About

Amy Walsh Kern, J.D.

Since 2017, Amy’s practice has focused exclusively on conducting neutral workplace investigations, cultural assessments, policy audits and trainings for businesses, non-profits, educational institutions, municipalities and other governmental entities.   

Amy has experience investigating an expansive range of allegations of workplace misconduct but has extensive experience in cases dealing with allegations of race and gender discrimination and harassment, sexual assault, bullying, and other claims of misuse of power and inequality in the workplace.   

Amy Walsh Kern is a former shareholder in Leonard, Street & Deinard ‘s (now Stinson Leonard Street) Employment Law Group. Amy practiced at Leonard Street for 13 years and has extensive experience litigating claims of harassment and discrimination, as well as other employment-related claims. Amy has counseled businesses around the country, helping them to identify, avoid and resolve workplace issues. Amy also conducted and managed numerous neutral fact-finding investigations into allegations of workplace misconduct. 

As a significant part of her practice, Amy also provided training for managers and employees, educating them on complying with employment laws, best practices and identifying problems in the workplace.

Prior to joining Leonard Street, Amy was an associate in the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Mayer Brown in Chicago. Between 2013-2016 Amy served as the Executive Director of WATCH, a court-monitoring and judicial policy non-profit that works to make the justice system more responsive to crimes of violence against women and children.  In that capacity, Amy provided training to judicial system players, including judges and prosecutors, and issued a significant research report on how sex trafficking cases are prosecuted and resolved.

Amy currently serves as a trustee at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia). She chairs its Facing Change Committee, the purpose of which is to advance diversity and inclusion practices at Mia. She served on the Leadership Committee and was Co-Chair of the Communications Committee for the 2018 Superbowl Anti-Sex Trafficking Initiative, working with top business leaders, law enforcement, service providers and media strategists. 

Amy graduated summa cum laude from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. She is a former trustee at the Walker Art Center and Board Chair of Highpoint Center for Printmaking. She was also the recipient of Leonard Street and Deinard's Pro Bono Award for Service to the Indigent.