Rachel Emens

Rachel Emens is a partner at HKM, where for more than a decade she has represented employees in discrimination, disability accommodation, harassment, and wrongful termination cases. She has also served as counsel for tens of thousands of workers and consumers in wage and hour and consumer protection class action cases. Together with her team, she has helped recover hundreds of millions of dollars for clients across the country.

Before joining HKM, Ms. Emens worked at one of Seattle’s premier employment defense firms. That experience gave her first-hand insight into how employers approach litigation and build their defenses. Clients, colleagues, and opposing counsel alike know Ms. Emens as a skilled litigator, dedicated advocate, and champion of civility. She was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers every year from 2019 to 2025, an honor based on peer recognition and independent research.

Ms. Emens serves as a Trustee of the King County Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section and on committees for the Washington Employment Lawyers Association and the Pacific Coast Labor & Employment Law Conference. She previously served on the board of King County Washington Women Lawyers and is a longtime supporter of FareStart, a job training and placement program for people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Ms. Emens is also committed to mentoring the next generation of lawyers and welcomes outreach from law students.

Ms. Emens earned her J.D., with honors, from Seattle University School of Law. During law school, she served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Thomas S. Zilly of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Managing Editor of the Seattle Journal of Environmental Law, and President of the Labor & Employment Law Association.

Ms. Emens operates out of our Seattle, Bellevue, Bozeman, and Spokane offices. She is admitted to practice in Washington and Montana.

Professional Associations & Activities:

• Chair, 60th Annual Pacific Coast Labor and Employment Law Conference
• Trustee, King County Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section
• Fellow, Federal Bar Association Litigation Academy
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Legislative Committee Member, Washington Employment Lawyers Association
• EAGLE Member, Washington State Association for Justice
• Washington Women Lawyers, King County Chapter
• King County Bar Association
• Federal Bar Association
• Washington State Bar Association
• State Bar of Montana

Education:

• Seattle University School of Law (J.D.)
  • cum laude
  • National Order of Scribes
  • Mary Ellen Krug Scholarship, awarded by the King County Bar Association Labor & Employment Section
• Seattle Pacific University (B.A., Political Science and Communication)
• magna cum laude
• Presidential Scholar Award

Publications:

• Contributing Author, Washington Lawyers Practice Manual, Employment Discrimination
• Contributing Author, Washington State Association for Justice, Employment Law Deskbook
• Rachel Emens, The Not-So-Endless Ocean: How the Cost of Convenience is Closing in on Us, 4 Seattle J. Envtl. L. 131 (2014).