Business Litigation
Our Business Litigation practice group offers the experience of seasoned lawyers who recognize the value of solving problems to promote your business success.
Complex Tort Defense
Since its founding in 1988, a staple of Conn Kavanaugh’s practice has been the defense of business entities in serious and complex personal injury or property damage actions.Construction
Whether you are the owner, design professional, general contractor, project administrator, subcontractor, or supplier on a construction project, our Construction practice will assist you in achieving a successful project outcome.Corporate / Transactional
Our Corporate/Transactional practice has a broad range of skills. This versatility allows them to remain a principal point of contact with our business clients and to move freely across multiple disciplines to ensure continuity of representation.
Criminal / White Collar / Regulatory
We have extensive experience advising businesses and individuals who are the subject of criminal or regulatory investigations or proceedings.
Employment Litigation / Counseling
Employers and employees alike look to Conn Kavanaugh’s employment lawyers for advice in navigating the increasingly complex web of state and federal statutes,Estate Planning / Administration
Our Estate Planning attorneys help individuals and their families plan for the future and protect their assets. We handle all aspects of estate planning.
Family Law / Probate Litigation
Our experienced Family Law/Probate Litigation attorneys work zealously to ensure rightful asset distributions in these emotionally charged proceedings. Our group handles a wide range of areas including prenuptial agreements, custody disputes, and post-divorce support or estate modifications.
Insurance Litigation
Land Use / Real Estate Litigation
Our Land Use/Real Estate Litigation practice has extensive experience in handling real estate disputes of all kinds and at all levels. We can develop a strategy for your dispute.Mediation / Arbitration
Having litigated hundreds of cases, the Mediation/Arbitration practice is well-equipped to effectively value cases to resolve disputes according to your needs and goals.
Product Liability
Conn Kavanaugh’s lawyers regularly represent manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in defending against product liability claims.Professional Liability
Our trial attorneys are accomplished in defending claims against attorneys, health care professionals, insurance agents and brokers, and other professionals.Real Estate
Our Real Estate practice provides skilled representation in a variety of transactions, including the financing, leasing, acquisition and disposition of commercial properties.
- Business Litigation
- Complex Tort Defense
- Construction
- Corporate / Transactional
- Criminal / White Collar / Regulatory
- Employment Litigation / Counseling
- Estate Planning / Administration
- Family Law / Probate Litigation
- Insurance Litigation
- Land Use / Real Estate Litigation
- Mediation / Arbitration
- Product Liability
- Professional Liability
- Real Estate
Architects/Engineers
Conn Kavanaugh has a wealth of experience advising and representing architects and engineers in many aspects of their businesses.
Cannabis
Closely Held/Family Businesses
Conn Kavanaugh’s business attorneys have a broad range of skills and are very experienced in providing legal services to family-owned and other closely-held businesses.
Construction
Conn Kavanaugh has provided an array of services to private and public clients in the construction industry, including the manufacturers of building materials and systems.Financial Services
Conn Kavanaugh draws upon a wide range of disciplines to meet the needs of individual and institutional clients in the financial services industry.
Food and Beverage
Our decades of work in the food and beverage industry, including alcohol regulatory and distribution, have permitted us to gain expertise and insight into the typically fast paced and challenging world of our clients engaged in the food and beverage industry.Government
Conn Kavanaugh provides an array of services to clients in the public sector, including state agencies, municipalities, and public officials.Healthcare
The Conn Kavanaugh team has the skills and experience necessary to successfully maneuver our clients through the increasingly complex and highly regulated environment of the health care industry.Insurance
Our lawyers work with our insurance industry clients in a variety of ways. We represent their insureds in virtually every type of lawsuit for which insurance coverage is available. We represent insurance companies directly in bad faith actions, and in high-exposure losses or losses that present unusual or challenging coverage issues.Law Firms
Since the firm was founded in 1988, our attorneys have been known as “lawyers’ lawyers.”Manufacturing
Conn Kavanaugh has broad experience in representing the interests and needs of various manufacturers.
Real Estate
Conn Kavanaugh has a wealth of experience in the real estate field.Staffing and Recruiting
Staffing companies and Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) are playing an increasingly important role in many aspects of human resource management, as employers are relying more and more on staffing companies and PEOs for payroll and employee benefit administration, risk management, and other increasingly complex administrative burdens.
Kathleen R. O'Toole
Associate
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Print Full BioKate focuses her practice on civil litigation, representing businesses and individuals, with a focus on employment matters and business litigation. In her employment practice she represents employers facing a variety of employment litigation issues, such as discrimination and wage and hour claims, as well as non-litigation counseling of clients concerning compliance with state and federal employment laws. In addition, Kate also defends professional liability claims, and advises clients on insurance coverage matters.
Kate has represented clients in various Massachusetts Trial Courts (including District, Superior, and Probate and Family) and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She has also represented clients at various administrative agencies, including:
- Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination,
- Department of Industrial Accidents,
- Department of Unemployment Assistance,
- Board of Registration in Nursing,
- Board of Registration in Medicine; and
- Board of Bar Overseers.
Earlier in her legal career, she primarily represented plaintiffs in motor vehicle, general liability, workers' compensation, product liability, nursing home negligence, and medical malpractice claims. Her experience representing clients on both sides of the "v" has given her valuable perspective.
Kate is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School, and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College. She has also been named a “Rising Star” by the rating service Super Lawyers for the past four years (2013-2016). She is an active member of several local bar associations, as well as the Wellesley Lawyers Network. Kate has served on the Civil Litigation Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association, as well as the General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section Council, and has served as a co-chair of the Women’s Bar Foundation Comedy Night event for the past two years (2016 and 2017).
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- Suffolk University Law School, J.D., cum laude (2011)
- Wellesley College, B.A. (2006)
Court Admissions
- Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
- United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Recognition
- Selected as Massachusetts Rising Star by Law & Politics and the publishers of Boston Magazine (2013 - 2018)
Professional Affiliation and Activities
- Massachusetts Bar Association, Member
- Boston Bar Association, Member
- Women's Bar Association, Member
- Massachusetts Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Council, Member (2011-2012; 2012-2013)
- Massachusetts Bar Association General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section Council (2013-2014)
