Denise K. Drake represents management in employment lawsuits, including collective, multi-plaintiff and multi-defendant employment actions, as well as in arbitration and mediation. She has obtained jury verdicts on behalf of management in cases involving:
- Sexual harassment
- Race discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Age discrimination
- Retaliation cases
Additionally, Denise has successfully obtained dismissals or summary judgments (upheld on appeal when challenged) in many cases filed across the nation. She has successfully defeated nationwide certification of several wage and hour collective actions; convinced plaintiffs to voluntarily dismiss approximately 30 actions; and advantageously used offers of judgment, questionnaires and other strategic tools to appropriately position cases for efficient and successful resolution.
She appears before:
- Federal and state courts
- The United States Supreme Court
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- The Missouri Commission on Human Rights
- The Nebraska Employment Opportunity Commission
Denise also helps management avoid litigation by providing proactive advice before issues become problematic, working with in-house counsel and managers to resolve day-to-day issues, and training managers and employees regarding their employment rights and responsibilities.
Prior to joining Littler, she was a human resources manager at an investment company. In law school, she was editor of the Kansas Law Review.
- Recipient, Outstanding Contributions Award - Webster University
- Recipient, Appellate Advocacy Awards - University of Kansas School of Law
- Recipient, C.C. Stewart Award - University of Kansas School of Law
- Order of the Coif
- Recipient, Forty Under 40 Award - Ingram's Magazine
- Named, Legal Leader - The Daily Record Kansas City
- Named, Top Lawyers - Corporate Counsel
- Named, Best of Bar - Kansas City Business Journal
- Named, Super Lawyer - Missouri and Kansas
- Named, Litigation Star - Benchmark Litigation
- Named, America's Leading Lawyers for Business - Chambers USA
- Named, International Who's Who of Management Labour and Employment Lawyers - Who's Who Legal, 2014
- Named, Top 250 Female Litigators in America - Benchmark Litigation
- Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- Named, Who's Who in American Law, 2014