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

• Williams v. Fam. Health Int’l, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 170455 (Sept. 2, 2025) (granting employer’s motion to dismiss over claims alleging race, color, gender discrimination under federal and state law, hostile work environment, and retaliation)
• Thermo Fischer Sci. Inc. v. Arthur, U.S. District Court for the E.D. Missouri (2024) (represented plaintiff employer in securing permanent injunction and judgment against former employee for misappropriation of trade secrets)
• Hudson v. Wagner’s, LLC, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 154566 (March 30, 2022, D. Colorado) (granting dismissal of breach of contract claim against employer because bonus letter did not create a contract and alter the at-will employment relationship)
• Border v. Nat’l Real Estate Advisors, LLC, 453 F. Supp. 3d 249 (D.D.C. 2020) (granting motion to dismiss plaintiff’s DCFMLA claim because she did not spend more than 50% of her working time in D.C.)
• Petrea v. Marriott Int’l, Inc, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156400 (Sept. 25, 2017 E.D. Texas) (granting motion for summary judgment against hotel alleging ADA violation due to service animal) 
• Rivas v. Whitman-Walker Clinic, Inc., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 214457 (D.D.C. 2017) (granting motion to dismiss and motion for sanctions for claims asserting private right of action under OSH Act)
• 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)