Kara M. Maciel

SuperLawyers (10 Year)

Kara M. Maciel is a founding partner of Conn Maciel Carey and Chair of the firm’s national Labor & Employment Practice. She focuses her practice on representing employers in all aspects of the employment relationship.

Being located in Washington, D.C., Kara provides a unique perspective to international and multinational corporations on doing business in the United States from a federal statutory and regulatory perspective as well as compliance with the myriad of state and local business requirements. Kara is a member of IR Global in the Employment Law Group.

Kara has a special focus on issues impacting companies in the following industries:

• Hospitality (hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas, country clubs)
• Retail
• Grocery
• Trade associations
• Non-profit sectors

Key Services

• Defends employers in federal and state litigation
  • ADA, FLSA, FMLA, and Title VII claims
• Advises on trade secret protection and enforcement, including pursuing claims of misappropriation of confidential or proprietary information
• Counsels unionized and non-unionized workplaces on employer rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
• Represents senior executives and managers in:
  • Executive contract review and negotiation
  • Disputes involving severance pay and benefits, change-in-control benefits, non-compete covenants, confidentiality agreements, indemnification agreements, and trade secrets
• Advises employers and employees on whistleblower allegations under the OSH Act, and related whistleblower protections

Representative Cases

• Clemmons v. Academy for Educational Development, 70 F. Supp. 3d 82 (D.D.C. 2014) (granting summary judgment to employer on hostile work environment claim with novel allegations of workplace bullying)
• Scherr v. Marriott International, Inc., 703 F.3d 1069 (7th Cir. 2013) (affirming dismissal of Title III ADA claims against hotel involving the 2010 ADA Standards for door closures)