Shareholder
Areas Of Practice
- Employment Law
- Corporate Law
- General Civil Litigation
- Construction Law
- Real Estate Law
- Administrative Law
Cathleen A. Martin is a Shareholder of Newman, Comley & Ruth P.C. and concentrates her practice in employment law, corporate law and general civil practice.
Ms. Martin is an experienced employment lawyer who counsels clients on day-to-day personnel issues including: wage-hour matters; discrimination and retaliation claims arising under federal and state law; non-compete, independent contractor and other employment agreements; unemployment compensation; I-9 compliance; and human resource policies. Ms. Martin has represented clients before the EEOC, various human rights commissions, the U.S. Department of Labor, Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations Commission, and the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission. Her practice also involves general commercial and business litigation matters for particular clients.
Ms. Martin was named in the Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers Magazine as a top employment law attorney and a rising star. She chaired the Missouri Bar Labor and Employment Law Committee for two years from 2001 to 2003 and was a contributing author of the Missouri Bar’s Employment Discrimination CLE Deskbook. She has given seminars on employment law issues for Associated Industries of Missouri, Missouri Ag Industries Council, Inc., the Missouri Bar, the Cole County Bar Association, Counsel on Education in Management, Sterling Education Services, Missouri State Employer’s Retirement System, and the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce. Prior to entering private practice, she was an assistant attorney general in the litigation division of the Missouri State Attorney General’s Office.
Ms. Martin was recognized by the Jefferson City Business Times in 2006 as one of Jefferson City’s 40 Under Forty for her contributions to her profession and the community. She is past President of the Jefferson City Breakfast Rotary Club and was named Rotarian of the Year for 1999-2000. She also is past chairperson of the Jefferson City Area Rape and Abuse Crisis Service and served on its Board for six years.
Ms. Martin was born in St. Charles, Missouri in 1971. She graduated summa cum laude from Truman University in Kirksville, Missouri, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. In 1996, she received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri School of Law.
Bar Admissions
- Missouri, 1996
- U.S. District Court Western District of Missouri, 1996
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1996
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Missouri Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Committee, Past Chair, 1997 to Present
- American Bar Association, 1996 to Present
- Eighth Circuit Bar Association, 2003 to Present
- Cole County Bar Association, 1997 to Present
- Women’s Law Association of Mid-Missouri, 2004 to Present
- Jefferson City Breakfast Rotary Club, Past President, 2006
- Society for Human Resource Management, 2000 to Present
- Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, 1999 to Present
- Jefferson City Young Life, Committee Member, 1996 to 2003
- Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Jefferson City Class of 1998
Published Works
- Missouri Employment Discrimination Deskbook-Affirmative Action Chapter, The Missouri Bar, 2001
- Employer’s Rights in Terminating Employees: Understanding At Will Employment, Kansas City Journal, May, 1999
- Enforcing the Rights of Missouri’s Elderly, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, February 22, 1999
Representative Cases
- Barnett v. Young Men’s Christian Association, Inc., 175 F.3d 1023, 2001, 8th Circuit
- Pollock v. Berlin Wheeler, Inc., 112 S.W. 3d 73 (Mo. App. W.D. 2003)
Classes/Seminars
- FMLA – What Employer’s Need to Know, Missouri State Employer’s Retirement System, 2016 to 2016
- Current Topics in Employment Law, Cole County Bar Association, 2016 to 2016
- Keeping Your Law Practice on Track: Fees, Billing, and Collections, Trust Accounting Basics, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, The Missouri Bar
- Guidelines for Directors of Non Profit Corporations, Missouri Coalition Celebrating Care Continuum Change, 2010 to 2010
- Employment Law Hot Topics: The Latest Interpretations, Sterling Education Services, 2009 to 2009
- FMLA Changes and New Regulations: What You Need to Know to Comply, Sterling Education Services, 2009 to 2009
- E-verify, Missouri Primary Care Association, 2009 to 2009
- Personnel Policies, Missouri Association of Soil and Water Conservation, 2008 to 2008
- Mechanic’s Liens, Meeks Building Center, 2008 to 2008
- Preventing FMLA Retaliation Claims; Lessons Learned from Recent Cases to Discover What Went Wrong and What Went Right, Council on Education in Management, 2007 to 2007
- Safeguarding your Organization from Wrongful Discharge Claims, Recent Changes in Overtime Exemptions and How to avoid the Most Common Wage and Hour Violations and Workplace Harassment Policies and Investigations, AccuPay APS, L.L.C., 2005 to 2005
- Unemployment Law/Workers’ Compensation Update, The Missouri Bar, 2004 to 2004
- Recent Developments Impacting the Labor and Employment Law Practitioner, The Missouri Bar, 2003 to 2003
- Deciphering Whether Your Employee Has a “Serious Health Condition”: Preventing Misuse and Abuse of the FMLA, Council on Education in Management, Personnel Law Update, 2003 to 2003
- How to Terminate an Employee without Prompting a Lawsuit, Council on Education in Management, 2002 to 2002
- How to Terminate an Employee Lawfully, The Missouri Bar, 2002 to 2002
- How to Terminate an Employee Lawfully, The Missouri Bar, 2001 to 2001
- Avoid the Most Common and Surprising Legal Pitfalls in Your Reference Checking Practices, Council on Education in Management – Personnel Law Update, 2000 to 2000
- Employee Arbitration Agreements, The Missouri Bar, 1999 to 1999
- Family Medical Leave Act, The Missouri Bar, 1999 to 1999
- Can I Go to Jail for not Paying Overtime?, Missouri Ag Industries Council, Inc., 1999 to 1999
- Missouri’s Employee Service Letter and Reference Letter Statutes, Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999 to 1999
- Mental Disorders Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Missouri Bar, 1998 to 1998
- Addressing Employee’s Substance Abuse Problems, Associated Industries of Missouri, 1998 to 1998
- Best Practices in Employee Feedback, Discipline & Termination , The Missouri Bar, 2018 to 2018
- The Superintendent’s Contract, Missouri Association of School Administrators, 2014 to 2014
- Arbitrating Employment Disputes: Private & Public Issues , 2001 to Present
Past Employment Positions
- Missouri Office of Attorney General, Litigation Division, Assistant Attorney General, 1996-1997
Pro Bono Activities
- MO Bar’s Call-A-Lawyer Program, 1997 to 2000
- Jefferson City Rape and Abuse Crisis Service, Inc. (General Legal Services), 1998 to 2003
- Capital City Boys & Girls Club (General Legal Services), 2000 to 2000
- Jefferson City Rape & Abuse Crisis Center (Board of Directors – Past Chair; Board member) , 1998 to 2004
Education
- University of Missouri Columbia School of Law, Columbia, Missouri
- J.D. – 1996
- Honors: Board of Advocates Order of Barristers
- Honors: Roscoe Anderson Moot Court Award
- Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
- B.A. – 1993
- Honors: summa cum laude
- Major: Business Administration
- Major: Journalism
Honors and Awards
- Named by Super Lawyers Magazine as a top employment law attorney in Missouri and Kansas, 2010-2012
- Named by Super Lawyers Magazine as a rising star in Missouri and Kansas
- Jefferson City Business Times, 40 Under Forty, 2006
- Jefferson City Breakfast Rotary Club, Rotarian of the Year
- The Zonta Club of Jefferson City, Woman of Achievement Nominee
