Emily Cuneo DeSmedt

Emily Cuneo DeSmedt represents employers in a wide variety of employment-related matters, including the defense of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims. Emily is recognized as a strategic, practical, and decisive litigator, who consistently achieves summary judgment dismissals and/or favorable settlements for her clients with minimal disruption to their internal business clients. She also handles internal investigations into complaints of alleged harassment, discrimination, workplace misconduct, and retaliation.

Emily also provides strategic employment and DEI counseling to in-house counsel, business leaders, and boards of directors. Emily is a co-leader of the Firm’s Counseling Initiative and regularly advises on complex issues such as leaves of absence; disability, pregnancy, and religious accommodation requests; sexual harassment allegations; and executive-level performance management. Emily is also a leader of the Firm’s DEI and Racial Equity Task Force, and she advises many of the nation’s largest private and public companies, foundations, non-profits, and investment funds regarding to advance their DEI, racial equity, and supplier diversity programs and strategies without running afoul of the law. Emily also defends Section 1981 lawsuits challenging DEI and racial equity programs.

Emily represents clients in several industries, including retail, sports, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and philanthropy.