Overview

Kelly M. Cardin has dedicated her career to representing employers in a broad range of employment-related disputes. She is a sought-after litigator who handles cases involving complex and cutting-edge employment law issues, while also frequently litigating against claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Kelly defends employers in class and collective actions involving wage and hour issues, including those related to pay frequency claims under New York state labor law.

Kelly is also a trusted advisor to clients on novel employment law issues, including pay transparency laws – an area in which she has developed a practice in cross-jurisdictional compliance and is a frequent writer and speaker. In addition, she conducts pay equity analyses and workplace investigations.

She represents clients before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, in state and federal court, and in arbitration. She also regularly handles agency matters before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the New York State Division of Human Rights, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, and the Department of Labor.

Prior to joining Littler, Kelly was a shareholder with an international labor and employment law firm where she was co-chair of their pay equity practice group.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

Connecticut Bar Association

Member

Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)

Member

Westchester Women’s Bar Association

Member, Editorial Advisory Board

Law360

2024

Recognition

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2025

News, Analysis & Press

Paid time off for pregnant women could go national as work movement, led by New York

CNBC

May 12, 2024

Clean Slate Laws Are Spreading

SHRM

March 25, 2024

4 Trends To Watch As Changes In Equal Pay Law Unfold

Law360

March 11, 2024

New York’s New Inventor Protections Might Spawn Similar Laws Across Country

Corporate Counsel

January 25, 2024

Prenatal Care Paid Time Off New Frontier In Leave

Law360

January 11, 2024

New York's Move to Pay Transparency Likely to Spread Nationally

Bloomberg Law

September 18, 2023

Remote Work Is Driving, Complicating Pay Transparency

Law360

August 31, 2023

5 Questions Raised By NY’s Potential Ban On Noncompetes

Law360

July 11, 2023

Pay Transparency and ESG Synergy Can Inform Initiatives

Law360

June 30, 2023

Hawaii Legislature Passes Pay Transparency Bill

SHRM Online

June 2, 2023

Wage Theft Prosecution Efforts Put Employers On Notice

Law360

March 9, 2023

Hiring Restrictions Loosened for Banks

SHRM Online

February 24, 2023

Connecticut Fuels Growing Pay Transparency Trend With Proposed Law Update

World at Work

February 1, 2023

State, local laws to drive compliance trends in 2023

HR Dive

January 30, 2023

3 Policy Moves New York Employers Should Watch For In 2023

Law360

January 5, 2023

Complying with New York’s Salary Law Remains a Bit of a Mess

Life Annuity Specialist

December 19, 2022

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

Law360

November 18, 2022

3 Tips For Setting Realistic Salary Ranges

Law360

November 16, 2022

What’s behind wide salary ranges after New York’s pay transparency law

CNN Business

November 14, 2022

Will GCs Use Pay Transparency Laws For Candid Approach?

Law360

November 10, 2022

$250,000 fines and discrimination lawsuits: How employers should prepare for legal risks under New York City’s pay transparency law

Fortune

November 3, 2022

Strategies for Approaching New NY Pay Transparency Laws

Law360

October 18, 2022

5 Years In, #MeToo Has Inspired Dozens Of New State Laws

Law360

October 7, 2022

#MeToo and the Workplace: 5 Years and a Pandemic Later

Law360

May 13, 2022

What to know about the city’s pay transparency law—and how it could change

Crain’s New York Business

April 6, 2022

Protecting Gig Workers: Boosting Pay Rights For Contractors

Law360

April 5, 2022

Jumble Of Caregiver Bias Laws Vexes Workers And Employers

Law360

March 18, 2022

NYC Employers May Want to Revisit Tax Exemption Policies

Law360

February 23, 2022

NYC to Require Salary Range in Job Postings

SHRM Online

January 11, 2022

Out-of-State Remote Workers Are Increasing Legal Risks for Employers

SHRM Online

January 11, 2022

Getting Ahead of Manual Worker Pay Frequency Claims in NY

Law360

December 21, 2021

New York Issues FAQs for Paid COVID-19 Vaccine Leave

SHRM Online

April 7, 2021

Limiting the Pandemic's Strain on Workplace Gender Equality

Law30

November 2, 2020

What New York Employers Need to Know for the Election Season

SHRM Online

October 22, 2020

Virus-Induced Fever Checks Pose Wage Dilemma for Businesses

Bloomberg Law

April 7, 2020

What Attorneys Need to Know About New Sexual Harassment Law

Connecticut Law Tribune

September 25, 2019

Speaking Engagements

2024 Tri-State Regional Employer Conference

New York, NY

September 19, 2024

3 Questions About Biden’s New Paid Leave Proposal

Law360

March 14, 2024

What’s the Range? Pay Transparency Laws on the Rise

Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive, Phoenix, AZ

November 9, 2023

The Latest on Pay Transparency Laws

ACC Sports and Entertainment Network

January 17, 2023

Restrictive Covenants: Avoiding Entanglements

National Association of Women Lawyers, Eighteenth General Counsel Institute, New York, NY

November 2022

#MeToo in 2022 (and Beyond)

Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive, Colorado Springs, CO

September 22, 2022

The Rise of Pay Transparency Laws and Strategies for Cross-Jurisdictional Compliance

Workplace Strategies Seminar, Phoenix, AZ

May 6, 2022

The Evolution of Employment Management

ACC Westchester/S. CT (formerly WESFACCA)

April 21, 2022

Shifting Landscape of Employment Law: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic and the Way Forward

ACC Westchester/S.CT (formerly WESFACCA)

September 14, 2021

Managing a Remote Workforce

Connecticut Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section

December 10, 2020

The Not So Remote Risks of Navigating Leave Laws &Remote Work in the Age of COVID

ACC Westchester/S. CT (formerly WESFACCA)

October 29, 2020

Education

  • J.D., Cornell University Law School, 2011
  • M.A., University of Chicago, 2006
  • B.A., University of Rhode Island, 2002magna cum laude

Bar Admission

New York
Connecticut
Massachusetts

Courts

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut