Kristin Klein Wheaton, Esq.
Kristin Klein Wheaton counsels and defends the interests of clients facing employment and labor issues, civil rights and discrimination claims, and complex commercial disputes. A skilled problem solver with over 20 years of legal experience in both the private and public sectors, Kristin’s wide-ranging practice includes labor and employee relations, contract negotiations, and assisting clients with Human Resources and employment counseling, as well as the creation and maintenance of compliance policies and strategies for state and federal laws. These clients include municipal bodies, such as towns, villages, counties, law enforcement bodies, and public entities; long-term care facilities, colleges and universities, and nonprofits; and the full gamut of private sector employers, in fields from health care and hospitality to logistics and manufacturing.
Kristin draws on experience as the former Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs at a large community college in Western New York, a role that spanned employment and labor policy drafting to union negotiations, audits and investigations, commercial leasing, and crisis management. She also spent several years in the Erie County Attorney’s Office, as an Assistant County Attorney, a First Assistant County Attorney, and the Acting County Attorney. With a unique set of skills and experiences at the intersection of law, government, public policy, and education, Kristin is particularly sought-after for her counsel on employment and labor matters affecting clients in government and higher education.
In 2015, Kristin was named one of Western New York’s Legal Elite by Buffalo Business First and the Buffalo Law Journal. In 2017 and 2018, she was named one of the Best Lawyers in America in the category of Employment Law — Management. She is an adjunct professor at Hilbert College, where she teaches Trial Preparation and Practice for Paralegals (Advanced Civil Litigation).