O’Melveny Worldwide
Areas of Focus
Areas of Focus

Kimberly Williams is a “full service” labor and employment attorney, representing employers across the spectrum of labor and employment litigation and counseling. Drawing from nearly two decades of labor and employment legal experience, she regularly advises clients on various complex employment matters, including hiring, firing, and other disciplinary action, wage and hour issues, leave issues, and compliance with federal and state employment-related laws and regulations. Kimberly also handles workplace investigations, including into claims of discrimination, pay disparity, harassment and retaliation. She regularly conducts employment law-related training, such as anti-discrimination, anti-harassment ‎training and employment law “best practices.” Kimberly also counsels clients on their diversity policies and programs.

An experienced litigator, Kimberly has defended employers in employment litigation matters involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful discharge. Kimberly regularly represents colleges and universities in a variety of matters, including Title IX litigation.

Additionally, Kimberly represents clients in enforcing and defending against non-competition, non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreements, as well as litigating concerning claims of unfair competition, misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract.

Kimberly has experience representing employers in all industries before various state and federal administrative agencies, including the Texas Workforce Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges and Administrative Review Board.

Kimberly also maintains a robust transactional practice, drafting employment agreements, severance agreements, non-competition agreements. She advises companies on both the seller and buyer-sides of mergers and acquisitions, helping to navigate the various employment issues that arise in M&A matters.

Read More

Get to Know Kim

Get to Know Kim

  • Defended individual and collective action claims for unpaid overtime and misclassification of employees in numerous industries, including food services and oilfield services
  • Defended various clients in US Department of Labor FLSA and FMLA investigations
  • Counseled numerous clients on wage and hour compliance and conducted internal wage and hour audits involving independent contractor issues, exempt vs. non-exempt classifications, travel time, work from home, pay-related policies, flexible workweek method of payment, and other minimum wage and overtime issues
  • Defended employers in a variety of industries before the US Department of Labor, the Office of Administrative Law Judges and the Administrative Review Board involving claims for whistleblower retaliation under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
  • Represented employers in a variety of industries, including insurance, consulting, manufacturing, distributing, healthcare, retail, higher education, and construction, in cases involving claims of age, sex, race, national origin and disability discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and various state law claims
  • Defended colleges and universities in Title IX litigation 
  • Represented employers in appeals at the state and federal level, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas
  • Represented employers in numerous cases involving violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Texas Payday Act
  • Represented numerous employers in EEOC proceedings and obtained "no cause" determinations
  • Represented employers in unemployment compensation hearings with the Texas Workforce Commission
  • Represented both employers and employees in cases involving covenants not to compete, misappropriation of trade secrets, and unfair competition
  • Counseled clients regarding enforceability of non-competition, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements
  • Counseled clients regarding compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Conducted human resource audits including wage and hour audits and I-9 audits
  • Counseled clients regarding plant closings and layoffs, including compliance with the WARN Act
  • Conducted internal investigations of pay equity, harassment and discrimination claims
  • Drafted and reviewed numerous employee handbooks and employment policies
  • Assisted in a variety of corporate transactions, including employment-related due diligence
  • Drafted executive employment agreements and executive severance agreements for companies in a variety of industries

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Texas

Court Submissions

  • US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit 
  • US District Court for the Eastern, Southern, Northern and Western Districts of Texas

Education

  • Baylor University School of Law, J.D., 2005: with honors; Associate Editor, Baylor Law Review
  • The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 2002

Honors & Awards

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment in Dallas, TX (2024-2025)
  • Super Lawyers® Texas Rising Star (2014-2019)
  • Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine (2023, 2018)
  • BTI Client Service All-Star (2018)
  • Up-and-Coming 100: 2017 Texas Rising Stars Top List
  • Up-and-Coming 50: 2017 Women Texas Rising Stars List

Professional Activities

Member

  • State Bar of Texas
  • Dallas Bar Association
  • Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
  • Texas Young Lawyers Association
  • Dallas Human Resource Management Association
  • Society for Human Resource Management

Board Member

  • The Summerlee Foundation