Overview
Employers in a range of industries, including health care, retail, hospitality and insurance, count on attorney Kathleen Barrett to defend them in employment litigation in state and federal courts. She has represented companies across the country in wage and hour class actions.
Kathleen also regularly represents companies in cases involving allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or wrongful termination brought by single-plaintiff employees at all levels of a company. In addition, she proactively counsels clients to ensure their employment practices comply with current or new workplace laws and regulations. For example, she has guided clients through new workplace issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also offered training and guidance on the legalization of recreational and medical cannabis and its impact on a client’s workplace drug policies, complaint procedures, disciplinary action policies, and accommodations practices.
Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Kathleen worked in medical prosecutions at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. She has published numerous articles and presented on a variety of employment law topics, including the impact of the legalization of cannabis on the workplace, wage and hour compliance, and reasonable accommodations in health care workplaces. She also speaks on developments in wage and hour class action law, managing remote employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fair Labor Standards Act classification, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and cannabis workplace issues.
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Focus Areas
Services
Experience
- Defended and advised retail clients in national collective actions in which store managers alleged they were misclassified as exempt. Kathleen and her team’s strategy for decertification resulted in favorable settlements for their clients.
- Guided a national health care client through the creation of employee handbooks and state supplements. Kathleen oversaw the creation of the employee handbook and rolled out trainings for the employer’s human resources representatives.
- Achieved victories before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for health care employers in which nurses and radiologic technologists alleged race discrimination in violation of Title VII.
- Guided a health care client through a nationwide reduction in force. Kathleen and her team drafted individual release agreements for hundreds of affected employees, which decreased litigation risks.
- Achieved a victory in sexual harassment action in which the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted summary judgment, finding that the plaintiff, a former retail worker, did not utilize the retailer’s internal complaint reporting procedures. The U.S. Court of Appeal for the Seventh Circuit upheld the trial court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of the retail client.
- Guided clients through all aspects of electronic discovery collection and production to ensure that electronic discovery was handled in a defensible and cost-effective manner. Kathleen successfully advised clients on issues related to the preservation of evidence, strategies for data collection and review, computer forensic issues, and negotiations with opposing counsel regarding electronic discovery.
- Served as second chair at a jury trial in Chicago in which the plaintiff alleged malpractice and joint employment against a physician and a private practice group. Kathleen assisted in winning a defense verdict for the physician and private practice group, which the Illinois Appellate Court affirmed.
Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America©: “Ones to Watch” in Litigation – Labor and Employment (2021 to 2024)
- emerging lawyers: Illinois, Employment Law: Management (2022)
- Illinois Rising Stars, Employment & Labor: Employer (2021 to 2024)
Credentials
Education
- DePaul University College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2014)
- Order of the Coif
- Northwestern University (B.A., 2010)
Bar Admissions
- Illinois
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Professional & Community Involvement
- American Bar Association
- Chicago Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
Media
Events
Past Events
- September 21, 2022
- November 5, 2021
Insights
Insights
- Firm Announcements
Five Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Named to the 2024 Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
3 minute read - PublicationsMaking Sense of New Paid Leave Obligations in Illinois – Coming SOON26 minute read
- BlogsSmall City, Big Ideas: Predictive Scheduling Comes to Evanston, IL, with New Pay Mandates7 minute read
- Firm Announcements
Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Recognized by 2024 Best Lawyers for Excellence in the Legal Profession
12 minute read - PublicationsIDOL Finalizes Amended Regulations for Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act7 minute read
- Firm Announcements
Five Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Named to the 2023 Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
3 minute read - PublicationsFor the New Year, New Rules: 2023 Brings Changes for Illinois Employers15 minute read
- Firm Announcements
Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Recognized by 2023 Best Lawyers for Excellence in the Legal Profession
11 minute read - Media CoverageLaw360 Names the 10 Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Who Moved Up the Ranks in 20222 minute read
- Media Coverage
Kathleen Barrett Featured in Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: People
1 minute read - Firm Announcements
Four Attorneys Named to the 2022 Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
3 minute read - Firm AnnouncementsEpstein Becker Green Announces 2022 Promotions6 minute read
- Firm AnnouncementsThirty-Five Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Recognized as “Ones to Watch” by The Best Lawyers in America 2022 ...5 minute read
- BlogsBack to the Future: The U.S. Department of Labor Proposes New Tip Credit Rule Reinstating Old Standard5 minute read
- BlogsCOVID Re-Opening Phase 5: What Now for Illinois and Chicago Businesses?4 minute read
- BlogsIllinois Lawmakers Pass Numerous Bills Affecting Employers7 minute read
- BlogsIllinois State Legislators Authorize Increased Wage Theft Penalties3 minute read
- BlogsUnder Expanded Illinois Kin Care Law, Employees Can Now Use Sick Leave Benefits for the “Personal Care” of a Family Member ...3 minute read
- Firm Announcements
Five Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Named to 2021 Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
3 minute read - Firm Announcements
Twenty-Six Epstein Becker Green Attorneys Recognized as “Ones to Watch” by The Best Lawyers in America 2021 ...
4 minute read - BlogsIllinois’ “Stay at Home” Order: A Checklist for Operating During COVID-197 minute read
- PublicationsNavigating New Illinois Employment Laws and Developments1 minute read
- Firm AnnouncementsEpstein Becker Green Awards Three 2019 Core Values Champions3 minute read
- PublicationsPreparing for Legal Recreational Marijuana: The Illinois Example1 minute read
- Media CoverageJames Oh, Kathleen Barrett Quoted in "Can I Get Fired for Using Marijuana? Your Legal Weed Questions Answered"2 minute read
- PublicationsIllinois Employers Can Prepare to Take Cannabis-Based Disciplinary Actions2 minute read
- BlogsEmployer Insights: Illinois’ Permanent Commitment To Medical Marijuana5 minute read
- PublicationsIllinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (Cannabis Act)1 minute read
- BlogsEmployer Insights: Recreational Marijuana in Illinois6 minute read
- PublicationsThe Physician’s Duty of Confidentiality in a Technologically Advanced Healthcare System