Catherine Scott

Overview

Catherine (Cat) Scott is a litigator and employment lawyer defending and advising employers. Cat helps companies navigate workplace allegations such as employment discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, Family and Medical Leave Act, breach of contract, and wage and hour class actions, among others. In addition to appearing in federal and state courts, Cat regularly appears before government agencies including the EEOC, MCAD, Department of Labor, and other state agencies. Cat also provides daily employment advice for in-house counsel and human resource professionals.

Cat is also a labor lawyer, handling collective bargaining and other labor matters, including representing companies in both representation and unfair labor practices proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board. She also represents employers in collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Cat applies her litigation experience to arbitrating labor matters, prevailing in several arbitrations for large clients in the Commonwealth.

Additionally, Cat has particular interest and experience in appellate work involving labor and employment matters, including:

• Successfully briefing and arguing a matter of first impression related to Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure 25(a) and 23(d) at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and later obtaining dismissal of matter for client in the lower court based on this decision (2022).
• Successfully briefing an issue related to the arbitrability of employment claims at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (2022).
• Obtaining reversal of a lower court’s order for a high-ranking state government official to sit for a deposition on interlocutory appeal to a Single Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court (2023).
• Obtaining reversal of a jury verdict for punitive damages in an age discrimination matter from the Massachusetts Appeals Court (2020).
• Briefing several employment-related amicus topics at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for local bar associations.

With a strong commercial litigation background, Cat is particularly adept at handling dispositive motions, particularly early motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment. For example, Cat recently obtained summary judgment for a large healthcare provider in the Commonwealth on claims of national origin discrimination and retaliation. She thrives when addressing complex legal issues at any stage of motion practice.

A practical, business-minded advisor, Cat carefully examines the overall wellness of an organization and its employer-employee relationships to determine the best course of action for resolving conflicts. She enjoys learning the ins and outs of her clients’ businesses and working with them to ensure that employment issues can be resolved prior to litigation wherever possible.