Jones Day's Jessica Kastin Inducted as Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
The global firm Jones Day has announced that Jessica Kastin has been elected as a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers (CLEL), a non-profit professional association honoring the leading lawyers nationwide in the practice of labor and employment law. Admission as a Fellow is the highest recognition by a labor and employment lawyer's colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication, and excellence. Ms. Kastin was inducted as a Fellow during the CLEL's induction ceremony in New York City on November 16, 2024.
Ms. Kastin has more than two decades of experience advising employers on complex labor and employment matters. With a particular focus on issues arising under the National Labor Relations Act, she is regularly called upon by clients to handle high-stakes labor matters, such as collective bargaining negotiations, union elections and representation proceedings, unfair labor practice charges, grievance arbitrations, and strike preparation. "Jessica is a highly skilled labor and employment lawyer and this recognition by the College is well-deserved," said Liz McRee, Co-Leader of Jones Day's global Labor & Employment Practice.
Ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA for Labor Relations and L&E Transactions, she works closely with clients in various industries on identifying and achieving critical business objectives. Ms. Kastin has also advised on labor and employment matters in more than 100 completed transactions that include mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and spin-offs. Clients describe her as "a trusted adviser for the most complex and important matters" and "simply an outstanding labor and employment lawyer."
Some of her career achievements include: representing Verizon during a seven-week strike involving more than 35,000 employees and obtaining a rare injunction enjoining the union's unlawful secondary activity during the strike; serving as lead outside labor and employment counsel to General Electric in its spin off into three public companies; contributing to the successful revitalization of the City of Detroit by representing the City in its effort to re-negotiate various collective bargaining agreements; resolving a strike against the Hunts Point Terminal Market, the largest wholesale produce market in the country, by approximately 1,400 Teamsters working as essential workers during the pandemic; and, successfully negotiating first and successor collective bargaining agreements as lead negotiator for clients in different sectors around the country.
The College was established in 1995 through an initiative of the Council of the Section of Labor and Employment Law of the American Bar Association, and it operates as a free-standing organization, recognizing individuals who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the field. Membership is limited to lawyers who demonstrate the highest professional qualifications and ethical standards based on the College's principles of civility and professionalism.
