Karen advises and represents employers on a broad range of workplace matters. Her expertise includes leaves of absence, wage and hour issues, harassment, discrimination, disability and religious accommodation, retaliation, non-compete agreements, executive agreements and compensation, whistleblower claims, down-sizing and union matters. Her clients include publicly traded companies, non-profit organizations, government entities and executives. Karen serves as national labor and employment counsel for companies with operations in several states.
Karen has handled several high profile matters, including the investigation of top public officials for alleged sexual harassment, the termination of executives for illegal conduct, and whistleblower claims. For example, in the fall of 2015, Karen co-led an investigation of sexual harassment and the University of Minnesota Athletics Department in the wake of the resignation of Athletics Director Norwood Teague. The investigation consisted of over 100 interviews, the review of thousands of pages of relevant documents and emails, and broad-based surveys. At its conclusion, the investigation’s findings and recommendations were presented to the University’s Board of Regents and the State Legislature in public sessions.
Karen has over twenty-five years’ experience working with health care providers, clinics, hospitals, long-term care facilities and other health care organizations. She has drafted and enforced physician employment and separation agreements and provides counsel on employment matters unique to the health care setting, such as HIPAA violations and the use of EMR. Karen also works closely with colleges and universities, advising on the denial of tenure and promotion, termination of faculty appointments, academic freedom claims and student matters.
Karen is a certified arbitrator and mediator. She has decided and helped parties resolve workplace issues involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, FMLA and other leave of absence issues, whistleblower claims, defamation, and wage and hour disputes.
