Kara M. Maciel

SuperLawyers (10 Year)

Kara M. Maciel is a founding partner of Conn Maciel Carey LLP and a nationally recognized management-side labor and employment attorney who advises employers across the country on their most complex workplace challenges. She serves as trusted counsel to executives, business owners, human resources leaders, and in-house legal departments, helping organizations navigate workforce issues, manage legal risk, and achieve business objectives in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

For more than two decades, Kara has partnered with employers to develop practical, business-focused solutions to labor and employment issues before they become disputes. Clients rely on her judgment, responsiveness, and ability to translate complicated legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance that aligns with organizational goals and workplace realities.

Kara counsels employers on the full spectrum of labor and employment matters, including employee relations, wage and hour compliance, workplace investigations, disability accommodation and leave management, harassment and discrimination prevention, restrictive covenant issues, and the development and implementation of workplace policies and employee handbooks. She also advises employers regarding labor relations strategy, union-related matters, and the rights and obligations of both unionized and non-unionized employers under federal labor laws.

An experienced litigator, Kara regularly represents employers in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies. She works closely with clients to develop strategies that mitigate risk, resolve disputes efficiently, and position organizations for long-term success. Whether advising a company through a sensitive employee relations issue, defending a high-stakes employment claim, or helping leadership navigate a significant workforce challenge, Kara focuses on delivering practical solutions that protect both the business and its people.

Kara has particular experience advising employers in the hospitality, retail, grocery, real estate, and service industries and has served as outside labor counsel to national hospitality organizations. Her work gives her firsthand insight into the unique workforce, operational, and regulatory challenges employers face when operating across multiple locations and jurisdictions.

As a founding partner of Conn Maciel Carey, Kara has helped build a nationally recognized workplace law firm dedicated to serving employers. She works closely with clients ranging from growing businesses to established national employers, helping leadership teams address workplace issues strategically and proactively rather than reactively.

Beyond her client work, Kara is a frequent speaker, author, and commentator on emerging labor and employment issues. She regularly presents to business groups, employer associations, HR professionals, and legal audiences throughout the country on developments affecting the modern workplace. Her presentations focus on providing practical guidance that employers can immediately implement to reduce risk and improve workplace effectiveness.

Clients value Kara’s straightforward approach, practical advice, and commitment to understanding each organization’s business objectives. She is known for helping employers make confident decisions in difficult situations while balancing legal compliance, operational needs, employee relations concerns, and long-term business goals.

Key Services

• Advises on trade secret protection and enforcement, including pursuing misappropriation claims involving confidential or proprietary information
• Represents senior executives and managers in executive contract review and negotiation, and in disputes involving severance pay and benefits, change-in-control benefits, non-compete covenants, confidentiality agreements, indemnification agreements, and trade secrets
• Advises 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)