Kirsten M. Eriksson

Kirsten Eriksson represents management in all aspects of labor and employment law throughout the country.

Her clients range from local businesses and non-profits to large national companies in various industries such as education, government contracting and financial services.

Kristy has represented clients in State and Federal Courts, as well as in proceedings before the EEOC, various state and local agencies, and private mediators and arbitrators. She regularly drafts non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and enforces and defends against such agreements in court. She has achieved positive results for her clients, obtaining dismissal of claims at an early stage or negotiating low-cost settlements. In addition to adversarial proceedings, Kristy regularly advises clients how best to comply with employment laws relating to employee handbooks, harassment and discrimination, training, evaluations and terminations, wage and hour issues and implementation of leave policies.  Her assistance to clients includes drafting policies, performing training and conducting internal investigations. She has conducted audits of her clients' compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, advised about the classification of employees as exempt or non-exempt, and limited exposure for unpaid overtime or equal pay. Kristy has also drafted affirmative action plans for government contractors and assisted companies with government audits of those plans. She has also litigated and published extensively on the distinction between employees and independent contractors.

Kristy ensures foreign embassies and diplomatic missions in the United States stay true to employment norms of their country while maintaining compliance with local, state and federal laws in the U.S. She routinely reviews contracts, handbooks and terms and conditions for locally engaged staff, as well as proposed terminations and changes to terms and conditions of employment. On rare occasions where litigation or engagement with local regulatory authorities is necessary, Kristy defends embassies and diplomatic missions before courts and regulatory agencies.

In addition to her work in the labor and employment field, Kristy represents a national telecommunications company and a gas and electric utility in state and local regulatory matters relating to zoning, fees, permits and franchise rights.