Seyfarth Expands Wage & Hour Offerings with Addition of Kyle Nelson as Labor & Employment Partner in Seattle

May 21, 2025 - Seyfarth Shaw LLP has further enhanced its highly decorated Labor & Employment Department by adding Kyle Nelson as a partner based in Seattle.

Nelson focuses primarily on wage and hour class action defense. His practice extends to high-stakes employment litigation and employment law counseling. He has earned a strong reputation for litigating class action cases creatively and finding strategic advantages to position cases for resolution.

“Kyle Nelson is a terrific addition to our outstanding national Wage and Hour team,” said Laura Maechtlen, chair of the national Labor & Employment department at Seyfarth. “He fills an important strategic need for us with his notable experience in the Pacific Northwest. We are totally convinced Kyle will be a key player in boosting and growing our Wage and Hour practice in Seattle, and the Firm overall.”

“Wage and hour class actions filed in the state of Washington have surged in the past couple of years with federal court and state court filings exponentially greater,” said Thomas Wybenga, co-managing partner of Seyfarth’s Seattle office and a partner in the Labor & Employment department. “That upward trend necessitated supplementing our already strong Seattle Labor and Employment team with someone who can effectively respond to the proliferation of these suits in the Pacific Northwest. Kyle Nelson clearly fills that need with his robust wage and hour practice.”

Nelson has defended clients against a wide range of class-action claims, including meal and rest break violations, off-the-clock work, rounding issues, equal pay disputes, noncompliant job postings, illegal noncompete agreements, and misclassification allegations.

“Kyle uses his extensive class-action experience and strong work ethic to provide proactive counsel concerning wage-and-hour compliance,” said Brett Bartlett, co-chair of Seyfarth’s national Wage and Hour Litigation practice group. “He is thoughtful, measured, and thinks about the wage-hour world very similarly to the way that we do.”

“Kyle Nelson will give us a strategic advantage going beyond his lynchpin local Seattle wage and hour practice,” said Denice Tokunaga, co-managing partner of Seyfarth’s Seattle office. “Kyle has the ideal skill set and entrepreneurial spirit to help us to grow our wage & hour presence in Seattle.”

Clients call on Nelson for day-to-day employment law advice, including policy drafting, employee discipline, noncompete agreements, Family and Medical Leave Act compliance, wage disputes, employee classification, and disability accommodations.

“I am excited to join Seyfarth’s tremendous team,” said Nelson. “I am convinced Seyfarth provides the ideal platform to expand my practice both regionally and nationally at a time when wage and hour practices are under constant scrutiny.”

Nelson is an established thought leader for wage and hour issues, having been quoted by legal periodicals and published regular blog posts.

Nelson received his JD from Gonzaga University School of Law and his BA from Washington State University. He is admitted to the Washington Bar.

Seyfarth’s market-leading Labor and Employment practice delivers strategic counsel and defense of disputes across the full employee lifecycle and every facet of labor and employment law, backed by more than 400 attorneys and a global reach spanning nearly 200 countries. This integrated approach positions Seyfarth as an industry leader and go-to advisor, offering clients innovative solutions and a deep bench of experienced attorneys to address the most challenging workplace legal issues.

About Seyfarth: With more than 900 lawyers across 18 offices, Seyfarth Shaw LLP provides top-tier advisory, litigation, and transactional legal services to clients worldwide.