Carolyn Theis

Carolyn Theis is a trusted legal advisor committed to consistently delivering favorable, practical, and cost-effective solutions for her clients, tailoring legal strategies and solutions to best suit the needs and operational realities of each client. She is a seasoned litigator and routinely represents individuals and businesses of all sizes before a variety of tribunals, including state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD), and the Colorado Department of Labor (CDLE), in matters involving alleged violations of the following employment laws:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII)
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• 42 U.S.C. §1981 (Section 1981)
• The Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA)
• The Health Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA)
• The Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Act
• The Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights (POWR) Act
• The Colorado Wage Act (CWA)
• The Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA)

Carolyn also provides advice and counsel on a wide range of employment issues including those involving hiring and onboarding, performance management and discipline, accommodating disabilities, leaves of absence, and terminations. In addition, Carolyn assists clients in drafting and advising employment agreements, separation documents, and workplace policies and procedures to align with evolving state and federal employment laws and best practices.

Carolyn is an active member in Littler’s Transportation Industry Practice Group, and a substantial part of Carolyn’ practice involves representing clients in the airline industry. Carolyn understands the challenges of balancing legal exposure and liability with the operational realities of aviation and has built strong industry relationships and fluency, collaborating with corporate and human resources teams, pilots, flight attendants, unions, government regulatory officials, airport staff, aviation medical examiners, and aviation experts.

Carolyn’s airline experience includes representing Part 121 air carriers in grievance arbitrations and mediations concerning discipline and collective bargaining interpretation before the National Mediation Board (NMB) and whistleblower complaints before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR21). Carolyn also represents airline clients in litigation and regulatory audits, including those concerning compliance with state paid sick leave and wage and hour laws, and has extensive experience presenting legal challenges to those laws under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), Airline Deregulation Act (ADA), and Federal Aviation Act (FAA). In addition, Carolyn routinely counsels airline clients on a wide variety of labor and employment matters for avoidance of employment claims and regulatory compliance. She offers strategic and practical solutions on a wide range of employment issues including those concerning dependability, social media, discrimination and harassment, investigations, classification, training repayment agreements, and terminations, including reductions in force. 

Carolyn is a member of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). She is also passionate about supporting working parents with young children and built a marketplace in the Denver office where attorneys and staff can shop for and recycle baby and toddler essentials.

Carolyn worked as an associate in Littler’s Denver office for seven years prior to becoming a Littler shareholder. Before joining Littler, Carolyn was an associate at a full-service law firm in St. Louis, Missouri where she was also a summer associate. During law school, Carolyn served as a judicial extern for the Hon. Judge Shirley P. Mensah, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. Carolyn started her legal career as a litigation paralegal at a global law firm in New York City.