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Jennifer L. Bame
Partner
Louisville, KY
Partner
Louisville, KY
Jen represents employers in all manner of labor and employment matters, including federal and state employment litigation, EEOC charges, appeals, arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, injunction hearings, and unemployment hearings. She regularly obtains dismissals and other favorable outcomes for employers, having successfully defended against claims brought under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and Kentucky wage and hour law. Jen also helps employers avoid litigation by providing training and counseling on a variety of topics, including terminations, conducting investigations, employment policies, and other day-to-day workplace issues.
Jen graduated cum laude from Washington University School of Law in St Louis, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Washington University Journal of Law and Policy and Vice President of the Women’s Law Caucus. Before joining the firm, she worked as an Assistant Public Defender in Miami-Dade County where she represented indigent juveniles and adults through all stages of litigation including trial. Jen is also a published poet with a master’s degree in poetry writing from Columbia University.
Oller v. Central Bank (2022): dismissal on summary judgement of sex discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and breach of contract claims.
Alicia Gambrel v. Parkplace Homes (2022): dismissal of sex discrimination, hostile work environment, and unpaid commission claims.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #4 v. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Gvt. (2021): dismissal of Union’s complaint and upholding the City’s right to enact ordinance banning the use of no-knock warrants without bargaining with the Union.
James Simmons v. North American Stainless (2021): dismissal on summary judgment of disability discrimination and retaliation claims.
Nancy Quinette, et al. v. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Gvt. (2021): dismissal of claims alleging City violated collective bargaining agreement.
John Lee v. Trace3 LLC, et al. (2021): dismissal of breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #83 v. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Gvt. (2020): dismissal on summary judgment of claims alleging City failed to bargain and violated collective bargaining agreement.
Fitness Market Inc. v. Scheller’s Kentucky, et al. (2020): dismissal of complaint seeking temporary injunction and enforcement of non-compete agreement after hearing on motion for preliminary injunction.
Wiggins v. Holley Performance Products (2019): judgment in favor of employer after bench trial on breach of contract claim.
In re Mike-Sell’s Potato Chip Company and International Brotherhood of Teamsters (2019): dismissal of Complaint alleging unfair labor practices following remand hearing and appellate briefing.
Charles v. NGT (2019): dismissal on summary judgment of age discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, negligent retention, and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims.
Rose v. UPS (2019): dismissal on summary judgment of disability discrimination claim.
Johnson v. CCMA (2019): dismissal on summary judgment of sex discrimination claim.
Layman v. UPS (2019): dismissal on summary judgment of disability discrimination, sex discrimination, false light, and defamation claims.
McCoy v. Cambridge Franchise Holdings (2019): dismissal of discrimination, wrongful discharge, and wage and hour claims.
Wardlaw v. Autozone (2018): dismissal of retaliation and harassment claims.
Mullen v. Houston-Johnson Inc. (2018): dismissal on summary judgment of breach of contract and unpaid commissions claim.
Morton v. UPS (2018): dismissal on summary judgment of retaliation claim.
Crosby v. Ananda (2018): dismissal of complaint seeking temporary injunction and enforcement of non-compete agreement.
Vaughn v. Woodforest National Bank (2018): dismissal of wrongful termination claim.
Rawls v. UPS (2018): dismissal of wrongful termination claim.
Newell v. Ready Mix (2017): obtained preliminary injunction enforcing non-compete agreement in favor of employer.
Morcus v. Medicopy (2017): dismissal on summary judgment of fraud, tortious interference, negligent hiring, forgery, and consumer protection claims.
Washington University School of Law, J.D., 2014, cum laude
Columbia University, M.F.A., Poetry Writing, 2009
University of Florida, B.A., English, B.A., Sociology, 2006
Honorable Thomas H. Fulton, Chief Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Kentucky
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Selected for inclusion in Kentucky Rising Stars® 2023
The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch®, Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2023-2024; Labor and Employment Law – Management, 2024
Don Carter-Earl Tedrow Memorial Award, selected by the law school senior class as the exemplification of the aims of all those entering the profession of law, 2014.
Mary Collier Hitchcock Prize for outstanding writing, 2014.
Equal Justice Works Award for public service, 2014.
Dean’s Service Award for public service, 2014.
CALI Award for Mediation, 2013.
Tamanaha-Honorata Public Interest Award, 2013.
Award for Excellence in Oral Advocacy, 2012.
Scholar-in-Law Award, 2011-2014.
Graduate, Focus Louisville, May 2019
Member, Friends of the Louisville Zoo Board, 2016-present.
Member, Coalition for the Homeless Associate Board, 2018 – present.
Founding Member, Future Advocates in Training, St. Louis, MO., 2011-2014.
February 5, 2020: National Business Institute: Guide to Human Resource Laws in the Workplace: Workplace Behavioral Issues: Appropriately Handling Thorny Situations and Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring
December 4, 2019: FMLA Master Class: FMLA/ADA/Workers’ Comp Overlap
November 14, 2019: Madisonville, KYSHRM: Labor and Employment Law Update
November 13, 2019: Webinar: 2019 FMLA/ADA Cases That Make You Say “Hmmm?”
November 15, 2018: National Business Institute: Human Resource Law from A to Z: Employment Law Update and Imperative Information That Every Employee Handbook Should Contain
November 6, 2018: FMLA Master Class: Mastering FMLA Fundamentals
July 24, 2018: Business Leaders and Bagels: Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations
February 13, 2018: National Business Institute: Guide to Human Resource Laws in the Workplace: Workplace Behavioral Issues: Appropriately Handling Thorny Situations and Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring
May 23, 2017: FMLA Master Class: Managing Serious Health Conditions and Medical Certification
April 10, 2017: Back by Popular Demand! Balancing Your FMLA, ADA and Workers’ Compensation Legal Obligations
March 14, 2017: 14th Annual Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Conference: Handling Absences while Maintaining Productivity: The FMLA, ADA, and Workers’ Compensation Conundrum
March 7, 2017: Labor and Employment Seminar: The Future of Labor Law Under A New NLRB
January 18, 2017: Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s Remaining Union-Free Seminar
November 18, 2016: KYSHRM Leadership Conference: The Future of Right to Work in Kentucky
Paper, The Hardship of Undue Hardship: Discharging Student Loans in Bankruptcy in the Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Circuits, 22d Annual Mid-South Conference on Bankruptcy Law, Feb. 5, 2016.
Note. For Those Who Do Not Speak: Protecting Class Arbitration as the Last Collective-Action Option for Women, 46 WASH. U. J. L. & POL’Y 245 (2015).
