Kimberly V. Riley

Partner

Kim’s practice is focused on counseling employers in maintaining compliance with employment and civil rights law; designing and implementing personnel policies and workplace training; and defending them in civil litigation.  In addition, she practices in the areas of attorney and judicial ethics, and defends disciplinary matters before the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct and the Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness. For the entirety of Kim’s career, her practice has predominantly entailed representing Ohio’s judges in employment, civil rights, and disciplinary matters; she also defends political subdivisions and other elected officials. 

In addition, Kim dedicates a large portion of her practice to assisting Ohio judges in maintaining compliance with the law and adopting best practices.  She regularly provides them with pre-litigation counseling in employment and civil rights matters, and she conducts a wide variety of training courses to judges, court management, and court staff.  She has been certified in Human Resources by the National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management, and she has taught an extensive number of training courses for the Ohio Judicial College, various Ohio judges associations, and the Ohio Association for Court Administration; in addition, she has conducted training and seminars for a variety of Ohio courts and political subdivisions, the Arkansas Administrative Office of Courts, the Arkansas Judicial Conference, and various bar associations and professional organizations.  Kim is the sole author of the Ohio chapter of BNA’s State-by-State Wage and Hour Law Treatise and its annual supplements; the fourth edition is scheduled to be released this year.

Professional Details

Case Decisions

Presentations & Articles

Awards and Recognition

  • Ohio Super Lawyers 2016-2024
  • Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars (five-time recipient)

Affiliations

  • Master of the Bench, American Inns of Court—Cleveland Employment Inn of Court
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association: Labor & Employment Section member and former chair, Ethics and Professionalism Committee member and former chair, Bar Admissions Committee member
  • West Shore Bar Association
  • Cincinnati Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute 

Education

  • J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law
  • B.A. with honors, Communication Arts, University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences

Specialized Training and Experience

  • Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist, Ohio State Bar Association
  • National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management—certified faculty in Human Resources Management
  • Former adjunct instructor, Cuyahoga Community College Paralegal Program
  • Former adjunct instructor, University of Cincinnati Paralegal Program

Admissions

  • Ohio
  • Kentucky
  • United States Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky 

Community Involvement

Kim is dedicated to providing support to special needs children and their families. She serves on the Board of Directors of Connecting For Kids—a nonprofit that provides education and support for families with concerns about their child. One of Kim’s proudest accomplishments was having the opportunity to testify before the Ohio General Assembly on proposed autism legislation.

  • Disciplinary Counsel v. Cannata, Slip Op. No. 2016-Ohio-3027, 2016 Ohio LEXIS 1329 (Ohio May 18, 2016)
  • Disciplinary Counsel v. Brockler, 145 Ohio St.3d 270, 2016-Ohio-657, 48 N.E.3d 557 (Ohio 2016)
  • Elfers v. Varnau, 101 F. Supp. 3d 753 (S.D. Ohio 2015)
  • Morrow v. Stoner, No. 5:13-CV-1272, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124470 (N.D. Ohio Sept. 5, 2014)
  • Ohio State Bar Assn. v. McCafferty, 140 Ohio St.3d 229, 2014-Ohio-3075, 17 N.E.3d 521 (Ohio 2013)
  • Marsilio v. Vigluicci, No. 5:11-CV-1974, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61587 (N.D. Ohio Apr. 30, 2013)
  • Disciplinary Counsel v. Plough, 128 Ohio St.3d 1203, 2011-Ohio-1082, 943 N.E.2d 568 (Ohio 2011)
  • Disciplinary Counsel v. Campbell, 126 Ohio St.3d 150, 2010-Ohio-3265, 931 N.E.2d 558 (Ohio 2010)
  • Borkowski v. Abood, 117 Ohio St.3d 347, 2008-Ohio-857, 884 N.E.2d 7 (Ohio 2008)
  • Cent. Ohio Alternate Program v. Ballinger, No. 3:06-CV-1083, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45522 (N.D. Ohio June 22, 2007)
  • List v. Akron Mun. Court, No. 5:05-CV-1556, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7358 (N.D. Ohio Feb. 27, 2006)
  • Martin v. Licking Cty. Common Pleas Court Juvenile Div., No. 2:03-CV-867, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9013 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 22, 2005)
  • Wargo v. Moon, 323 F. Supp. 2d 846 (N.D. Ohio 2004)
  • Pancake v. McCowan, 64 Fed. App’x 464 (6th Cir. 2003)
  • Aliff v. Parker, No. C-1-02-092, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21422 (S.D. Ohio July 23, 2002)

Presentations

Kim regularly designs and presents seminars and workshops for judges, attorneys, employers, administrators, human resources professionals, supervisors, and employees on various facets of employment, civil rights, and ethics law. 

Supreme Court of Ohio - Judicial College

Since 1999, Kim has been a regular instructor for the Ohio Judicial College. She lectures at seminars twice annually for newly appointed and elected judges on the various employment law and civil rights considerations in exercising their administrative responsibilities. At other times throughout the year, she presents seminars for judges, court professionals, and personnel on various topics affecting the administration of the Courts, including:  implementing best practices in Human Resources; ensuring compliance with employment, civil rights, and ethics law, as well as the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct and Code of Judicial Conduct; and establishing operations that uphold the fair administration of justice and public confidence. 

National Center for State Courts—Institute for Court Management

Kim is also a certified instructor for the National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management.  The NCSC-ICM provides a certification for Court Administrators and other professionals to be licensed as “Certified Management Professionals,” or CMPs.  Kim regularly teaches a 16-credit hour module within Phase I of the national program, “Human Resources Management,” which covers the essentials of employment law and human resources in a three-day, interactive course.

Individualized Training in Courts and Other Political Subdivisions

In addition to her extensive work with the Ohio Judicial College, Kim regularly provides “in-house” training sessions for courts and other political subdivisions across the state. In recent years, this has included topics such as:

  • Legal Compliance and Best Practices in Managing Human Resources
    • Setting Up a Good Shop
    • Finding and Selecting the Right Candidate
    • Complying With the Law in Using/Considering Background Checks
    • Maximizing Performance Through Effective Management
    • Transitioning From Employee to Supervisor—Managing Your Former Peers
    • Emotional Intelligence in Management
    • Wage and Hour Law Compliance
    • Addressing Medical Concerns: FMLA, ADA, GINA
    • Avoiding Civil Rights Violations
    • Unique Challenges in Managing the Public Sector Workforce
    • Discipline and Terminations
  • Ethics Training
    • Providing Quality Customer Service Without Dispensing Prohibited Legal Advice
    • Avoiding Nepotism and Conflicts of Interest
    • Best Practices in Addressing Gifts, Business Relationships, Fraternization, and Romantic Relationships
    • Considerations in Social Media

Bar Association and Private Education Seminars

Kim is often asked by bar associations and other private education providers to present on employment and ethics related topics. She has addressed a wide range of topics beyond those above, including:

  • Attorney/Judicial Disciplinary Process Overview
  • Trust Account Compliance For Lawyers
  • Fee Agreement Compliance For Lawyers
  • Ethical Requirements in Lawyer Advertising and Solicitation
  • Legal Ethics of Technology and Social Media
  • Succession Planning For Lawyers
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Concerns in the Legal Profession
  • Legal Advice vs. Legal Information for Paralegals

Publications

Wage and Hour Laws: A State-by-State Survey (3rd ed. 2017) (sole author of Ohio chapter of 2004 treatise and annual supplements, second edition in 2011 and annual supplements, and current edition and annual supplements)

Ethical Obligations When Working With the Abruptly Unavailable Attorney, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal (Feb. 2016)

Aggressive New Wage and Hour Regulations Anticipated Soon, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal (May 2011)

ABA/BNA Cumulative Supplement to The Family and Medical Leave Act (contributing author 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)

Public Records Liability for Courts Under Kish v. City of Akron, For the Record: News for the Ohio Courts (Second Quarter 2006), at 8

State-By-State Wage and Hour Law (BNA 2001) (co-author of Ohio chapter of treatise)

ABA/BNA Cumulative Supplement to Age Discrimination in Employment Law (contributing author 2000)

Morgan v. Fairfield Family Counseling: Duty to Control?, 9 J. L. & Social Work 25 (1999) (co-author)

The Effect of Sex and Feminist Orientation on Perceptions of Sexually Harassing Communication, 20 Women’s Studies in Commc’n 25 (1997) (co-author)

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