Current Employment Position(s)

Member, since 2007

Languages

• French

Lawyer Overview

Katheryn has devoted most of her 22-year career to defending employers in litigation. She is admitted to practice in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. She has handled employment cases in trial and appellate courts throughout Pacific Northwest, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Washington Supreme Court, the Washington Court of Appeals, Washington Superior Courts, the Alaska Supreme Court, and Alaska Superior Courts. She has also appeared pro hac vice in U.S. District Courts in Idaho and Utah.

Katheryn defends employers and managers against the full panoply of workplace claims, including claims for discrimination based on gender, race, national origin, pregnancy, and disability; as well as claims for wrongful termination and violations of federal and state employment laws such as the Equal Pay Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Katheryn devotes a substantial portion of her practice to providing counseling and training. She teams with human resource professionals and managers to help them navigate through the often challenging process of managing requests for disability accommodation while complying with applicable anti-discrimination and privacy laws. She also helps her clients avoid the risk of employment claims by preparing effective workplace policies and then counseling them through the process of carrying out reductions in force, separations, and terminations.

Areas of Practice

• Employment and Labor Relations
• Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Municipal Government
• Financial Institutions
• Electronically Stored Information - ESI Squad
• Education and Schools
• Financial Institutions
• Native American

Representative Cases

• Wright v. Colville Tribal Enterprise Corporation
• Alexander v. GMRI d/b/a Olive Garden Restaurants
• Anderson v. Lockheed Martin Information Technologies
• Jarrett v. Emeritus Corp
• McMahon v. National Product Services
• Anchorage Police and Firefighters Union v. Municipality of Anchorage
• Exxon v. Heinze
• Friendly v. University of Alaska
• Logue v. Anchorage Police Department
• Scudder v. IASCO
• Tovsen v. University of Alaska

West Practice Categories

Employment Law -- Employer, Labor Law, Litigation & Appeals, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Municipal Liability, Municipal Employment -- Employee, Municipal Corporations, State Government, Banking & Finance Law

Bar Admissions

• Alaska, 1986
• Washington, 2001
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1993
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington, 2001
• U.S. District Court Western District of Washington, 2001
• Oregon, 2007

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Seattle Repertory Theater Business Council
• American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section) (Member)
• The Society for Human Resource Management
• American Bar Association, 1986 - Present
• Lake Washington Human Resource Association

Classes and Seminars

• Speaker, What Do They Need to Know About You? The Invasive and Informative Job Search Process in the Facebook Era, April 2008, 15th Annual Employment Law Institute
• Speaker, Best Practices for Complying with the Wage-Hour Laws, April 2004
• Speaker, Avoiding the Courthouse: Best Practices in Employment ADR, May 2004
• Speaker, Promoting Attendance: Best Practices in Managing Employee Leave Rights, September 2004
• Speaker, Employment Alternative Dispute Resolution and Class Action Practice, November 2002, Women's Employment Law Conferences, Berkeley, California
• Speaker, Disability and FMLA Management, November 2003, Women's Employment Law Conferences, Berkeley, California
• Speaker, Employment Law Update, November 2004, Women's Employment Law Conferences, Berkeley, California
• Speaker, Alternative Dispute Resolution, November 2005, Women's Employment Law Conferences, Berkeley, California
• Moderator and Speaker, Washington Best Practice in FMLA Administration, May 2003
• Speaker, Conducting Internal Investigations, May 2003 and March 2004
• Speaker, Human Resources Certification Program, October 2002 and April 2004
• Moderator and Speaker, Managing Employee Discipline, Discharge and Documentation in Washington, December 2001
• Speaker, The Fundamentals of Employment Law (Alaska), July 2000
• Speaker, Taking Another Look At The Employee Handbook In The 21st Century, December 2007, National Business Institute
• Speaker, The Americans with Disabilities Act in Alaska Seminar, June 2000, National Business Institute
• Speaker, Alaska Labor and Employment Law Seminar, September 1997 and September 1999, National Business Institute
• Speaker, Fundamental Issues in Alaska Human Resource Law Seminar, December 1998, National Business Institute
• Speaker, Washington Law Update, March 2003, Lake Washington Human Resource Association (Local SHRM Chapter)

Past Employment Positions

• Jackson Lewis LLP, Partner, 2004 - 2007
• Tindall Bennett & Shoup P.C. - Anchorage, AK, Partner, 1995 - 2000
• Jackson Lewis LLP, Of Counsel, 2000 - 2004
• Tindall Bennett & Shoup P.C. - Anchorage, AK, Associate, 1986 - 1994

Education

• Lewis and Clark College Northwestern School of Law, Portland, Oregon, 1986
  J.D.
  Honors: Honors in Legal Writing
  
  Law Review: Environmental Law Review, Associate Editor
• Scripps College, Claremont, California, 1983
  B.A.
  Major: Philosophy and Literature

Published Works

• FMLA Policy, Practice, and Legal Update, Washington's Pregnancy Disability Laws, 2003

Address

1111 Third Avenue
Suite 3400
Seattle, WA 98101-3299

Phones

(206) 447-4691

Faxes

(206) 749-1941

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.foster.com