Emily Cuneo DeSmedt

Partner

Emily Cuneo DeSmedt represents employers in a wide variety of employment-related matters, including the defense of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims. Emily is recognized as a strategic, practical, and decisive litigator, who has achieved summary judgment dismissals and/or favorable settlements for clients with minimal disruption to their internal business clients. She also handles internal investigations into complaints of alleged harassment, discrimination, workplace misconduct, and retaliation.

Emily provides strategic employment and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) counseling to in-house counsel, business leaders, and boards of directors. Emily is a co-leader of the firm’s employment counseling practice and regularly advises on complex issues such as leaves of absence; disability, pregnancy, and religious accommodation requests; sexual harassment allegations; and executive-level performance management.

Emily is also a leader of the firm’s DEI Task Force, and she advises many of the nation’s largest private and public companies, foundations, nonprofits, and investment funds regarding how to advance their DEI, racial equity, and supplier diversity programs and strategies without running afoul of the law. Emily also defends Section 1981 lawsuits challenging DEI and racial equity programs.

Emily represents clients in several industries, including retail, sports, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and philanthropy.

As the pro bono chair of the Princeton offices, Emily maintains an active pro bono practice.

Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Emily gained experience as an associate in the New Jersey office of a large national firm, where she focused on employment litigation and represented employers, particularly large healthcare institutions, in employment matters before state and federal courts and agencies.

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2011, J.D., cum laude
University of Pennsylvania, 2006, B.A., magna cum laude

New Jersey
Pennsylvania
US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
US District Court for the District of New Jersey
US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Princeton (2024, 2025)

Listed, International Employment Lawyer, Tomorrow’s Leaders (2022)

Listed, New Jersey Law Journal, New Leaders of the Bar (2020)

Member, Law360, Practice Group of the Year, Employment (2017, 2019)

Member, New Jersey Law Journal, Litigation Department of the Year, Labor and Employment (2013, 2015)

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the selection methodology for the above awards can be found here.