Kelly S. Hughes

Kelly S. Hughes


Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

Recognized since 2016

Charlotte, North Carolina

Practice Areas

Employment Law - Management

Litigation - Labor and Employment

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Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2023 - Employment Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2023 - Litigation - Labor and Employment
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Kelly Hughes has spent her career advising and supporting employers across multiple industries and in various forums. Ms. Hughes assists executives and management at all levels in crafting employment policies and agreements that not only comply with federal, state, and local laws but also complement the unique needs of the particular client and promote its financial and business objectives.

Ms. Hughes is a nationally recognized authority on workplace flexibility and guides clients in creating and/or enhancing workplace flexibility tools in a manner that balances the business needs of the client with the various employment laws that may be implicated. She authored the legal chapters of the recently published book Workflex: The Essential Guide to Effective and Flexible Workplaces and travels around the country delivering presentations on this cutting-edge topic.

Ms. Hughes is also an experienced advocate in both administrative and court settings in the full range of employment law, such as:

  • Discrimination and retaliation charges before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and state agencies, including both individual discrimination charges and threatened systemic actions
  • Handling wage and hour, discrimination, and retaliation complaints before the North Carolina Department of Labor
  • Litigating claims arising under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the North Carolina Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act, and other federal statutes and state laws
  • Representing employers, fiduciaries, insurers, and third-party administrators in employee welfare benefit plan litigation in federal and state courts
  • Advising employers on all human resource issues, including hiring, incentivizing, evaluating, disciplining, and terminating employees; managing difficult leaves of absence; planning and executing reductions in force; navigating gender transitions; complying with disability accommodation, religious accommodation, and nursing mother obligations; and guiding employers through internal investigations
  • Drafting, negotiating, and enforcing severance agreements, non-solicitation agreements, and non-competition agreements
  • Conducting management training, including EEO and anti-harassment/anti-discrimination training

    Within Ogletree, Ms. Hughes is the co-chair of the Retail Practice Group, a member of the EEOC Litigation Practice Group and the Hospitality Industry Group, the co-chair of the Flexibility/Awareness Subcommittee of Ogletree Deakins Women’s Initiative (ODWIN), a reduced hours advisor, and an ambassador to the Professional Development Committee.

Location
  • 201 South College Street, Suite 2300
    Charlotte, NC 28244
Education
  • Vanderbilt University, B.M.
Bar Admissions
  • Florida, United States
Affiliations
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Charlotte Women's Bar - Member
  • Mecklenburg County Bar Association - Member
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Member
  • Society for Human Resource Management - Member

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2023 - Employment Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2023 - Litigation - Labor and Employment
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Employment Law - Management, Charlotte (2023)
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment, Charlotte (2023)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
Awards:
  • AV Peer-Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Order of the Coif
  • University of Miami Law Review

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The Silent Epidemic


by Kelly S. Hughes

Obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders are far more common among lawyers than other professionals. It’s past time to address the problem.

Mental Health in Female Lawyers

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