Kathlyn Perez is an employment and litigation shareholder in Baker Donelson’s New Orleans office. Ms. Perez defends businesses, banks and health care providers in employment law, general business litigation and matters of Louisiana servitudes.
In the employment context, Ms. Perez counsels clients on day-to-day issues and represents them before the EEOC and state and federal courts, defending them against charges of age, race, sex discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation.
She also conducts internal investigations for clients with respect to allegations of discrimination, harassment, other policy violations and allegations of corporate wrongdoing. She guides clients through drafting and revising employee handbooks and personnel policies, and helps to ensure compliance with ever changing local, state and federal employment laws.
Ms. Perez conducts trainings on a wide variety of employment law topics, including “implicit bias” (unconscious bias) and how employers can reduce its influence in the workplace.
Ms. Perez also advises clients regarding the Fair Labor Standards Act, and offers creative solutions on how to address business realities while complying with the new Department of Labor regulations on exemptions. She also defends businesses faced with individual and collective actions regarding FLSA exempt status and entitlement to overtime.
In addition to her employment practice, Ms. Perez represents business clients in a variety of litigation contexts, including interest rate swap litigation, failed auction rate securities, breach of contract, securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and shareholder and partnership disputes. She regularly works on class actions, mass actions and collective actions.
Ms. Perez also has extensive knowledge regarding Louisiana servitudes, and has successfully defended railroads against claims of servitudes of passage over railroad crossings. Ms. Perez obtained the first three known Louisiana judgments from two state courts and one federal court holding that a railroad crossing over an active rail line was not subject to adverse possession. She has also assisted in matters dealing with expropriations of land for natural gas pipelines and other matters regarding rights of passage and mineral servitudes.
While in law school, Ms. Perez was the research assistant to A.N. Yiannopoulos, Eason Weinmann Professor of Comparative Law, who she assisted in the 2006 – 2007 revision of the Louisiana Civil Code, primarily on the property law articles.
EDUCATION:
- Tulane University Law School, J.D. with Civil Law Certificate, 2006, magna cum laude
- Washington and Lee University, B.S., 2002, cum laude
ADMISSIONS : Louisiana, 2006
Professional Honors & Activities:
- Recipient – Louisiana State Bar Association’s 2009 Pro Bono Publico Award
- Recipient – National and Louisiana Appleseed 2009 Good Apple Award
- Member – Louisiana State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association
- Chair –New Orleans Bar Association Class Action Committee
- Vice-Chair – Louisiana State Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment
- Board of Directors – Second Harvest Food Bank
Cost
Rate : $$$