Biography

Kathleen is an experienced arbitrator, mediator and litigator.  Since 1989, she has focused her practice on employment law, litigating cases of harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, breach of contract, defamation, wage and hour violations, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and other workplace torts. She has represented clients in employment related claims before state and federal courts and before the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the state and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administrations, the state and federal Departments of Labor, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Civil Service Board and  various other state and federal administrative agencies. Kathleen’s practice also includes complex corporate and commercial litigation and she is a Special Prosecutor for the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline.

Since 1997, Kathleen has also served at the behest of the Nevada Supreme Court as a Settlement Judge.  The Court trains these Judges as mediators to resolve pending appellate cases.  Kathleen has settled pending Supreme Court cases dealing with multi-million dollar development projects, employment contract  and union issues, premises liability claims and many other disputes.

Kathleen is also an arbitrator and mediator on the American Arbitration Association employment and commercial law panels.  She has mediated and arbitrated a variety of employment law disputes.

Kathleen has a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating (the highest) and has been named to Vegas Inc. Top Lawyers 2013 and 2015 for arbitration and mediation by Martindale-Hubbell.

In 2014, Kathleen was named a  Mountain States Super Lawyer for Alternative Dispute Resolution (mediation and arbitration).  She has been named to Mountain States Super Lawyers in Employment Law every year since 2007 and to the Corporate Counsel Super Lawyers for 2008, 2009 and 2010.    She was named a 2013 Best Employment Lawyer of the Year for Las Vegas by Best Lawyers.  The Best Lawyers in America included Kathleen in its 2015 edition under Employment and Labor Law.

Kathleen’s firm has received a Tier 1 Ranking in the 2014 and ’15 Editions of U.S. News-Best Lawyers:  “Best Law Firms”.

Admissions

Nevada

Florida

U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Memberships

Nevada State Bar.

Settlement Judge, Nevada Supreme Court Settlement Program.

Clark County Bar Association.

2014-15, President, Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys.

Board Member D.O.L. OFCCP Arizona-Southern Nevada Industry Liaison Group.

2002 to 2009, NV Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics and Election Practices, 2009 Chair.

Former Lawyer Representative from Nevada to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court.

Former Board Member, Nevada State Council of the Society of Human Resource Managers.

Former Board Member, North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Former Board Member, National Association of Women Business Owners.

Community Involvement

Ms. Paustian was nominated by her peers as a Colleague of the Nevada Law Foundation, which provides legal services to the disadvantaged.