Sarah Kelly

Sarah A. Kelly concentrates her practice in employment law and employment discrimination law, and related litigation, sexual harassment law, and in counseling employers on issues in labor and employment law. She has over 30 years of experience, both at leading law firms and as in-house counsel for two major financial services corporations.

Sarah provides practical experience in managing and litigating the full range of employment law issues, from individual cases to class action lawsuits. She also advises employers on issues in major downsizings, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, and provides employment law advice to employers as buyers and sellers in major corporate transactions.

Her clients have included major retailers, manufacturers, professional services organizations, entrepreneurial companies, and hospital and health care employers. Sarah’s client-side experience has given her a unique perspective on how to forge workable solutions to real-world problems, enabling clients to avoid litigation or, when that is not possible, to best position themselves for success in the courts.

Sarah is a fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. In 2010, she was appointed to a multi-year term on the College’s Third Circuit Credentials Committee, charged with assisting the College’s Board of Governors in evaluating and recommending nominees for fellowship in the college.

She also has served as a Hearing Committee member for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Sarah has been a course planner and faculty member for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and at other major national employment law conferences, has served as a member of the board of directors of St. Agnes Medical Center and serves as pro bono employment law counsel to various nonprofit agencies.

Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University in 1977. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1985.

EXPERIENCE :

• Successfully obtained summary judgment on claims of three plaintiffs/show hosts in a race and gender discrimination lawsuit against a national television and on-line retailer.
• Coordinated successful settlement strategy for over 25 charges of age discrimination positioned to become a class action, following an involuntary RIF in which client neglected to obtain valid OWBPA waivers.
• Conducted investigations of sexual harassment claims against high-level executives in numerous matters, and advised on remedial actions and resolutions of claims.
• Advised on and drafted employment-related provisions in major corporate transactions (including one for $1 billion and another for $500 million); negotiated and advised on issues of employment liability.
• Represented Thalheimer Brothers, LLC, a large Philadelphia scrap metal company, in its sale to Audax Management Company, LLC, a private equity firm, which resulted in principals of Thalheimer owning a minority interest in the company.

EDUCATION :

• University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., 1985
• University of Pennsylvania, M.S., 1979
• Tufts University, B.A., 1977

BAR ADMISSIONS : New Jersey; Pennsylvania

COURT ADMISSIONS :

• Pennsylvania Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court — New Jersey
• U.S. Supreme Court

AFFILIATIONS :

• American Bar Association
• American Employment Law Council
• Philadelphia Bar Association
• The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers