Laura E. Rosenbaum

Laura Rosenbaum has represented  clients in employment-related litigation in court and before administrative agencies for nearly 20 years. Her experience includes defending employers against a wide range of employment claims relating to employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; medical leave laws; disability accommodation; wage and hour disputes; and workplace torts, as well as litigating non-competition agreements. She has experience representing clients across industries, including in large health care, manufacturing, and retail and wholesale businesses, as well as mid-size companies and start-ups.

Her practice also involves counseling employers on employment-related issues including performance management, employee terminations, disability accommodation, and leaves of absence; conducting internal investigations; and preparing employee contracts, handbooks, and policies. Laura also conducts internal investigations for clients into employment-related issues including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

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Education

Stanford Law School, J.D., 2005; Honors with Distinction for High Academic Achievement

Harvard College, 2000, magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

Oregon

Massachusetts

United States District Courts for the Districts of Oregon and Massachusetts

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Employment Trial and Appellate Litigation

• Secured summary judgment for employer on lawsuit alleging disability discrimination and failure to accommodate. Successfully defended summary judgment victory on appeal before Ninth Circuit.
• Secured dismissal of employment discrimination and ERISA claims. Successfully defended victory on appeal before Ninth Circuit.
• Obtained summary judgment in U.S. District Court dismissing lawsuit alleging race discrimination and retaliation.
• Obtained summary judgment in U.S. District Court dismissing lawsuit alleging retaliation and breach of contract.
• Obtained summary judgment in multiple Oregon state court cases, securing dismissal of lawsuits alleging wrongful termination and retaliation.
• Secured dismissal of breach of contract claims brought by independent contractor.
• Negotiated favorable settlement for employer in arbitration proceeding alleging class and collective action claims for violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Secured defense verdict for Nike, Inc. after two-week jury trial on whistleblower retaliation claims.
• Assisted in obtaining complete defense verdict at trial for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest in race discrimination and retaliation case.
• Obtained dismissal of sex and age discrimination case for Nike, Inc., based on complex jurisdictional issues. Successfully defended employer-favorable ruling on appeal.
• Successfully defended Fortune 100 companies, as well as mid-size and smaller employers, against complaints before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and other government agencies.

Employment Advice, Counseling, And Investigations

• Conducts internal investigations into complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against C-Suite executives and other management employees.
• Regularly advises clients on handling employment issues related to leaves of absence and disability accommodation.
• Supports corporate transactions by advising on employment-related due diligence, employment and bonus agreements, restrictive covenants, and post-transaction employment transitions.
• Drafts and advises upon employment policies, handbooks, executive employment agreements, offer letters, and separation agreements.

Insights & Presentations

• Regular contributor to the Stoel Rives World of Employment blog
• “How Oregon’s New Paid Leave and Family Leave Rules Will Affect Employers,” (co-author), Portland Business Journal, July 12, 2024
• “Paid Leave Oregon & OFLA: The Latest and Greatest,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, June 2024
• “What to Know About Recent Non-Compete and Salary Basis Changes in Light of Expected Legal Challenges” (co-author), Stoel Rives World of Employment, May 15, 2024
• “Employers Face June 1 Deadline to Inform Employees Whose Approved OFLA Leave Is Affected by Recent OFLA Amendments” (co-author), Stoel Rives World of Employment, May 14, 2024
• “Governor Kotek Signs New Law Amending Oregon Leave Laws” (co-author), Stoel Rives World of Employment, March 22, 2024
• “Paid Leave Oregon and OFLA Update: Senate Bill 999 Will Require Use of a ‘Rolling Forward’ Leave Year, Align the Definition of ‘Family Member,’ and Alleviate ‘Leave Stacking’ Concerns” (co-author), Stoel Rives World of Employment, June 7, 2023
• “Five Legal and Regulatory Employment Updates for Manufacturers” (co-author), Portland Business Journal, September 2, 2022
• “Legal talk: How to overcome the top challenges of managing remote employees (podcast)” (co-author), Portland Business Journal, March 24, 2021
• “Considerations for Managing the Remote Workforce,” Portland Business Journal, February 26, 2021
• Moderator, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace: A Panel Discussion on Strategies to Effect Change,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, December 17, 2020

Laura has presented to clients on numerous employment-related topics, including:

• Speaker, “Paid Leave Oregon and OFLA: The Latest and Greatest,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, June 25, 2024
• Speaker, “Navigating the Hybrid Workplace Landscape,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 22nd Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 6, 2024
• Speaker, “Paid Leave Oregon Update—The First 60 Days,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, November 16, 2023
• Speaker, “Best Practices in Employee Separations, Including Reductions in Force,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 21st Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 9, 2023
• Speaker, “Are you Ready for Oregon Paid Leave?” Webinar for Oregon Business & Industry, October 27, 2022
• Speaker, “Oregon Paid Family Leave—Are you Prepared?” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, October 6, 2022
• Speaker, “Important Changes to Nondisclosure and Settlement Agreements,” Stoel Rives webinar, June 9, 2022
• Speaker, “Accommodations,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 20th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2, 2022
• Speaker, “Mastering the Fundamentals: The ADA and the Interactive Process,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, April 22, 2021
• Speaker, “The Leave Law Jigsaw Puzzle,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 19th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 4, 2021
• Speaker, “Navigating the Oregon Workplace Fairness Act,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 19th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 3, 2021
• Speaker, “Managing the COVID-Era Workplace Part 1: The ADA, Wage and Hour Laws, and Other Considerations” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, June 11, 2020
• Speaker, “Taming the COVID-19 Chaos: What Employers Need to Know Part 2,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, March 18, 2020
• Speaker, “Taming the COVID-19 Chaos: What Employers Need to Know,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, March 13, 2020
• Speaker, “Reasonable Accommodations,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 18th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, February 27, 2020
• Speaker, “Oregon’s New Equal Pay Act,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 17th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, February 27, 2019
• Speaker, “Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace,” Stoel Rives Breakfast Briefing Seminar, June 7, 2018
• Speaker, “The Bermuda Triangle of FMLA, ADA, and Sick Leave,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 16th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, February 28, 2018
• Speaker, “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace,” Stoel Rives Breakfast Briefing Seminar, December 13, 2017
• Speaker, “Employment Law Basics for Start-Ups,” TiE XL Entrepreneur Boot Camp, March 2017 and June 2017
• Speaker, “Wage and Hour Litigation Update,” Enterprise Risk Management Symposium, March 2017
• Speaker, “Employee Classification Best Practices with an Update on the New Department of Labor Regulations,” Stoel Rives Breakfast Briefing Seminar, September 2016
• Speaker, “Best Practices in Hiring/Onboarding New Employees,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 14th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2016
• Speaker, “Navigating Agency Complaints,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 13th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2015

• Selected as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” (Oregon) by Chambers USA (Labor & Employment), 2024
• Included in The Best Lawyers in America^® (Labor Law—Management, Litigation—Labor and Employment), 2022–present
• Listed among Rising Stars (Employment Litigation: Defense, Employment & Labor), Oregon Super Lawyers^®, 2015–2016
• Selected as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation

Professional

• Stoel Rives-SHRM Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, former Co-Coordinator
• American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section, Member
• Oregon State Bar, Labor and Employment Section, Member
• Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, Member
• Multnomah Bar Association, Member
• Oregon Women Lawyers, Member

Civic

• Friends of the Children—Portland, Board Member
• I Have a Dream Foundation, Oregon, former Board Member
• Northwest Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Association, former Board Member