Mary Jo Kennedy
- Profile
- Experience
- News & Insights
- Honors
Mary Jo Kennedy
Bio
Mary Jo Kennedy leads the Employment practice group. With a focus on employment law, Mary Jo has successfully represented employers in defense of employment and discrimination claims in administrative proceedings before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) and in state and federal courts. She has also successfully represented employers in state court on wage and hour claims. Mary Jo regularly advises employers on personnel and wage and hour issues, reviews and drafts personnel policies, and conducts seminars for clients on sexual harassment in the workplace, employment discrimination in the hiring process, reasonable accommodations, and remote work.
Mary Jo has extensive experience conducting confidential investigations regarding allegations of employee misconduct for private employers and for private and public schools.
She regularly advises healthcare clients on patient privacy and confidentiality issues.
Bar Admissions
- Massachusetts
- District of Massachusetts
Education
- Mount Holyoke College, B.A., 1981
- Northeastern University School of Law, J.D., 1988
Experience
- Successfully represented a manufacturing facility at the MCAD in national origin discrimination and harassment claim
- Successfully represented private school in federal lawsuit alleging unlawful dismissal of student
- Obtained summary judgment in state court for an insurance company on appraiser’s claim of misclassification as exempt employee
- Obtained summary judgment in state court for hospital and hospital officials on doctor’s tort and breach of contract claims arising from hospital’s National Practitioner Data Bank report
- Obtained summary judgment in state court, affirmed by the Massachusetts Appeals Court, for hospital official on doctor’s defamation claim arising from hospital’s credentialing response
- Conducted independent investigation regarding staff misconduct at a private independent school
- Conducted independent investigation regarding student misconduct at a private college
Honors
- Serves on the Board of Directors of the Pioneer Valley Ballet
- Member of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Ethics Committee
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member, Hampden County Bar Association