Katherine M. Kimpel is a Partner in the Washington D.C. office of Sanford Wittels & Heisler, LLP.
Ms. Kimpel represents the interests of individuals in class actions across the United States in discrimination, wage and hour and other civil rights matters. Ms. Kimpel has secured victories for her clients in discovery, motions to dismiss, summary judgment, and public settlement phases. She has also successfully secured private settlements for both individuals and classes, resulting in significant confidential settlement dollars and in comprehensive institutional reform. Ms. Kimpel also coordinates recruitment and hiring for the firm.
Ms. Kimpel served at co-lead counsel representing 5600 female sales representatives for Novartis Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. in the largest gender discrimination case ever to reach trial. After a 5 week trial the jury found Novartis liable for discrimination in pay and promotion and related to pregnancy. The jury returned a verdict of $250 million in punitive damages and the entire class of 5600 women is also entitled to compensatory damages which could reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Before joining SWH in 2007, Ms. Kimpel served as Special Counsel to Senator Russell Feingold on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she handled criminal justice and other civil rights issues for the Senator. Ms. Kimpel also worked for the Commission on Safety and Abuse for America's Prisons, helping coordinate the Commission’s hearings and drafting sections of the Commission’s final report.
During her time at Yale, Ms. Kimpel served as the Chair of the Student Board for the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization and as the Student Director for clinics (1) providing civil legal services to the Latino and immigrant community in Fair Haven and (2) representing students across the state of Connecticut in a class action challenging the state’s education financing structure. She also directed the Street Law Program. Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Kimpel was awarded the Stephen J. Massey Prize for best exemplifying the values of the Yale clinical program.
Prior to law school, Ms. Kimpel taught fourth grade for the D.C. Public Schools.
