Alert 12.17.25
U.S. DOJ Rolls Back Disparate Impact Rule
DOJ Amends Its Title VI Regulations to Eliminate Disparate-Impact Liability
Jean is an exceptional litigator who has an unparalleled expertise in employment law, but what makes her truly invaluable is her command of the intricate details of our business. She is our trusted advisor and advocate.
Jean Kuei, Pillsbury’s Labor & Employment Practice Group leader, is an experienced employment attorney representing corporate employers in the firm’s Washington, DC, and San Francisco offices. Jean is known not only for her employment litigation skills but also for her ability to resolve complex, high-stakes workplace disputes effectively and creatively. Jean also serves as a leading member of the firm’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) Litigation and Investigations practice, responding to activist shareholder proposals, conducting race and pay equity audits and advising on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Jean’s litigation experience covers a diverse range of employment charges and cases, from single or multi-plaintiff retaliation, discrimination, harassment and whistleblower matters to large wage and hour class, collective and PAGA representative actions. She has obtained defense verdicts at trials and at arbitration hearings and resolved several matters on dispositive motions in both court and arbitration. Jean has also served as a hearing officer to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, which is the central support entity for the federal judicial branch.
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Jean guides employers through the interplay of complex federal and state employment laws in addition to providing strategic advice on a broad range of issues, including artificial intelligence, privacy, affirmative action, disparate impact, reductions in force, performance management, restrictive covenants, trade secrets, breach of contract and unfair competition. She assists with crisis management, conducts management training, leads global investigations, negotiates employment and severance agreements, and regularly lectures and authors articles on employment-related topics. Jean also serves as a trusted advisor to trade associations, nonprofit organizations, small businesses and global Fortune 50 companies across a wide array of industries, including the energy and technology, financial, medical device, pharmaceutical and retail sectors.
Jean has been recognized as a Super Lawyer in California and a Best Lawyer in the District of Columbia in labor and employment law. In addition, Jean has been recognized as a BTI Client Service All-Star, which draws solely on in-depth, unsolicited feedback from top legal decision makers at large corporations as part of BTI’s ongoing Annual Survey of General Counsel. As a pragmatic and persuasive attorney, some of Jean’s clients have given her the moniker “Plaintiff’s whisperer.”
Jean is committed to diversity and community service. In addition to her role on various firm management and DEI committees, she also serves on the Alumni Executive Council of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and on the Board of Directors for Friends of Forensics. In 2021 and 2022, Jean partnered with Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. to help develop and staff an in-house diversity accelerator program. Otsuka’s program won the 2021 In-House Innovator Award with the Association of Corporate Counsel for the National Capital Region. Jean was also a recipient of the Greater Washington Urban League’s President’s Award for exemplary legal, community and pro bono service.
In 2015 and 2018, Jean served as a secondee to the HR Law Group of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Representative Experience
- Performed a review of a global financial services company’s mandatory employee arbitration program in response to a shareholder request. The review included an assessment of the company’s processes and procedures toward employee dispute resolution and workplace culture.
- Awarded a significant fee award by arbitrator (who is a high-profile plaintiffs’ employment attorney) on defendant’s motion for sanctions based upon plaintiff’s frivolous claim for wrongful termination. Secured summary judgment on plaintiff’s other age and gender discrimination claims. Obtained a complete dismissal of plaintiff’s remaining retaliation and pay discrimination claims following a full evidentiary hearing.
- Obtained judgment in a 57-page bench decision in favor of the defendant in a negligent misrepresentation case in the District of Columbia Superior Court.
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- Obtained a judgment in favor of defendant following a high-profile disability discrimination and retaliation arbitration in North Carolina. Secured voluntary dismissal of plaintiff’s four other claims with various administrative agencies.
- Secured summary judgment in favor of defendant, an international retail chain, in a pregnancy discrimination and retaliation lawsuit, in the United States District Court of Georgia.
- Helped secure a full dismissal of a systemic discrimination complaint into the criminal background check policies and procedures of a Fortune 100 NYSE bank.
- Secured summary judgment in favor of defendant, a large mortgage company, on a nine-count complaint for disability and race discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination in violation of public policy, among other infractions.
- Obtained dismissal of a tortious conduct and breach of contract claim in favor of a well-known sports agent in front of an arbitrator appointed by the National Football League’s Players’ Association.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized by Best Lawyers for Litigation – Labor and Employment (2023–2026)
- Chair of Alumni Council, Executive Council, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2025–2026)
- Chair-Elect of Alumni Council, Executive Council, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2024–2025)
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- Chair of Programs Committee, Executive Council, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2023–2024)
- Member, Pillsbury’s Board Nominating Committee (Current)
- Recognized as a BTI Client Service All-Star (2019)
- 2016 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow
- Recipient of the Greater Washington Urban League’s President’s Award for exemplary legal, community and pro bono service, 2016.
- Super Lawyers, Rising Stars (2005)
- Speaking Engagements
- “DEIA and The Law - Navigating the Legal Landscapes of DEIA,” American Health Law Association Advancing Equity in Health Law Symposium, April 2, 2024.
- “The Current State of DEI in America – Recent Cases and Legislative Developments,” Manufacturers Alliance, October 2023.
- “Association Law Essentials: CEO Employment Agreements and Antitrust Developments,” Association Law Essentials: Online Seminar Series, Sept. 28, 2023.
- “Modern Work Arrangements: A Gift or a Curse?,” Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman MCLE Marathon, Virginia, Sept. 26, 2019.
- California Employment Law Outlook 2019 Presentation, San Francisco, December 2018.
- “Avoiding Potential Pitfalls in Pre-Hire Screening and On-Boarding Employees,” Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Annual MCLE Marathon, Virginia, Sept. 20, 2018.
- “The Lessons of Crisis and Setback – in Career and Life,” 18th Annual Charting Your Own Course Career Conference (CYOC), Orlando, FL, Feb. 9, 2018. Panelist.
- “Implicit Bias Toolkit: A Guide to Recognizing and Eliminating Bias in the Legal Profession,” Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Annual MCLE Marathons, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, January 2018.
- California Employment Law Outlook 2018 Presentations, Palo Alto and San Francisco, December 2017.
- Associations
- Vice-chair of the Programs Committee for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
- Member, National Women’s Law Center Leadership Advisory Committee
- Former Mid-Atlantic regional lead and executive council member, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
Education
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J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 2003
Staff Editor, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy; Gourley Mock Trial Team MemberB.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2000
summa cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Admissions
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District of Columbia
California
Courts
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All State and Federal Courts, District of Columbia
All State and Federal Courts, California
Languages
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Chinese (Mandarin)