Catherine Scott

Overview

Catherine (Cat) Scott is a litigator and labor 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 appears before government agencies including the EEOC, MCAD, Department of Labor, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other state anti-discrimination agencies.

Cat is also a burgeoning labor lawyer, expanding her practice to collective bargaining and other labor matters during her tenure at Morgan Brown & Joy. Cat’s experience includes representing companies in both representation and unfair labor practices proceedings at the National Labor Relations Board and Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations. She also represents employers in collective bargaining efforts.

Cat also has particular interest and experience in appellate work surrounding labor and employment matters, such as:

• Obtained reversal of a jury verdict for punitive damages in an age discrimination matter from the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
• Successfully briefed and argued 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 obtained dismissal of matter for client in the lower court based on this decision.
• Successfully briefed an issue related to the arbitrability of employment claims at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
• Obtained reversal of a lower court’s order for a high-ranking government official to sit for a deposition on interlocutory appeal to a Single Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

With a strong commercial litigation background, Cat is particularly experienced handling all types of motions, particularly early motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment. For example, Cat obtained summary judgment for an employer in connection with a former employee’s breach of lifetime contract claim on an issue of first impression concerning enforceability, achieving an affirmance of an MCAD public hearing in favor of the employer on a retaliation claim. Regardless of the particular details of a case, clients rely on Cat’s steady judgment and strong skills to lead them to the best possible course of action.

In addition to her litigation work, Cat provides daily employment advice for in-house counsel and human resource professionals. She carefully examines the overall wellness of an organization and its employer-employee relationships to determine the best course of action for resolving conflicts. If litigation is not in the best interest of a client, Cat guides them through alternative dispute resolution and mediation to reach a resolution.

Prior to joining the firm, Cat handled employment litigation and counseling, professional liability and business litigation in a Boston-based litigation firm. Cat enjoys spending time with her husband, Tim, and their two sons, Arlo and Mac, and their cats (and someday hopes to get a dog as well!).