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Kerrie R. Heslin, ESQ.

Partner

Kerrie R. Heslin has dedicated her entire legal career to employment and labor matters for management.  Kerrie devotes a majority of her practice to the litigation of employment matters involving discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower claims, wage and hour and benefits issues on behalf of employers.  This includes single plaintiff matters as well as class actions.  She represents clients in litigations in state and federal courts, as well as in FINRA, AAA, and JAMS.  She also represents employers before administrative agencies, including state and federal EEO agencies, the DOL, DOJ, OSHA, and NLRB.

Kerrie also counsels clients on diverse employment issues, including hiring and firing of employees, employment agreements, separation agreements and releases, restrictive covenants, policies, and employee handbooks.  She works with employers to conduct privileged pay equity audits.  She also conducts employment due diligence for employers in mergers and acquisitions, including review of employment agreements, wage and hour issues, and union obligations such as pension fund withdrawal liability.

AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Selected as a WPO Women 2 Watch 2019 & 2022
Recognized in Best Lawyers In America, Litigation - Labor and Employment 2018 - Present
Selected to New Jersey Super Lawyers 2009 - Present
“Top 50 Women Lawyers in New Jersey”, Super Lawyers 2012 - Present
“Top 100 Lawyers in New Jersey”, Super Lawyers 2013 - 2020
Named a “Woman of Professional Distinction” by the Executive Women of New Jersey 2010
“Garden State Woman of the Year, Professional Services”, Garden State Woman Magazine 2009
Listed in Chambers USA Guide, Labor & Employment 2012 - Present

*The Super Lawyers® list is issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found at http://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell DistinguishedSM and Martindale-Hubbell NotableSM are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell® certification procedures, standards and policies. A description of the selection methodology can be found at http://www.martindale.com/Products_and_Services/Peer_Review/Methodology.aspx. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey

The Best Lawyers in America, Labor and Employment Ranking is issued by Best Lawyers®. A description of the selection methodology can be found at http://www.bestlawyers.com/About/MethodologyBasic.aspx. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey

Professional Experience
Carella, Byrne, Bain, Gilfillan, Cecchi, Stewart & Olstein, Roseland, NJ Partner 2005-2007
Carella, Byrne, Bain, Gilfillan, Cecchi, Stewart & Olstein, Roseland, NJ Associate 2002-2005
Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, Newark, NJ Associate 1997-2002
Professional Activities
National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF)
Board Member 2019-Present
Strategic Planning Committee 2022-Present
PAC Oversight Committee 2019-2022
Co-Chair, CLE/Webinar Subcommittee, Labor & Employment PAC 2016-2019
Women Presidents' Organization (WPO)
Board Member 2019-Present
Chapter Member 2008-Present
Secretary Present
Women Owned Law Firms (WOL) Board Member
Executives Association of New Jersey (EANJ) 2019-Present
New Jersey Women Lawyers Association
New Jersey State Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section Litigation
Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, Fellow
New Jersey Labor & Employment Relations Association, Member
Judicial Clerkships
Honorable Nicholas H. Politan, United States District Court, District of New Jersey 1995-1997

 

Seton Hall Law School J.D., 1995
Syracuse University B.S., Finance/Marketing 1991

State of New Jersey
United States District Court – District of New Jersey
State of New York
United States Court of Appeals - Third Circuit
United State Supreme Court

Publications
Co-Author, “Anticipating and preparing for COVID-19-related employment litigation:, Thomas Reuters, Westlaw Practitioner Insights webpage July 2020
“Building Better Contracts” chapter in Breaking Through: Creating Opportunities for America’s Women and Minority-Owned Businesses, Susan Philips Bari. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2013
“Companies May Not Shield Internal Employment Law Assessments from Disclosure with “Self-Critical Analysis Privilege”, New Jersey Labor and Employment Law Quarterly June 2011
“How Can An Employer Enforce Safety Regulations On Employees Who Wear Religious Attire That Could Pose Hazards?”, New Jersey Monthly April 2009
“Federal Court Rejects FTC Opinion that Employment Investigations by Outside Counsel are Subject to FCRA”, The Job Description, Defense Research Institute Fall 2001
“Restrictive Covenants: Protecting Confidential and Proprietary Information”, BioPharm Magazine February 2000
“Courts Start to Rule on Online Harassment”, The National Law Journal (January 24, 2000) and New Jersey Law Journal June 2000
“Sexual Harassment in Cyberspace: Cases Consider Employer Liability for Employee Use of E-mail, Chat Rooms, Porn Sites”, Employment Law Weekly January 2000
Speaking Engagements
Lawyers to Leaders: Building Emotional Intelligence with Effective Communication, Citi Legal/ Simon & Schuster CLE Sessions, New York (May 2025) May 2025
Can’t We All Just Get Along: When Religion, Culture and DEI Collide in the Workplace, NAMWOLF, Driving Diversity & Leadership Conference March 2025
Most Common Employment Mistakes, Sandler Training Seminar February 2025
How to Structure DEI Programs After Recent Supreme Court Decisions, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, In-House Counsel Roundtable May 2024
Navigating the Legal Issues Related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs, Women Owned Law Symposium April 2024
Working Collaboratively to Measure, Report and Improve Law Firm Diversity, Panelist, NAMWOLF Annual Meeting, Baltimore September 2023
Gender Pay Equity: What It Is and Why It Matters, CLE Presentation, MetLife March 2023
Navigating the Legal Issues Related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs, CLE Presentation, NAMWOLF, Driving Diversity & Leadership Conference March 2023
Understanding and Reducing Implicit Bias in Workplace Investigations, CLE Presentation, Merck May 2022
Navigating Religious Accommodations & Vaccines To Reduce Risk of Litigation, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, P.C. Webinar May 2022
Shades of Grey: Ethical Rules Related to the Role of In-house Counsel, CLE Presentation, IEX Trading April 2022
Defending Lawsuits by Pro Se Plaintiffs, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra Webinar October 2021
Top 10 Employment Policies Every New Jersey Business Should Have, Executives Association of New Jersey (EANJ) September 2021
Clearing The Haze Around Workplace Marijuana Rules, Celesq Attorneys Ed Center September 2021
Applying the Brakes on Serial Plaintiffs, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC, Webinar March 2021
Legal Guidelines for Workplace Re-Entry, Women Presidents’ Educational Organization June 2020
Identifying High Performers to Increase Your Hiring Success, presented to Edward Jones CLE June 2020
COVID-19 Return to Work Checklist, National Association of Professional Organizers – New York May 2020
Anticipating and Preparing for COVID-19 Employment Litigation, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra webinar May 2020
COVID-19 Awareness – Employment Law Q&A #2, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra webinar April 2020
COVID-19 Update, Executives Association of New Jersey April 2020
COVID-19 Awareness – Employment Law Q&A, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra webinar March 2020
Impact of a Pandemic – HR Practices webinar, Women Presidents’ Organization March 2020
Keeping Up With Employment Laws: What Every NY Employer and Employee Need to Know, Rockland Business Women’s Network January 2020
Employment Issues in Mergers & Acquisitions: Maximizing Value & Minimizing Risk, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra webinar January 2020
“Overview of the Most Significant Judicial Decisions & Legislative Updates”, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC Hot Topics in Employment Law Seminar November 2019
Staying Power: Retaining Diverse and Female Attorneys, New Jersey Defense Association November 2019
Hot Topics in Employment Law, Executives Association of New Jersey September 2019
Hot Topics in Employment Law, WPO Monmouth County September 2019
Social Media: New Developments & Persisting Risks for Employers webinar, International Executives Association June 2019
Clearing the Haze: What Does Weed in the Workplace Mean to Employers?, The Hershey Company Legal and Human Resources Department April 2019
New York Employment Law Changes, WPO NY 3 March 2019
Why and How to Hire an Attorney for Your Business, WPEO Sage Advice Program February 2019
Preventing Scandals – Zero Tolerance for Zero EQ in the Legal Practice and at Trial, NAMWOLF Driving Diversity & Leadership Conference February 2019
Hot Topics in Employment Law, Vistage January 2019
Tackling Pay Equity, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC, In-House Counsel Seminar October 2018
NJ Pay Equity Law: Everything You Need To Know About Conducting a Pay Equity Audit, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC Webinar June 2018
Managing Communications When Faced with a Harassment Claim, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC Webinar April 2018
Overview of the Most Significant Judicial Decisions & Legislative Updates of 2017, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC Hot Topics in Employment Law Seminar November 2017
Social Media: New Developments & Persisting Risks for Employers, Presented to State Farm Insurance Legal Team on behalf of NAMWOLF, Bloomindale, IL October 2017
OMG, There is evidence in my pocket!?, presented at NAMWOLF Annual Conference September 2017
Social Media in the Workplace and the Courtroom, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC, Webinar May 2017
Planning for Litigation Pitfalls, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra Webinar April 2017
5 Game Changing Employment Law Challenges for 2017, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC, Webinar February 2017
Restrictive Covenants that Will Hold Up in Court, presented to Katsy Korins LLC January 2017
EEO Update, presented at Employment Law Roundtable for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education December 2016
Overview of the Most Significant Judicial Decisions & Legislative Updates of 2016, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC, Hot Topics in Employment Law Breakfast Seminar November 2016
Social Media Developments and Risks Facing Employers, presented to Walmart October 2016
The Great Debate: Managing Electoral Politics in the Workplace, presented at NAMWOLF Annual Conference September 2016
Challenges Facing Telecom Employers, presented to T-Mobile September 2016
Essential Tactics to Combat Unconscious Bias in the Workplace, presented to Panasonic Corporation of North America February 2016

Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
Community Food Bank of New Jersey Bergen
Volunteers, All Wrapped Up
Light the Night Walk for Cancer
WHEELS NYC Mentor Program for High School Students
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

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