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 consistently achieves 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.
Ones to Watch, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Princeton, The Best Lawyers in America (2024)
Tomorrow’s Leaders, International Employment Lawyer (2022)
Recognized, New Leaders of the Bar, New Jersey Law Journal (2020)
Member, Practice Group of the Year, Employment, Law360 (2017, 2019)
Litigation Department of the Year – Labor and Employment: Winner 2013, Finalist 2014, Winner 2015, New Jersey Law Journal