Kellee Boulais Kruse is a principal at The Employment Law Group® law firm with a passion for working on civil rights cases, especially those concerning discrimination. She has additional experience with contract disputes, whistleblower retaliation cases, and claims brought under state and federal statutes such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Energy Reorganization Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

Ms. Kruse represents both private-sector and federal employees. Prior employment with the government gives her an insider perspective on the federal employee experience and on the complexities involved with navigating government channels while protecting and helping clients. While working in a federal agency, Ms. Kruse came face-to-face with civil rights violations, which pushed her to pursue law and become an advocate.

Ms. Kruse has been with TELG since 2006, when she was hired as a law clerk while attending The George Washington University Law School. She is admitted to practice in D.C., Virginia, and various federal courts and has also gained extensive experience representing clients before administrative bodies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Merit Systems Protection Board; and the Office of Administrative Law Judges at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Since becoming an attorney, Ms. Kruse has worked on cases in unique areas of employment law such as family responsibilities discrimination and nuclear whistleblowers — thus, expanding fields with previously scarce case law. Those cases, along with an appellate decision that determined that federal whistleblowers have the right to a hearing if the MSPB denies them one, are now cited by others involved in similar lawsuits.

For Ms. Kruse, the concerns of her clients are always a priority, and she makes time to answer any and all questions they may have no matter how seemingly trivial. Her goal is two-fold: to ensure clients feel heard by making their case reflect the issues they consider important; and to give clients the confidence they need to share their experiences and fight for the justice they deserve.

“Sometimes people don’t even know whether help is available to them or if anything can be done,” Ms. Kruse says. “We can take them by the hand and walk them through the process of, for instance, requesting accommodations. And while we can’t promise retaliation won’t happen, we can be with them if it does.”

At TELG, Ms. Kruse often provides mentorship and advice to law clerks on a range of subjects from litigation to what it’s like to be a working mom. She has also helped former associates as they worked towards becoming principals with the firm.

Ms. Kruse serves as co-chair of the Employment Law Forum for the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia, where she is a mentor for rising women attorneys looking to break into employment law and litigation in general. She helps with fundraising and organizing panels on topics such as equal pay and what employers should consider when returning to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic. Her service with the WBADC and elsewhere reflects a dedication to elevating the social, economic, and legal status of women through the law — something she strives for in her daily work, too.

Ms. Kruse is also a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association and the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association, where she spoke on a conference panel regarding cases with newly emerging COVID-related issues. Ms. Kruse represented one of the first cases in district court that involved COVID-related discrimination.

Multiple publications have recognized Ms. Kruse for her work in representing employees. She was most recently named by The Best Lawyers in America for her expertise in employment law and litigation and by Lawdragon on its list of top 500 plaintiff-side employment lawyers across the country. In 2019, Super Lawyers recognized Ms. Kruse as a “Rising Star,” an honor based on peer evaluations and professional achievement that is only given to 2.5% of practicing lawyers in each state.

Ms. Kruse thinks of herself as a caretaker and has a compassionate heart that she pours not only into her cases but also into her family. At home, the Cub Scouts are a bit of a family affair. Ms. Kruse and her husband are den leaders for their daughter and son respectively. All four of them often go exploring the outdoors and camping, where Ms. Kruse learns interesting skills alongside her children such as cooking over a fire. Beyond that, Ms. Kruse also enjoys playing the piano and spending time with their dog, Rosie, and cat, Wilma.