Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, P.C. (KCNF) announced that Keir S. Bickerstaffe, a former Deputy Associate Solicitor with the Department of Labor, has joined the firm as of counsel.
“We are thrilled to have Keir join our team, especially during this challenging time for federal employees,” said Elaine Fitch, managing partner for KCNF. “His unique combination of regulatory expertise, policy acumen, and litigation experience makes him a formidable advocate for employees facing discrimination, wage theft, or retaliation.”
Bickerstaffe is a seasoned employment and civil rights attorney with a career dedicated to protecting workers’ rights. With over two decades of experience in both private practice and public service, he has been at the forefront of efforts to combat workplace discrimination, enforce labor protections, and advance policies that promote equity and justice in the workplace.
Most recently, Bickerstaffe served as deputy associate solicitor in the Civil Rights and Labor-Management Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, where he led legal strategy and litigation efforts for multiple federal agencies, including the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Civil Rights Center (CRC). In this role, he provided high-level counsel on anti-discrimination laws, affirmative action policies, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives – working at the intersection of labor law, administrative law, and civil rights enforcement. His leadership was instrumental in advising on the application of Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the Rehabilitation Act, and other key employment laws.
Prior to his tenure at the Department of Labor, Bickerstaffe was in private practice at a Washington, D.C. firm, where he represented employees in class action and individual employment discrimination cases under Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and state labor laws. His experience includes federal trial litigation, class certification motions, wage and hour disputes, and systemic discrimination cases – giving him deep insight into the complexities of employment law from both the government enforcement and employee advocacy perspectives.
Bickerstaffe is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, where he interned with the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the Human Rights Campaign, deepening his commitment to civil rights advocacy. He earned his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Guilford College, with dual majors in Sociology and Psychology.
See Law360’s profile on Bickerstaffe here.