Ryan P. Kennedy

Ryan Kennedy is a partner in Burke’s Orange County office and a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group.

Ryan is an experienced advisor to California employers of all sizes and a seasoned litigator with over a decade of experience representing employers in court, arbitration, and before Federal and State Administrative bodies.

As a trusted advisor, Ryan regularly guides employers through pre-employment screening, interviewing, and hiring, employee discipline and terminations, employee complaints and workplace investigations, disability accommodations, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, executive contracts, employee classification, reduction in force (RIF), regulatory audits, and risk assessment, in addition to compliance with Federal and State regulatory schemes, including The Fair Labor Standards Act, Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), California Labor Code, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), California Family Rights Act (CFRA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), the Civil Rights Act, and California Wage Orders, among many others. Central to litigation avoidance is the development of sound policies and procedures that reflect current law and best practices. Ryan’s practice also involves preparing or updating employee handbooks, non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements, as well as general employment policies and procedures, arbitration agreements, and reviewing performance documentation.

Ryan also represents California employers against claims made by current or former employees, whether a single litigant or class and representative actions, for wage and hour violations, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) violations, wrongful termination, harassment, retaliation, and discrimination claims in federal and state courts, in arbitration, and numerous federal, state, and local administrative bodies such as the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). Ryan has a wide range of litigation experience, representing private and public employers in the hospitality, education (public, for-profit, and non-profit), construction, transportation, retail, non-profit, and food and beverage industries, to name a few.

Ryan is also a veteran. Before becoming an attorney, Ryan served six years in the United States Navy as a First Class Machinist Mate onboard the Los Angeles Class submarine, USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723).