Kathleen Peratis

Kathleen Peratis is a constitutional and civil right lawyer in New York City.  She was at Outten & Golden for 24 years, previously at O’Melveny & Myers; Clark, Wulf, Levine and Peratis; and is now a volunteer lawyer for The Center for Constitutional Rights.  

Peratis served as director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project from 1975 to 1979. She succeeded Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who founded the project and with whom she worked closely for many years.

Peratis brought lawsuits successfully challenging as unconstitutional laws that discriminated against women on account of gender, including on account of pregnancy.

In private practice for the last four decades, Peratis has continued to represent women and men who are entering or leaving executive or professional employment or are survivors of workplace discrimination and abuse. Her clients include people who are rising on the corporate and professional ladders as well as those who have lost promotions or jobs because of their race, religion, color, or LGBT status. She has recovered millions of dollars for these survivors, usually in settlement and sometimes at trial. Under Peratis’ leadership, the Public Interest Committee at Outten & Golden took on representation of people with workplace claims too small to be economically viable for most lawyers but too important to ignore.

Peratis has served on the Board of Directors for Human Rights Watch (HRW), as well as chair for the HRW Women’s Rights Division’s Advisory Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the New Israel Fund.