Saba Bireda Joins Katz Banks Kumin LLP; Rachel Green, Kelsey Woodford, and Katherine Wutchiett Promoted to Partner
Washington, D.C. (August 11, 2026) – Katz Banks Kumin LLP is proud to announce that leading civil rights and employment law attorney Saba Bireda has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a Partner. Ms. Bireda, who previously was a co-managing partner at the Washington, D.C. office of a national plaintiff-side employment law firm, has built a successful practice in both individual representation and class actions, focused on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters as well as public interest impact litigation.
In welcoming Ms. Bireda, Katz Banks Kumin founding partner Lisa J. Banks said, “Saba is an exceptional attorney with a long record of successfully litigating employment law and civil rights cases. We are thrilled that she has joined the firm, and know that her unique skills and experience will provide enormous benefit to both our attorneys and our clients.”
Ms. Bireda has been nationally recognized for her work, including by the National Law Journal as one of Washington, D.C.’s Rising Stars and by the Profiles in Diversity Journal as one of its “Women Worth Watching in Leadership” and as a “Black Leader Worth Watching.” She has been named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers” since 2024 and was named to the National Black Lawyers “Top 100” list. Prior to her 10 years in plaintiff-side practice, she worked as Senior Counsel at the U.S. Department of Education, in both the Office for Civil Rights and the Office of General Counsel, developing litigation strategy and leading complex investigations. Ms. Bireda received her law degree from Harvard Law School.
In addition to welcoming Ms. Bireda, Katz Banks Kumin is pleased to announce the promotion of three attorneys to Partner: Rachel Green, Kelsey Woodford, and Katherine Wutchiett.
“Rachel, Kelsey, and Katherine have each built remarkable practices and become trusted advocates for clients,” said founding partner Avi Kumin. “Their elevation to the firm’s partnership reflects their demonstrated skill and leadership. We could not be prouder to have them as partners of the firm.”
Rachel Green, who practices in the firm’s DC and San Francisco offices, represents employees in discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters, as well as whistleblowers facing reprisal and executives negotiating compensation and severance agreements. Mx. Green has litigated in federal and state courts and in administrative proceedings before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and represented Charlotte Bennett in Bennett v. Cuomo, a sexual harassment and retaliation suit against the former governor of New York. Before joining the firm, Mx. Green received their J.D. from Stanford Law School, clerked for the Hon. David F. Hamilton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and practiced mass tort and complex class action litigation in San Francisco. Mx. Green serves on the board of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association.
Kelsey Woodford, who practices in the firm’s DC office, represents workers across a wide range of employment matters, including civil rights claims involving discrimination, harassment, accommodations, and retaliation as well as whistleblower reports and reprisals. Ms. Woodford has worked closely with individuals facing mistreatment on the basis of race, disability, sex, LGBTQ+ identity, immigration status, pregnancy, and family responsibility. Her whistleblower work has spanned such diverse industries as aviation, banking, manufacturing, consulting, defense contracting, and health care. Ms. Woodford maintains a deep connection to the disability justice community through her pro bono work in the District. Before joining the firm, she worked as a Staff Attorney at Disability Rights DC, advancing the civil and human rights of District residents with disabilities through systemic litigation, policy work, and individual representation. Ms. Woodford received her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she earned Highest Pro Bono Distinction and the Judge Thelton E. Henderson Prize for Outstanding Performance in Clinic, having successfully argued on behalf of a prisoner before the Ninth Circuit as a student attorney.
Katherine Wutchiett, who practices in the firm’s San Francisco office, represents workers in employment claims under state and federal law involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, accommodation, and leave protections, with clients drawn from a wide range of industries and professions. She came to the firm from Legal Aid at Work in San Francisco, where she began as a Skadden Fellow. At Legal Aid at Work, she built medical-legal partnerships with providers serving pregnant people and new parents, represented pregnant individuals, caregivers, people with serious health conditions and disabilities, and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, and played a key role in developing the legislation behind California’s paid leave and accommodation laws. Ms. Wutchiett received her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and served as a law clerk for the Hon. Bobby E. Shepherd of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Mx. Green, Ms. Woodford, and Ms. Wutchiett have each been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for their outstanding work in employment and civil rights law.
###