation, extensive legal expertise and national presence that Foley has, and I look forward to collaborating with the talented attorneys in Boston and across the firm’s labor and employment group,” said Beattie. “In addition to Foley’s impressive platform, I was also drawn to the firm’s thoughtful focus on diversity and culture, and in particular, the clear commitment to supporting women in leadership positions.”
Beattie comes to Foley from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., where she was a member of the Employment, Labor & Benefits Practice Group. Before that, she served as vice president at NTT DATA, Inc., where she managed commercial and employment litigations, advised human resources and business executives on all aspects of employment law, and handled internal investigations, training and compliance.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Kate to Foley,” said Susan Pravda, managing partner of the firm’s Boston office. “Her breadth of experience will be particularly valuable as we continue to bolster the depth of our labor and employment bench, both locally in Boston and nationally.”
