Doug Christensen is a partner in and chair of Dorsey & Whitney’s national Labor and Employment Law Practice Group, where his practice has been dedicated exclusively to counseling and advocacy for management on workplace issues since 1988. His experience is extensive and varied, and his practice encompasses all areas of labor and employment law for a diverse range of corporations – public and private, large and small – in a variety of industries, as well as a number of nonprofit organizations. He provides his clients with sound, thoughtful, and trusted advice and representation. He has served as trial and appellate counsel for his clients’ most important labor and employment matters, and he has been the recipient of numerous professional honors, including being consistently recognized by Chambers USA and the Best Lawyers in America as one of Minnesota’s leading labor and employment lawyers. He also serves as Dorsey & Whitney’s Employment Counsel, in which role he provides advice and legal counsel to the Firm’s Managing Partner, Policy Committee, Management Committee, and human resources personnel on a broad range of human resources and personnel matters.
When litigation or other contested proceedings are unavoidable, Doug is deeply experienced in bringing those disputes to a successful conclusion efficiently, cost-effectively, and with minimal business disruption. He has successfully handled a wide range of labor and employment-related disputes, including collective and class actions, before federal and state trial and appellate courts, federal, state, and local administrative agencies, and arbitration forums.
Doug also provides tactical counseling and problem solving and crisis management skills to clients in connection with the strategic handling of human resources issues, all with an eye toward avoiding contested proceedings. Among other things, he designs, conducts, and coordinates workplace training on every aspect of the employment relationship, conducts and oversees workplace investigations, negotiates and drafts employment, restrictive covenant, and separation agreements, formulates and drafts employment policies and manuals, advises on wage and hour compliance issues, advises on discipline and discharge issues including sensitive termination matters, and advises on reductions in force.
He also has extensive experience representing and advising management on traditional labor law issues, including responding to union organizing attempts, all National Labor Relations Board proceedings, collective bargaining agreement negotiations and administration, defending labor arbitration cases, and strike prevention and planning, picket lines, and corporate campaigns. In addition, he is regularly involved in reorganizations, acquisitions, mergers, and sales and purchases of corporations and assets to identify and resolve labor and human resources issues implications and concerns.