Kathryn Barcroft, Esq.
Kathryn L. Barcroft is a member of the Labor and Employment Law practice group. Prior to joining Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, Kathryn was a litigator at several New York City law firms leading their private sector labor and employment practices. Kathryn has over two decades experience representing and advising companies and other private sector clients including business executives and professional employees concerning employment law matters. She has extensive experience in complex civil rights and discrimination matters as well as experience in areas such as employee hiring, firing and discipline; separation agreements; non-compete and trade secrets; paid leave; whistleblower claims; sexual harassment policies and workplace trainings; company handbooks; and litigation avoidance measures. Kathryn regularly appears before the EEOC and State Human Rights Commissions, State and Federal Courts, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the Merit Systems Protections Board, and at mediations and arbitrations.
Kathryn has been quoted in print and online as well as appeared on local news channels as an expert in sexual harassment law. She has authored articles on a variety of labor and employment issues including for the New York Law Journal and Law 360 and has appeared on various news outlets about legal issues relating to sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination including at Presidential Summits, marquee events for the New York State Bar Association. She is also a frequent lecturer to attorneys, supervisors, human resource professionals, and organizations for education and training concerning discrimination in the workplace.
Her various articles include a recent article for the New York Law Journal Blurred Lines: The Impact of Remote Working on Sexual Harassment (New York Law Journal, September 20, 2022). Her other legal commentary and articles, include New York Employers Must Pay Manual Workers Weekly (Society for Human Resources Management July 6, 2022), NY Agency Must Face Nurse’s Sex Harassment Suit (Law 360 March 16, 2021), What is Cuomo’s Next Move Amid Investigation? Employment Lawyers Weigh In (Law 360 March 16, 2021), 4 Tips for Crafting an Airtight Parental Leave Policy (Law 360 November 20, 2020), A Global Pandemic Creates a Call to Action as Non-Compete Agreements in New York Impact the Most Vulnerable (New York Law Journal April 16, 2020), Top General Escapes Sex Assault Suit for Now (Law 360 July 24, 2020), Has the Law Evolved Enough to Combat Pervasive Age Discrimination? (New York Law Journal September 11, 2019), Hostile Work Environment: Is NYC’s Standard the Path Forward in the Era of #MeToo? (New York Law Journal April 11, 2019), Courts May Be Shifting Outlook on Gender Bias Claims (Law 360 March 21, 2019) The Office Love Affair moves from Taboo to Heightened Concern for Employers in Me Too Movement (Spotlight News February 13, 2019), The Impact of New York’s Paid Family Leave Act and other State and Federal Initiatives for Paid Family Leave on Small Businesses and Individual Workers (Law 360 November 2018); New York, New York! Taking the Lead to Combat Sexual Harassment in the Workplace (New York Law Journal October 17, 2018); Where There's Smoke: N.Y. Companies Should Re-Examine Marijuana Policies (New York Law Journal February 28, 2017); Legal Commentator, Department of Labor's Final Overtime Exemption Law (Law 360 May 18, 2016); Changes are the Way for Employee Overtime Classifications (Inside Counsel May 5, 2016); Legal Commentator, Supreme Court's decision - EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores Inc. (Law 360 June 1, 2015); The EEOC Hears Concerns About Social Media and Hiring (New York Law Journal March 9, 2015); Supreme Court Addresses Employer Responsibilities to Pregnant Workers (New York Law Journal and Outside Counsel January 13, 2015). Kathryn is a presenter at various engagements including Complaints? Potential Misconduct? Conducting Workplace Investigations (CLE, Association of Corporate Counsel for Westchester and Southern Connecticut December 2022), New York Bar Association Presidential Summit regarding “A Reassessment of #MeToo: At A Critical Juncture in State & National History, Where Do We Truly Stand?” January 20, 2022, New York Bar Association Presidential Summit, “Listening to #MeToo – Why Laws to Prevent Sexual Harassment Have Been Ineffective, and What Attorneys Can Do About It” January 16, 2019, and States Are Reacting to #MeToo – Is Your Company? What In-House Counsel Need to Know About the Evolving Sexual Harassment Legal Regime & Maintaining an Ethical Legal Department (CLE, Association of Corporate Counsel for Westchester and Southern Connecticut November 2, 2018)