Sarah A. Kelly

Of Counsel

Recent News:

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2025 Edition

Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Sarah concentrates her practice in employment law and employment discrimination law, and related litigation, sexual harassment law, and in counseling employers on issues in labor and employment law. She has nearly 35 years of experience, both at leading law firms and as in-house counsel for two major financial services corporations. 

Sarah provides practical experience in managing and litigating the full range of employment law issues, from individual cases to class action lawsuits. She also advises employers on issues in major downsizings, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, and provides employment law advice to employers as buyers and sellers in major corporate transactions. Her clients have included major retailers, manufacturers, professional services organizations, entrepreneurial companies, and hospital and health care employers. Sarah’s client-side experience has given her a unique perspective on how to forge workable solutions to real-world problems, enabling clients to avoid litigation or, when that is not possible, to best position themselves for success in the courts. 

Sarah is a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. From 2010 to 2019, she served on the College's Third Circuit Credentials Committee, the last three years as chair, charged with assisting the College's Board of Governors in evaluating and recommending nominees for fellowship in the College. She also has served as a Philadelphia Hearing Committee member for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Sarah has been a course planner and faculty member for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and at other major national employment law conferences, and has served as pro bono employment law counsel to various nonprofit agencies.

Sarah earned a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University in 1977. She earned a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1985.

Experience

Blogs

Class Action Defense Review

Summaries, Events, News and Analysis on Defense of Class Action Lawsuits

http://www.classactiondefensereview.com/

News

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2025 Edition

August 15, 2024

Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

31 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 11, 2024

Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 5 percent of attorneys are named Super Lawyers; only 2.5 percent of attorneys are listed as Rising Stars.

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys to its Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

August 17, 2023

Best Lawyers selected 232 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

42 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers & Rising Stars

May 24, 2023

Super Lawyers has selected 42 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2023 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

More Than 200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch

August 22, 2022

210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

49 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 01, 2022

Super Lawyers has selected 49 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

47 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

May 28, 2021

Super Lawyers has selected 47 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

Fifty-Eight Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 05, 2020

Super Lawyers has selected 58 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

63 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 16 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2020 Guide

May 14, 2020

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 63 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2020 edition.

64 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

May 21, 2019

Super Lawyers has selected 64 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Fifty-four Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 12, 2018

Super Lawyers has named 54 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Publications

Unnoticed Provision of New Tax Bill Makes Sex Harassment Settlements Subject to NDAs Not Deductible [Labor & Employment Alert]

January 08, 2018

Sarah Kelly, Kate Ericsson and Rory Moore discuss a provision in the new Tax Act proposed by Senator Robert Menendez, (D-N.J.) that bars deductions for settlement payments, including attorney’s fees, related to sexual harassment or sexual abuse if the settlement payment is subject to a nondisclosure agreement.

2013/2014 [Labor and Employment Observer]

January 01, 2014

We are pleased to provide you with our 2013/2014 Observer, which looks back at the developments in labor and employment law over the past year and forward to what employers can expect in 2014.

Summer 2011 [Labor and Employment Observer]

July 01, 2011

Our Summer 2011 Labor and Employment Law Observer covers topics of interest to in-house counsel, human resources professionals and corporate management.

Fall 2010 [Labor and Employment Observer]

October 28, 2010

We are pleased to present the latest edition of the Labor and Employment Observer. We hope you find this issue both useful and informative.

U.S. Supreme Court Holds Employer's Review of Employee's Text Messages Sent on Employer's Pager was Reasonable and Did Not Violate Fourth Amendment [Labor and Employment Alert!]

June 21, 2010

U.S. Supreme Court Holds Employer's Review of Employee's Text Messages Sent on Employer's Pager was Reasonable and Did Not Violate Fourth Amendment - Labor and Employment Alert! - In a closely watched case and in a nearly unanimous decision, the United States Supreme Court has held that the City of Ontario Police Department did not violate the Fourth Amendment privacy rights of its employee, police sergeant Jeff Quon, when it audited text messages he had sent and received on a department-issued paging device. City of Ontario, California, et al. v. Quon, et al., 560 U.S. ____ (2010).

2006 E-Discovery Seminar - New York (Marriott Financial Center) [E-Discovery Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure - Are You Prepared?]

November 14, 2006

2006 E-Discovery Seminar - New York (Marriott Financial Center) - E-Discovery Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure - Are You Prepared? - Accompanying seminar program book from the E-Discovery Seminar of 1/25/2007 at the New York Marriott Financial Center, Manhattan.

Events & Seminars

Past Events

2019 Labor and Employment Law Update

June 20, 2019 - Philadelphia, PA

2018 Labor and Employment Law Update

June 13, 2018 - Philadelphia, PA

Labor and Employment Law Update

June 14, 2017 - Philadelphia, PA

Education

  • University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., 1985
  • University of Pennsylvania, M.S., 1979
  • Tufts University, B.A., 1977

Awards & Honors

Chambers & Partners USA 2009-2020

Best Lawyers in America 2009-2025

Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers

Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, 2004-2024

International Who's Who of Management Labour & Employment Lawyers

  • Pennsylvania
  • Pennsylvania Supreme Court
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • American Bar Association
  • American Employment Law Council
  • Philadelphia Bar Association
  • The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers