Overview
Kate Raabe is Senior Counsel in the firm's Denver office. She specializes in management labor and employment law, minority and women-owned business certifications, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliance matters and consultations for a wide range of other employment issues.
Kate has represented employers in numerous types of issues arising in employment settings, including matters before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), discrimination charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Colorado Civil Rights Division and wrongful discharge and other employment matters in state and federal court; as well as investigations and administrative proceedings related to OSHA complaints and wage/hour audits for Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Davis-Bacon matters. Kate has also handled trials and appeals against the City and County of Denver and the State of Colorado, Department of Regulatory Agencies related to Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), State Board of Equalization (SBE) and MWBE matters. As an expert witness, Kate has addressed statutory and regulatory matters related to collective bargaining and labor disputes.
A significant portion of Kate's practice involves representing management in traditional labor relations matters, including unfair labor practices; representation elections and collective bargaining negotiations with various building trades unions; strike, picketing, bannering and organizing activities and grievances; arbitrations and various other labor-related matters.
Another major emphasis of Kate's practice has been consultations, seminars, workshops and presentations educating individual clients and trade associations and their members on best practices and risk avoidance strategies, including preventive measures as well as proactive approaches to ensure compliance with current and newly enacted state and federal laws and regulations. Recent presentations and publications include "Medical Marijuana at Work" presented to the Independent Electrical Contractors Contractor College and the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado Contractor Academy; "Recognizing and Preparing for Union Salting and Other Labor and Employment Issues" to the IEC Contractor College; and "Hot Topics in Labor and Employment Law" for the Spring 2011 and Spring 2012 issues of the Merit Builder, published by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors.
Previous and current work-related activities include serving on the NLRB Region 27 Practices and Procedures Committee; the National Association of Women in Construction Region 112 Board of Directors; Associated Builders and Contractors Rocky Mountain Chapter Board of Directors; Women Construction Owners and Executives local and national boards of directors; and Denver’s Division of Small Business Opportunity CEI Advisory Council. The Colorado Women's Leadership Coalition has honored Kate with its Women Leaders of Excellence Award.
Kate’s legal career began as a judicial clerk for the Honorable John L. Kane of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.