Christine Liu McLaughlin

Christine Liu McLaughlin is a shareholder in Godfrey & Kahn's Labor & Employment Practice Group and the former practice group chair. Christine also is the immediate-past chair of the firm's Women's Leadership Forum and chair of the Diversity Committee.

Christine provides counsel on a wide variety of employment and labor issues ranging from interpretation and application of federal and state employment laws to specialized employee transition matters in complex business transactions.

Christine advises her clients on general employee hiring, discipline and termination issues; family and medical leave issues; federal and state disability discrimination issues; federal and state civil rights and fair employment issues; sexual and other unlawful harassment issues; workplace violence issues; and contingent workforce issues. Christine routinely defends discrimination claims that have been filed with the State of Wisconsin Equal Rights Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Christine also has extensive experience in evaluating and drafting federal and Wisconsin state affirmative action plans, as well as advising on compliance reviews.

In addition to providing general employment advice, Christine advises on corporate employment issues. She routinely drafts and reviews restrictive covenant agreements, including non-compete agreements, confidentiality agreements, as well as employment agreements. Christine also assists corporate counsel in analyzing, preparing and implementing employee transition plans related to complex business transactions. This includes employment due diligence; representations and warranties; business reorganization; facility closings and mass lay-offs; and severance agreements. Christine also advises on employment, contract and business entry issues relating to China.

Christine has conducted workshops and seminars on various employment law topics in Wisconsin as well as nationally. She was instrumental in the creation and implementation of Legal Resource Training, Godfrey & Kahn's interactive training service initiated as a proactive tool to help clients avoid employment litigation.

Christine was previously in-house counsel and Director of Employee Relations for the world's leading staffing service. Prior to her in-house experience, Christine was in private practice in Iowa where she focused on litigation with an emphasis on labor and employment.