Kierra Powell

A lifelong interest in the criminal justice system led Kierra to law school, but a clerkship with a federal court showed her that her passion was civil law, not criminal. She quickly found herself drawn to labor and employment cases and chose to focus her own practice in the field.

Kierra routinely handles internal investigations, particularly those involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, or civil rights violations. She’s passionate about the process of digging through witness interviews and other evidence to determine what occurred, and she loves working with employees and executives to fix problems and implement improved policies going forward. Kierra values the opportunity to help clients make their companies better, more inclusive places to work.

While Kierra’s primary focus is investigative work and preventative counsel, she has also assisted with litigation and has attended mediations, negotiated settlements, drafted court documents, and handled depositions. She previously managed more than 500 cases on behalf of a defendant in a federal multidistrict litigation.

Early in her career, Kierra was seconded to a large, privately held automotive company, where she drafted, negotiated, and reviewed contracts; assessed marketing materials and ensured compliance with legal regulations; and handled customer complaints received from third party entities. This experience taught her how to operate in the most efficient, cost-effective manner—and how important these considerations were to in-house counsel. She also saw firsthand the value of taking preventative steps to avoid future litigation, a lesson she applies daily to her labor and employment advice.