Meet the Most Powerful Labor Lawyer You’ve Never Heard Of

When the White House nominated Kate O’Scannlain as the Labor Department’s chief legal officer, a contingent of high-profile labor and employment attorneys shared the same reaction: Who?

The Trump administration’s pick for solicitor of labor would be charged with overseeing one of the largest government legal shops and have independent authority to file lawsuits enforcing some 180 federal workplace statutes. Yet, despite her prominent legal pedigree and dozens of massive corporate clients, O’Scannlain has practiced law for more than a decade in relative obscurity.

Those familiar with O’Scannlain’s work credit her objectivity and problem-solving skills in overseeing high stakes corporate ...