Kiesewetter Wise Kaplan Prather, PLC

Firm Description

The Firm: Kiesewetter Wise Kaplan Prather, PLC limits its practice exclusively to representing management in all areas of labor relations and employment law, and enjoys attorney-client relationships with both national and international corporations.

The firm's clientele includes a broad mix of both national and regional companies, including many Fortune 500 corporations. Our diverse client base includes companies in health care, transportation, telecommunications, technology, hospitality, automotive, retail, and pharmaceuticals.

The geographically central location of the Firm's offices in Memphis, Tennessee enables our professionals to reach most business destinations across the United States within a matter of hours.

We believe that in labor relations and employment law, it is not sufficient simply to advise clients as to the status of the law. Rather, preventative education, planning, and proactive advice is the best recipe for success in labor and employment relations matters in today's complex business environment. We achieve this success through a combination of skill, innovation, and consistency, working together as a team with out clients. We offer our clients professionals who are unafraid of taking reasonable risks and are dedicated to winning. Our team members embody these attributes and bring a unique combination of talents and diverse backgrounds to our practice.

Our Mission: We will spare no effort to help our clients resolve their legal issues and concerns as favorably as possible, and to assist our clients in improving the human resources environments of their workplaces by providing high quality, responsive, innovative, and aggressive legal representation in the areas of employment relations and employment law, along with creative, proactive legal advice and consultation services, consistent with contemporary principles of positive human relations, and the legal profession's highest ethical standards.

Attorney Biographies

Ms. Adams graduated cum laude from Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1992 with a B.A. degree in English. She received her J.D. degree, cum laude, from University of Minnesota Law School in 1998.

While attending law school, Ms. Adams was a member of the Civil Rights Moot Court competition team and served as the Administrative Director of the National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition. She also was a member of the Minnesota Justice Foundation.

Ms. Adams' experience involves both state and federal employment litigation, as well as administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies. Ms. Adams also has experience in assessing workforce concerns and in developing employer programs which are intended to improve employee morale, to develop further relationships between management, employees, and the company, to improve productivity, and to improve the overall work environment in a company.

Ms. Adams is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the American, Tennessee, and Memphis Bar Associations, and is admitted to practice before the state courts of Tennessee, Mississippi, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, various federal district courts, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits. She also practices before the National Labor Relations Board in both representation case proceedings and in unfair labor practice litigation.

Mr. Boals represents management in all aspects of employment and labor relations, including state and federal employment litigation and administrative proceedings before agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. Mr. Boals has experience advising and representing clients on diverse employment issues, including disputes involving discrimination and harassment claims, wrongful discharge, wage and hour claims, family & medical leave claims, employee benefits, unfair competition, union avoidance, and unfair labor practices.

Mr. Boals graduated summa cum laude from University of Memphis in 1999, with a B.A. in History. He received his J.D. degree magna cum laude from the University of Memphis in 2003. While attending law school as a Cecil C. Humphreys fellow, Mr. Boals served as a member of The University of Memphis Law Review and the Moot Court Board.

Mr. Boals is a member of the American, Tennessee, and Memphis Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice before the state courts of Tennessee, various federal district courts, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits. Mr. Boals also practices before the National Labor Relations Board in both representation and unfair labor practice litigation.

Ms. Isom-Thompson graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis with a B.A. degree in English in 1996, where she was the recipient of a University Scholarship. Ms. Isom-Thompson received her J.D. degree with high distinction from the University of Iowa in 1999. While attending law school, Ms. Isom-Thompson was the recipient of a College of Law Merit Fellowship. She also served as a member of the Journal of Gender, Race & Justice and participated in the Van Oosterhout Memorial Moot Court Competition.

Ms. Isom-Thompson represents management clients in federal and state court employment litigation and all phases of labor relations. She is admitted to practice before the state courts of Colorado and Tennessee, the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Ms. Isom-Thompson is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the American, Tennessee, Colorado, and Memphis Bar Associations.

Mr. Kaplan has devoted his entire career to representing management clients exclusively in all areas of labor relations, employment law, and human resource management. His practice spans litigation, training, and consulting, in which he has handled matters in more than 40 states and Canada. Mr. Kaplan also is a frequent speaker before management and legal groups and has published numerous articles on labor and employment issues. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers.

Mr. Kaplan is a Senior Editor of How To Take A Case Before the NLRB, Seventh Edition (BNA, Supp. 2007). Mr. Kaplan is admitted to practice before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, Eleventh, and District of Columbia Circuits, as well as numerous federal district courts and the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Mr. Kaplan also practices extensively before the NLRB across the country and has been admitted specially to practice in state courts in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, and Ohio.

Mr. Kaplan is an active member of the Labor and Employment Law Section, Practice and Procedure Under the NLRA Committee of the American Bar Association. He also previously served as Management Co-Chair of the ABA’s Subcommittee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse in the Workplace of the Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee. Mr. Kaplan is a past Chair of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association and is an active member of the Memphis Bar Association. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of United Way of the Mid-South.

Mr. Kaplan attended Columbia University and received his B.A. degree cum laude from Rhodes College in 1979. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Memphis in 1982, where he was Research Editor of The University of Memphis Law Review and a member of the National Wagner Labor Law Moot Court Team.

Mr. Kiesewetter devotes his practice to representing clients in the “traditional” areas of labor relations and employment law. He counsels employers in all aspects of union-free management and represents them in unfair labor practice and representational proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board and U.S. Courts of Appeals. He also works with companies that have unions to improve union-management relations and represents management in contract negotiations, arbitrations, and labor disputes. Mr. Kiesewetter travels coast to coast assisting clients with their labor relations matters and advising non-union companies facing union organizing activity. He regularly assists clients in developing preventive strategies to reduce their exposure to future legal and/or human relations problems.

Mr. Kiesewetter received a J.D. degree, cum laude, from the St. Louis University School of Law, where he was the recipient of the Second Year Class Scholarship Award from Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. He also holds an A.B. degree from the University of Missouri and an M.A. degree from the University of Southern California. Before entering private practice in 1977, Mr. Kiesewetter served as a trial attorney with the National Labor Relations Board’s Fourteenth Region in St. Louis.

Mr. Kiesewetter is admitted to practice before various federal district courts, four United States Courts of Appeals, as well as the state courts of Tennessee and Missouri. Mr. Kiesewetter also is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Section on Labor and Employment Law and participates on the “Development of the Law Under the NLRA” and “Practices and Procedures Before the NLRB” committees. He is a contributor to the ABA’s treatise, The Developing Labor Law, and has served as an officer of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association. Additionally, he is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association, and the Metropolitan Bar Association of St. Louis. Mr. Kiesewetter is included in Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers, and Business Tennessee’s “150 Best Lawyers in Tennessee.”

Ms. Leach graduated in 1987 with a B.A. degree in Business from Rhodes College in Memphis. She received her J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1990 after participating in a visiting law student program at Columbia University during the 1989-1990 academic year. While attending Vanderbilt University, Ms. Leach served as a member of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.

From 1991 thru 1992, Ms. Leach served as a law clerk for the Honorable Odell Horton, Chief Judge for the United States District Court, Western District of Tennessee. From 1992 to 1998, Ms. Leach served as general counsel for a multi-state sales company, with a significant portion of her job duties being devoted to training supervisors and human resources and employment law issues. Ms. Leach entered private practice at Kiesewetter Wise Kaplan Prather, PLC in 1998 and represents management clients in both state and federal employment litigation as well as administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies. Ms. Leach regularly works with employers to determine the legal, as well as the practical, impact of employment decisions and to develop proactive policies and procedures to improve employee morale, strengthen relationships between management and employees, and ensure compliance with employment and labor laws. Ms. Leach also regularly conducts employee and supervisory training programs in various employment law areas.

Ms. Leach is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the American, Tennessee, and Memphis Bar Associations and is admitted to practice before the state courts of Tennessee and the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Mid-South Reads.

Mr. Loveland served as a trial attorney in the National Labor Relations Board’s Pittsburgh office before entering private practice in 1979. Mr. Loveland joined the corporate law department of Holiday Inns, Inc. in Memphis in 1982, where he was responsible for labor and employment law matters company-wide. Mr. Loveland subsequently assumed various duties and responsibilities in addition to labor and employment law, including litigation management, legal compliance, casino licensing, and gaming regulatory matters. As part of his labor and employment responsibilities, Mr. Loveland successfully guided the company through several corporate transitions, including its final transition from a hotel and casino company to Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., a pure gaming company, where he served as Vice President and Compliance Officer.

Mr. Loveland graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with an A.B. degree in Economics. He received his J.D. degree cum laude from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Loveland is admitted to practice before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third and Sixth Circuits, as well as numerous federal district courts, and the Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania and Tennessee. In addition, he is a member of the American Bar Association’s Sections on Labor and Employment Law and Dispute Resolution, the Memphis Bar Association’s Section on Labor and Employment Law, and the Tennessee and Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) Bar Associations.

Mr. Meyers is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Mr. Meyers received his B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1979. He received his B.S.N. degree in 1981 from the University of Tennessee at Memphis, and his J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1986. He was a member of The Tennessee Law Review and president of the Student Bar Association.

Mr. Meyers has varied litigation experience. He has defended companies and individuals before courts in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia. Mr. Meyers has been instrumental in assisting clients in dealing with employee medical issues including ADA, FMLA, and workers’ compensation concerns. Additionally, he has extensive experience in representing companies in workers’ compensation actions in the state of Tennessee.

Mr. Meyers is admitted to practice before the state courts in Tennessee and Arkansas, the federal district courts in Eastern, Western, and Middle Tennessee, and Eastern and Western Arkansas, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Memphis, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations. He also is a member of the Defense Research Institute’s Employment and Governmental Tort Liability Committees.

Mr. Prather represents management in all areas of employment and labor relations, including state and federal employment litigation and in administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the United States Department of Labor.

Mr. Prather has been instrumental in developing and presenting training programs in many areas of employee relations and jury trial litigation. He is a Contributing Editor of Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation (ABA 2007) and has been recognized by his peers in the 2003-2007 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers, and as a member of the American College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Mr. Prather holds a B.A. degree summa cum laude and a J.D. degree from the University of Memphis. He served as Editor-in-Chief of The University of Memphis Law Review. Upon graduation, Mr. Prather served as law clerk for United States District Judge Robert M. McRae, Jr.

Mr. Prather is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Circuits, various federal district courts, and the Tennessee Supreme Court. Mr. Prather is a member of the American Bar Association’s Sections on Labor and Employment Law and Litigation, the Defense Research Institute, the Tennessee Bar Association, and SHRM. He serves on the Executive Council of Tennessee Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, is a prior director of the Memphis Bar Association, past Chairman of the Labor and Employment Sections of both the Memphis Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association, a Director of the Management Labor and Employment Roundtable, and a former member of the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education.

Ms. Rudnick has concentrated her practice in the representation of employers in the defense of employment related claims dealing with unlawful discrimination, wrongful discharge, violation of federal and state employment statutes, breach of employment contract, and wage and hour issues. She also consults with companies to improve compliance with state and federal employment laws. She represents employers in all types of administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state fair employment practices agencies as well as representing employers in labor negotiations and before the National Labor Relations Board and corresponding state agencies.

Ms. Rudnick received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1998. While attending law school, Ms. Rudnick was a member of the Moot Court Executive Board and the Order of the Barristers. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.

Ms. Rudnick is admitted to practice in U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Tennessee, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, Northern District of Texas, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, as well as the state courts of Tennessee, Ohio and Maryland. She was named an Ohio “Rising Star” by Law & Politics magazine for 2006 and 2007.

Mr. Simmons is a founding member of the law and consulting firm of Kiesewetter Wise Kaplan Prather, PLC.

Mr. Simmons was admitted to practice law in Tennessee in 1986 and was admitted to practice in Mississippi in 1988. Mr. Simmons represents management clients in all aspects of employment litigation, advises clients on employment law and labor relations and represents clients in proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Mr. Simmons is a past chair of the Employment Law Committee of the Section of International Law and Practice of the American Bar Association. Mr. Simmons is also a member of the ABA’s Section of Labor and Employment Law and the ABA’s Section of Litigation, where he is a member of the Employment and Labor Relations Law Committee. Mr. Simmons authored the following: Plan of Attack: Evaluating and Litigating Non-Compete Cases, Employment & Labor Relations Law (ABA Section of Litigation, Spring 2007, Vol. 5, No. 3); the international employment 2001 and 2002 year-in-review articles for the Section of International Law and Practice’s quarterly publication, The International Lawyer (Summer 2002, Vol. 36, No. 2; Summer 2003, Vol. 37, No. 2); Five Questions Board Members of International Companies Should Ask Management About Sustainable Development Workplace Practices (Boardmember.com, February 28, 2002). Mr. Simmons was a past editorial board member of The Mississippi Labor Letter (1995-2000).

Mr. Simmons has participated in presentations on global employment, labor relations and human rights workplace practices for The World Bank, the American Corporate Counsel Association, Greater New York Chapter, and the Bar of the State of Michigan. Mr. Simmons has also participated presentations on crisis litigation, global human rights workplace practices, the impact of employment issues on transnational business transactions, and the prevention of sexual abuse of children in churches, schools and other similar organizations.
Mr. Simmons is “AV” rated by his peers as reflected in Martindale Hubbard.

Ms. Spencer is the Senior Paralegal at Kiesewetter Wise Kaplan Prather, PLC. She works in all areas of labor and employment law. Ms. Spencer attended the University of Mississippi and received an Associate Paralegal Studies degree from Northwest Mississippi Junior College. She has over 30 years experience as a litigation paralegal with 22 years in labor and employment law.

Ms. Spencer’s work supports various types of employment litigation in federal and state courts, as well as labor matters before the National Labor Relations Board and arbitrators. She also supports injunction and other legal proceedings regarding covenants not to compete and strikes. She assists the firm’s clients with union avoidance matters, including human resources and leadership training for supervisors.

Ms. Spencer is a member of the National Association of Legal Assistants and is charter president of the Mississippi Association of Legal Assistants.

Mr. Thompson graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis in 1993 with a B.A. degree in English. She received her J.D. degree from the University of Memphis in 1997. While attending law school, Ms. Thompson served as Articles Editor for The University of Memphis Law Review. She also served as an officer of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. Ms. Thompson currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Alumni Board for the University of Memphis Law School.

Ms. Thompson is the author of Weapons in the Workplace: The Effect of Tennessee’s Concealed Weapons Statute on Employer Liability, 28 University of Memphis Law Review 281 (1997), an Associate Editor of The Developing Labor Law, and an Associate Editor of the American Bar Association’s Guide to Workplace Law Second Edition (2006).

Ms. Thompson represents management clients in federal and state court labor and employment litigation, including proceedings before various state and federal administrative agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Additionally, Ms. Thompson conducts employee and supervisory training programs, assists management in union-free initiatives, and represents management in contract negotiations and labor arbitrations.

Ms. Thompson is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the American, Tennessee, and Memphis Bar Associations and is a member of the American Bar Association’s Committee on the Development of the Law Under the National Labor Relations Act. She currently is the Employer co-chair of the Recruitment and Retention Sub-Committee of the ABA’s Labor and Employment Law Section’s Membership Development Committee. She is admitted to practice before the state courts of Tennessee, various federal district courts, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Sixth and Seventh Circuits.

Mr. Wise before entering private practice, served as a trial and supervisory attorney with the National Labor Relations Board from 1960 through 1965. Thereafter, he devoted his practice to the areas of labor relations and employment law, including employment discrimination, wage and hour and disability rights law. He has been recognized for his work in counseling management regarding labor and employment relations issues.

Mr. Wise graduated from Washington and Lee University with an A.B. degree in 1953. He received his L.L.B. from Vanderbilt University in 1956. While in law school, he was a member of the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.

Mr. Wise is admitted to practice before the Tennessee Supreme Court and other Tennessee courts, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits, as well as numerous federal district courts.

Mr. Wise is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the American, Tennessee, and Memphis Bar Associations.

Attorneys Admitted to Practice In:
Tennessee
Pennsylvania
New Hampshire
Missouri
Mississippi
Massachusetts
Louisiana
Illinois
Colorado
Arkansas