Jennifer L. Berhorst
Jennifer L. Berhorst
Jennifer L. Berhorst
Biography
Jennifer Berhorst focuses on employer-side employment law, providing consultation, advice, and litigation services to employers in virtually all aspects of the employment relationship. Her consulting and advice practice includes compliance and best practices counseling, drafting employee policies, negotiating employment contracts, and conducting human resources training. Her employment litigation experience includes defending against claims of employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation under various state and federal laws (including Title VII, ADA, and FMLA), wage and hour violations under the FLSA and corresponding state laws, whistleblowing, restrictive covenant violations/enforcement (non-competes and non-solicits) and trade secret misappropriation. She has represented employers in administrative hearings and arbitrations, state and federal trials, and appellate arguments before federal appeals courts.
In addition to employment litigation, Jennifer is also experienced in complex commercial litigation such as business torts, breach of fiduciary duty, financial services litigation (including commercial and residential foreclosure), business contract disputes and fraud. She has also developed substantial experience in obtaining injunctive relief and defending against such requests (including temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions).
Jennifer is also recognized for her pro bono work, including having prosecuted multiple cases under the Hague Convention and successfully returning abducted children to their country of residency, obtained favorable immigration status for victims of human trafficking, and successfully represented numerous clients in obtaining guardianship of minors under their care.
Civic Involvement & Honors
- The Best Lawyers in America©: Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation and Labor and Employment Litigation, 2023-2025
- Super Lawyers "Rising Star," 2015-2022
- Missouri Bar Pro Bono Award for Outstanding Contributions in Hague Convention Cases, 2024
- Culver-Stockton College Outstanding Young Alumni Award, 2022
- Ingram’s Magazine, 40 Under Forty, 2019
- Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City - Board of Directors, 2016-2019
- Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions Leadership Program, 2015-2017
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society Kansas City Community Board Member
- KCMBA Bar Leadership Academy Graduate, 2013
- Missouri Bar Pro Bono Wall of Fame Recipient, 2013
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Missouri Bar Association
- Kansas Bar Association
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA)
- Ross T. Roberts Inn of Court
- LGBTQ+ Bar Association of Greater Kansas City
- Chair, Kansas City Recruiting Committee
- Chair, Kansas City Mentorship Committee
- Member, Steering Committee, BCLP Women’s Board
Admissions
-
Kansas, 2010
-
Missouri, 2009
-
United States District Courts for Kansas and the Western District of Missouri
US Court of Appeals, Eighth and Tenth Circuits
Education
University of Missouri-Kansas City, J.D., magna cum laude, 2009
Culver-Stockton College, B.A., summa cum laude, 2006
Related Capabilities
-
Employment & Labor
-
Cross-border Employment Issues
-
Consumer Finance Disputes
-
Finance
-
Investigations
-
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
-
Regulation, Compliance & Advisory
-
Financial Institutions
-
Employment Class & Collective Actions
-
Enforcement
-
Litigation
-
Regulation
-
Business & Commercial Disputes
Resources
Publications
- “Unmarried Cohabitating Couples: A Proposal for Inheritance Rights Under Missouri Law,” UMKC Law Review, 2008 – First place recipient of the 2008 Kansas City Estate Planning Prize Competition.
Related Insights
Oct 24, 2024
Apr 25, 2024
Aug 17, 2023
Aug 18, 2022
Jun 07, 2022
Dec 14, 2017