Constangy is pleased to welcome Patricia Kinaga as a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Patricia brings more than three decades of experience representing employers in complex employment matters, enhancing the firm’s services in California and nationwide.
“Patricia’s depth of experience in litigation, compliance counseling, and community leadership is an incredible asset to our clients and our firm,” said Neil Wasser, chair of Constangy’s executive committee. “Her arrival strengthens our presence on the West Coast at a time of continued growth, and we’re thrilled to welcome her to the team.”
An accomplished employment litigator, Patricia has successfully defended employers in high-stakes disputes involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour violations, and has conducted workplace investigations involving corporate executives and public officials. Her courtroom experience includes first-chairing numerous jury and bench trials, as well as proceedings before administrative agencies and arbitration panels. She has represented clients across diverse sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, technology, retail, higher education, and entertainment.
In addition to her litigation work, Patricia advises employers on day-to-day labor and employment compliance and workforce strategy. Her counsel spans risk management, employee discipline, accommodations, executive agreements, leave administration, classification audits, reductions in force, and WARN Act compliance. She brings a pragmatic, business-minded approach informed by prior roles as a prosecutor, law firm founder and director of nonprofit boards.
Widely recognized as a thought leader in employment law, Patricia is a frequent speaker on litigation avoidance strategies, conducting defensible investigations, and avoiding pitfalls in wage-hour and independent contractor compliance. She is also deeply engaged in advancing equity, inclusion, and access to justice.
Leadership, Recognition & Community Engagement
Patricia’s service to the profession and community has earned her numerous honors. Last year, she received the prestigious national Elaine R. “Boots” Fisher public service award from the Federal Bar Association; she is also the recipient of the Peter Haas Public Service Award from the University of California, Berkeley. Former Congressmember, now Senator Adam Schiff named her a Woman of the Year for California’s 28th Congressional District. Additional accolades include public service awards from Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the City of Los Angeles, which recognized her with the Mayor’s Asian Pacific Heritage Month Award. As a prosecutor, she earned an Emmy nomination for About Love, a docu-drama she wrote and co-directed to help domestic violence survivors navigate the legal system.
She serves on the Board of Directors for the Federal Bar Association’s Los Angeles Chapter and is a past president and advisory council member of the Japanese American Bar Association. Her national appointments have included roles with the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights, and multiple committees within the California State Bar.
Patricia’s leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion is reflected in her work with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, her role as co-founder and chair of Asians and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California, and her advisory service to Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Southern California. She also co-founded and chaired both the Asian Pacific Women’s Center and the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center.
Academic Background
Patricia earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in Anthropology from UCLA—a multidisciplinary foundation that supports her strategic and solutions-oriented approach to workplace law.