Kathryn S.Rosen
Partner
Labor & Employment
krosen@seyfarth.com
Katie is known for her strategic judgment, command of the facts and law, and ability to navigate cases that present significant legal, operational, and reputational risk.
More About Kathryn
Katie is a highly accomplished employment litigator with more than two decades of experience defending employers in complex, high-stakes matters. A proven and sophisticated advocate, she focuses her practice on wage and hour class and collective actions, as well as employment discrimination actions and single-plaintiff litigation.
Katie has handled more than 50 class actions, including several of the most significant wage and hour matters in the Pacific Northwest. She is one of the rare lawyers who has tried a class action case to a jury. Her experience spans all stages of litigation, from defeating class certification and dispositive motion practice to taking cases through trial. She has successfully tried jury and bench trials to verdict in both Washington and California and is equally effective in resolving matters favorably when early or strategic resolution is in her clients’ best interests.
In addition to leading complex litigation, Katie frequently serves as de facto in-house employment counsel for employers, providing day-to-day guidance on compliance, workplace challenges, and risk management. She represents major health care systems and national and regional employers across industries, including health care, financial services, and telecommunications. Clients value her practical, business-focused advice, responsiveness, and ability to deliver clear solutions to difficult employment law problems.
Katie has handled more than 50 class actions, including several of the most significant wage and hour matters in the Pacific Northwest. She is one of the rare lawyers who has tried a class action case to a jury. Her experience spans all stages of litigation, from defeating class certification and dispositive motion practice to taking cases through trial. She has successfully tried jury and bench trials to verdict in both Washington and California and is equally effective in resolving matters favorably when early or strategic resolution is in her clients’ best interests.
In addition to leading complex litigation, Katie frequently serves as de facto in-house employment counsel for employers, providing day-to-day guidance on compliance, workplace challenges, and risk management. She represents major health care systems and national and regional employers across industries, including health care, financial services, and telecommunications. Clients value her practical, business-focused advice, responsiveness, and ability to deliver clear solutions to difficult employment law problems.
- JD, Tulane University Law School
Magna cum laude
Tulane Law Review, Managing Editor
Order of the Coif
legal research and writing, Teaching Fellow
Juvenile Law Clinic, Clinician - BA, University of Washington
Sociology
Magna cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa
- California
- Washington
- US District Court, Central District of California
- US District Court, Northern District of California
- US District Court, Eastern District of Washington
- US District Court, Western District of Washington
Related Key Industries
- Won complete summary judgment for large health system in four different employment discrimination matters within six months.
- Obtained a complete defense verdict in an action alleging whistleblowing.
- Won a directed verdict in a jury trial in a case alleging race discrimination.
- Tried a class action involving more than 20,000 class members to a jury.
- Reached favorable early settlement on behalf of an online legal marketplace in a wage and hour class action in which exempt employees alleged they were misclassified.
- Obtained unanimous jury verdict on behalf of one of the largest software companies after a three week trial in a matter alleging gender discrimination and retaliation.
- Won summary judgement on behalf of a private equity and venture capital firm on all claims and a subsequent motion for attorney fees for pursuing a meritless claim.
- Obtained jury verdict for a not-for-profit health care system in wrongful termination case involving allegations of failure to accommodate under the ADA and WLAD.
- Won pre-certification summary judgment on behalf of a multinational technology company in nationwide wage-and-hour class action case brought by former manager alleging Wipro improperly prorated first and last weeks' pay under FLSA and state minimum wage laws.
- Successfully resolved 30-plaintiff religious discrimination case without litigation on behalf of a subsidiary of a mainline air carrier.
- Prevailed on summary judgment, dismissing state law discrimination claims on behalf of a family of ministries.
- Successfully moved to enforce contractual agreement on behalf of a US-based telecommunications company.
- Successfully represented parents in Equal Protection Clause challenge to a school district’s use of race in its student admissions plan in the Western District of Washington, US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (en banc), Washington State Supreme Court, and US Supreme Court.
- Obtained summary judgment for a broadcasting company in sex harassment and retaliation claim and prevailed on appeal.
- Represented an operator of retirement communities across the US including the handling of demand letters and agency charges in all states where the company operates.
- Defended a nationwide retail chain in separate wage and hour class actions in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, involving potentially hundreds of millions of dollars of liability and more than 100,000 class members. Settlements resulted in approximately 10 percent of the alleged damages.
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Litigation – Labor and Employment (2022-present) and Employment Law – Management (2026-present)
Katie is known for her strategic judgment, command of the facts and law, and ability to navigate cases that present significant legal, operational, and reputational risk.
More About Kathryn
Katie is a highly accomplished employment litigator with more than two decades of experience defending employers in complex, high-stakes matters. A proven and sophisticated advocate, she focuses her practice on wage and hour class and collective actions, as well as employment discrimination actions and single-plaintiff litigation.
Katie has handled more than 50 class actions, including several of the most significant wage and hour matters in the Pacific Northwest. She is one of the rare lawyers who has tried a class action case to a jury. Her experience spans all stages of litigation, from defeating class certification and dispositive motion practice to taking cases through trial. She has successfully tried jury and bench trials to verdict in both Washington and California and is equally effective in resolving matters favorably when early or strategic resolution is in her clients’ best interests.
In addition to leading complex litigation, Katie frequently serves as de facto in-house employment counsel for employers, providing day-to-day guidance on compliance, workplace challenges, and risk management. She represents major health care systems and national and regional employers across industries, including health care, financial services, and telecommunications. Clients value her practical, business-focused advice, responsiveness, and ability to deliver clear solutions to difficult employment law problems.
Katie has handled more than 50 class actions, including several of the most significant wage and hour matters in the Pacific Northwest. She is one of the rare lawyers who has tried a class action case to a jury. Her experience spans all stages of litigation, from defeating class certification and dispositive motion practice to taking cases through trial. She has successfully tried jury and bench trials to verdict in both Washington and California and is equally effective in resolving matters favorably when early or strategic resolution is in her clients’ best interests.
In addition to leading complex litigation, Katie frequently serves as de facto in-house employment counsel for employers, providing day-to-day guidance on compliance, workplace challenges, and risk management. She represents major health care systems and national and regional employers across industries, including health care, financial services, and telecommunications. Clients value her practical, business-focused advice, responsiveness, and ability to deliver clear solutions to difficult employment law problems.
- JD, Tulane University Law School
Magna cum laude
Tulane Law Review, Managing Editor
Order of the Coif
legal research and writing, Teaching Fellow
Juvenile Law Clinic, Clinician - BA, University of Washington
Sociology
Magna cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa
- California
- Washington
- US District Court, Central District of California
- US District Court, Northern District of California
- US District Court, Eastern District of Washington
- US District Court, Western District of Washington
Related Key Industries
- Won complete summary judgment for large health system in four different employment discrimination matters within six months.
- Obtained a complete defense verdict in an action alleging whistleblowing.
- Won a directed verdict in a jury trial in a case alleging race discrimination.
- Tried a class action involving more than 20,000 class members to a jury.
- Reached favorable early settlement on behalf of an online legal marketplace in a wage and hour class action in which exempt employees alleged they were misclassified.
- Obtained unanimous jury verdict on behalf of one of the largest software companies after a three week trial in a matter alleging gender discrimination and retaliation.
- Won summary judgement on behalf of a private equity and venture capital firm on all claims and a subsequent motion for attorney fees for pursuing a meritless claim.
- Obtained jury verdict for a not-for-profit health care system in wrongful termination case involving allegations of failure to accommodate under the ADA and WLAD.
- Won pre-certification summary judgment on behalf of a multinational technology company in nationwide wage-and-hour class action case brought by former manager alleging Wipro improperly prorated first and last weeks' pay under FLSA and state minimum wage laws.
- Successfully resolved 30-plaintiff religious discrimination case without litigation on behalf of a subsidiary of a mainline air carrier.
- Prevailed on summary judgment, dismissing state law discrimination claims on behalf of a family of ministries.
- Successfully moved to enforce contractual agreement on behalf of a US-based telecommunications company.
- Successfully represented parents in Equal Protection Clause challenge to a school district’s use of race in its student admissions plan in the Western District of Washington, US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (en banc), Washington State Supreme Court, and US Supreme Court.
- Obtained summary judgment for a broadcasting company in sex harassment and retaliation claim and prevailed on appeal.
- Represented an operator of retirement communities across the US including the handling of demand letters and agency charges in all states where the company operates.
- Defended a nationwide retail chain in separate wage and hour class actions in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, involving potentially hundreds of millions of dollars of liability and more than 100,000 class members. Settlements resulted in approximately 10 percent of the alleged damages.
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Litigation – Labor and Employment (2022-present) and Employment Law – Management (2026-present)