Kay Kyungsun Yu

Kay Kyungsun Yu leads the Litigation and Employment & Labor Groups of Ahmad Zaffarese LLC. Her practice focuses on complex civil litigation, employment matters, including ERISA claims, general commercial actions, and representation of public employers in Act 111 interest arbitration. Understanding that people are at their best when they feel empowered, valued, and connected, Kay helps employers navigate civil rights, employment discrimination, and constitutional law to foster positive workplace relationships to efficiently resolve conflict and increase productivity. She has represented clients in matters involving Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Civil Rights Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, the Pennsylvania Criminal History Record Information Act, and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance. Prior to joining Ahmad Zaffarese LLC, Mayor Michael A. Nutter appointed Kay to serve as the Chairperson of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, the local agency charged with authority to enforce the City’s civil rights and anti-discrimination laws. Under her leadership, the PCHR convened 11 public hearings in 2010 to hear from the community on issues relating to intergroup tensions and violence in the City’s public schools. “Widening the Circle of Our Concern: Public Perceptions of the School District of Philadelphia’s Response to Intergroup Conflicts,” the report that presented the findings and recommendations from the public hearings, was published in March 2011. During the same period of time, partnering with the Mayor’s Office and City Council, Kay worked to overhaul, update and restate the City’s civil rights law. While the Fair Practices Ordinance had been amended in a piecemeal fashion from time to time since it was enacted in 1963, it had not been reworked in this fashion in nearly 60 years. Kay served as the Chair of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations from March 2009 until January 2013. Before her service with the Commission, Kay was a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP from 2004 to 2009, and an attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP from 1999 to 2004. An avid marathoner, Kay has completed 30 marathons including 10 Boston Marathons, 6 ultra-marathons, and 5 IronMan-distance triathlons.