Kirsten White is a management-side labor lawyer with a national practice advising private sector and nonprofit employers on all aspects of labor-management relations. She is Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Department and a past Chair of the Education Department.

A creative problem solver and skilled negotiator, Kirsten leads collective bargaining negotiations, represents clients in NLRB proceedings and labor arbitrations, and advises employers on union organizing drives, strike management and day-to-day labor relations matters.

Kirsten believes in meeting clients not only as a legal adviser but as a trusted partner who understands the weight and consequences of labor-management relationships and disputes. She is particularly adept at assisting clients in creating and enhancing positive workplace cultures and designing and implementing successful employee engagement strategies.

Independent Schools
More than a decade ago, Kirsten recognized that some unions were shifting their organizing efforts away from traditional industrial workforces and toward independent schools and other nonprofit organizations. She has developed significant experience guiding such employers through these often-uncharted waters in a way that aligns with their organizational culture, mission and values.

Kirsten has become a go-to lawyer for independent school associations, education law attorneys, and peer counsel throughout the country when labor issues arise at independent and private schools. She is a sought-after speaker on the niche topic of looking at labor law through the lens of mission-driven organizations.

Her school clients stretch from East Coast boarding schools to West Coast day schools, with independent schools in New York City and Chicago in between.

What keeps her education clients coming back — and referring others — is how Kirsten shows up for them. She understands that a union organizing drive or a labor dispute can pose distinct challenges for leaders who genuinely care about their people and must weigh the interests of a variety of constituencies in the organization’s larger community. Her clients have her personal cell phone number, and they use it on evenings and weekends when it matters.

Employment Law
Kirsten maintains an active employment law practice, guiding businesses and organizations in the design and implementation of effective workplace policies, wage and hour practices, and transaction-related compliance structures. She is particularly well-versed in matters involving the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and veteran hiring programs.

She also leads internal investigations involving sexual harassment, statutory compliance, and employee misconduct, and she advises leadership teams on managing and remediating high-stakes workplace issues.

Kirsten also runs on-site training for executives, in-house counsel, and managers on topics ranging from compliance and discipline to harassment recognition and reporting.