Karen A. Whitley

Karen A. Whitley is a shareholder at Sheehan Phinney and a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment and Litigation Practice Groups. Based in Portsmouth, she focuses on management-side employment litigation and counseling. Her work includes discrimination, wage and hour, and restrictive covenant matters. She works closely with human resources professionals and in-house counsel, helping employers develop practical business approaches to workplace disputes, compliance questions, employment policies, and other challenging labor and employment issues.

Karen earned a J.D. from Boston College Law School and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Wellesley College. Her education supports a practice that combines legal analysis with day-to-day workplace counseling and litigation strategy. She is admitted in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and has built a practice serving private employers in industries that include banking, insurance, recruiting, education, hospitality, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals. Her academic and professional background supports careful advice on complex employment requirements.

Karen represents employers before anti-discrimination agencies and trial courts and counsels organizations on federal and state workplace laws. Her experience includes matters involving the FLSA, ADA, ACA, FMLA, WARN Act, COBRA, and related state requirements. She advises businesses ranging from start-ups to multinational companies and regularly reviews and updates employee handbooks. Her work helps employers address disputes, maintain compliant workplace practices, and make employment decisions with a clear understanding of legal and business risks.

Karen A. Whitley has received recognition for employment and labor work, including listings in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Labor and Employment and Massachusetts Super Lawyers for Employment & Labor Law. She has also held leadership and board roles with professional and community organizations. Her practice emphasizes close collaboration with employers and practical problem solving, helping organizations manage sensitive workplace issues while keeping business operations, legal obligations, and long-term employment relationships in view.

Law Office Affiliations

• Shareholder, Sheehan Phinney
• Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
• Member, New Hampshire Bar Association
• Member, Boston Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section
• Member, Wellesley Lawyers Network
• Former Advisory Board Member for Education & Training Branch, Greater Boston YMCA
• President, Wellesley College Alumnae of Boston
• Board Member, National Association of Women Business Owners (Boston)
• Board Member, Art beCAUSE Breast Cancer Foundation
• Member, The Boston Club
• In-School Mentor, Big Sister Association
• Member, Executive Women’s Golf Association
• Member, ProVisors

Licensed State

• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire

Education

• Boston College Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Wellesley College
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Magna Cum Laude)

Awards & Badges