PRACTICE AREAS

Legal advice and representation in all aspects of labor law, including before agencies, in arbitrations, collective bargaining, organizing, and in state and federal court.
Individual and entity representation of workplace concerns, labor law, employment law, civil rights, and appeals.

GRIEVANCE ARBITRATIONS AND UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE COMPLAINTS, TRIALS

We have tried more than 150 cases to labor arbitrators, administrative law judges, and juries. We bring experience, aggressive advocacy, and a strategic mind to representing our clients. We have appeared before the DOL, NLRB, ERB and PERC, as well as before private arbitrators and other agency judges and hearings officers. We are familiar with the culture of dozens of industries, from warehouses and trucking, to K-12 and higher education, health care, public works, fire service, administrative employees, court staff, and beyond. We enjoy trial work immensely but also knows when it is in our client's best interest to seek resolution and settlement.

ELECTION ADVICE, PETITIONS, ORGANIZING, BARGAINING, AND STRATEGY FOR UNIONS

The representation process, including elections, is part of every emerging union and existing union's strategy. We advise and represent clients in the public and private sector on elections, organizing, bargaining and strike preparedness/legality of strikes. Bargaining contracts and bargaining over changes to working conditions (including because of changes to the law) are issues we enjoy helping our clients work through. We provide legal and practical advice on strategy, organizing issues, and negotiations. We have bargained in the public and private sector, including in the following sectors: higher education, municipal and county government, state government, health care, fire service, production, grocery stores/food production, and transportation.

REPRESENTATION BEFORE AGENCIES, IN COURT, AND
DUE PROCESS HEARINGS

We represent individuals in agency settings, including in investigations and in contested case proceedings. We have experience before agencies who who license doctors, dentists, nurses and paramedics and who license health care, home care, and long term care providers (OHA, DHS). We represent teachers, counselors, police officers, firefighters and corrections officers before agencies and boards to protect their licenses and jobs. We have successfully represented State of Oregon management employees in SPRL claims filed with the Employment Relations Board. We also have represented federal employees in various agency proceedings, including those brought under federal whistleblower statutes through the Department of Labor and disciplinary or other agency actions grieved or appealed through the agency or MSPB.

AGENCY REPRESENTATION AND TRIALS, DUE PROCESS HEARINGS

Katelyn has represented individuals in agency settings, including in contested case proceedings, for nearly 20 years. She has experience working with agencies who license health care providers - including doctors, dentists, nurses, and fire fighters. She has also represented teachers, police and corrections officers. Katelyn has represented federal employees in various agency proceedings, including those brought under federal whistleblower statutes.

Practice Areas: Practices

GENERAL COUNSEL FOR LABOR AND PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATIONS

DEFENDING UNIONS AND COURT LITIGATION

COURT AND AGENCY APPEALS

Katelyn has acted as general counsel for unions and joint apprenticeship training centers (JATCs) for several years. She also provides general counsel advice and representation to other progressive organizations. The firm advises on new laws and regulations (state and federal), advised on COVID-19 issues, employment and human resources issues including the ADA, internal governance issues, internal complaints and investigations, compliance and ethics. She provides training to unions, JATCs and other progressive organizations, including training on harassment, discrimination, and best practices for grievance processing. Katelyn has experience investigating complaints alleging employment discrimination and harassment and in addressing issues of internal governance, including drafting policies, procedures and manuals.

We represent labor unions in the state and federal courts in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington. We defend unions in duty of fair representation claims and in court cases brought against unions by third parties. We have acted as local counsel for national union entities.

We file and prosecute suits on behalf of unions to protect the rights of the union or its members, including court complaints to compel the employer to arbitrate a grievance or to implement an arbitration decision.

Individual Plaintiff Representation

We also represent individual civil rights litigants in select court cases filed to protect their rights as whistleblowers, their right to fair pay, and their right to be free from retaliation or discrimination.

We represent clients before appellate courts, including the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. We work on appeals for labor unions, employees, and individuals seeking justice for the violation of their civil rights or to affirm their labor rights. We have also appealed or defended decisions on appeal before the NLRB and other agencies.

We act as local counsel in appeals on behalf of national labor union entities, defending labor rights and organizations that are threatened by deep-pocket, anti-worker organizations.