Meet Christine
Christine Liu McLaughlin is a shareholder in Godfrey & Kahn’s Labor, Employment & Immigration practice and the former practice chair. Christine also is a member of the firm’s Diversity Leadership Forum and past chair of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Forum.
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.
Education
Juris Doctor, Marquette University Law School, 1992
Bachelor of Arts, Marquette University, 1989, College of Communications
Activities
COA Youth & Family Center – Immediate Past Board President; Chair, Staff Advancement Committee; Current Board Member
The Management Association, Inc. (MRA) – Senior Attorney Roundtable Member
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County – Women United Leadership Council Member; 2013 and 2015 Co-Chair; Current member
United Way Worldwide – Women United Leadership Council Member; Chair, International Nomination Subcommittee
Honors
Recognized as Up & Coming Lawyer of the Year for Employment by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2013)
Named a Woman of Influence by The Business Journal of Milwaukee (2012)
Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Labor and Employment Law, 2012 - 2015; Labor Law - Management, 2015 - present; Employment Law - Management, 2016-present)
Recognized as a Women in the Law by Wisconsin Law Journal (2011)
Recognized by Chambers USA (Labor & Employment, 2011 - present)
AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
Recognized as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer (2016 - 2019)
Fellow of the Wisconsin Law Foundation
Admitted To Practice
Iowa, WisconsinProfessional Associations
American Bar Association, Association for Women Lawyers, Human Resource Management Association of Southeastern Wisconsin (HRMA), Milwaukee Bar Association, Milwaukee Women inc., National Association for Professional Women, Society for Human Resource Management, State Bar of Wisconsin, The Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation