Overview
Krissy Katzenstein is a partner in the Employment Law Department and based in the firm’s New York office. Krissy represents employers in a wide range of employment disputes, including class and collective actions involving systemic discrimination and equal pay issues, high stakes single plaintiff matters, and federal and state agency investigations.
Krissy has extensive experience partnering with clients, including boards of directors, to investigate sensitive and potentially high-risk workplace concerns, including sexual harassment and whistleblower allegations. Krissy also advises clients on a wide variety of topics, including sensitive terminations, reasonable accommodations, and leaves of absence.
Krissy regularly assists clients with developing diversity programs and identifying strategies and initiatives to increase diverse representation and foster inclusive work environments. In addition, she regularly counsels clients on class action avoidance strategies, including conducting pay equity and other self-critical statistical analyses, leveraging her extensive experience conducting data analyses to assess allegations of systemic biases in pay, promotional opportunities, and performance ratings.
Recognitions
- Chambers USA, Labor & Employment – New York, Up and Coming (2023-2024)
- Law360, Employment Law, Rising Star (2019)
- The Legal 500 U.S., Dispute Resolution: Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices – Defense, Recommended (2018)
- The Legal 500 U., Labor and Employment: Labor and Employment Disputes (including Collective Actions): Defense, Recommended (2018)
Education
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D. 2008
- Tufts University, B.A. 2005
Representations
- A national television network in a high-profile litigation matter alleging claims of sexual harassment, gender and religious discrimination, and retaliation.
- A television station in a high-stakes misclassification jury trial, securing a complete defense verdict on behalf of the client.
- A national company in a nationwide race discrimination class action brought on behalf of tens of thousands of Black employees, defeating class certification and winning summary judgment on the plaintiffs’ disparate impact claims.
- A defense contractor in successfully moving to dismiss class allegations of systemic race discrimination in hiring and promotion, defeating plaintiffs’ efforts to obtain a Rule 23(f) review of the decision.
- A defense contractor in putative class action involving allegations of systemic race discrimination in pay, promotion, and performance ratings, successfully avoiding class discovery and defeating a Rule 23(f) petition.
- Numerous pharmaceutical companies in filed and threatened nationwide gender and race discrimination class actions.
- Financial services providers in filed and threatened nationwide cases involving claims of discriminatory compensation practices.
Matters may have been handled prior to joining Paul Hastings.
Engagement & Publications
- Panelist, “Non-Competes in the Eyes of the FTC and the NLRB: Necessary for Data Protection or Just Anti-worker?,” Georgetown Law Trade Secret Symposium, November 2023
- Presenter, “Answering the Call to Advance ID&E in the Workplace While Keeping Privacy in Mind,” Association of Corporate Counsel – Privacy and Technology Conference, September 2023
- Presenter, “Employee Privacy - Staying Compliant as You Transition Out of the Pandemic,” Association of Corporate Counsel – Privacy and Technology Conference, September 2022