Douglas R. Christensen

For over 25 years, Douglas “Doug” R. Christensen has been dedicated exclusively to counseling and advocacy for management on workplace issues. 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.

Doug has served as trial and appellate counsel for his clients' most important labor and employment matters. When litigation or other contested proceedings are unavoidable, he 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, problem solving and crisis management skills to clients in connection with the strategic handling of human resources issues, with an with an eye toward avoiding contested proceedings. These include:

• Designing, conducting and coordinating workplace training on every aspect of the employment relationship
• Negotiating and drafting employment restrictive covenants and separation agreements
• Formulating and drafting employment policies and manuals
• Advising on wage and hour compliance; discipline and discharge issues, including sensitive termination matters; and reductions-in-force and other business restricting issues

Doug has conducted and overseen dozens of independent investigations relating to personnel matters, workplace behavior, and ethical issues for a variety of clients. He also has extensive experience representing and advising management on traditional labor law issues, including:

• Responding to union organizing attempts
• National Labor Relations Board proceedings
• Collective bargaining agreement negotiations and administration
• Defending labor arbitration cases
• Strike prevention and planning, picket lines, and corporate campaigns

In addition, Doug 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. He has spoken at numerous presentations on a variety of labor and employment law topics at seminars and meetings for lawyers, management, and human resources and supervisory personnel.

Prior to joining Littler, Doug chaired the national labor and employment law practice of a law firm in Minneapolis. He also served as the firm’s employment counsel, in which role he provided advice and legal counsel to the managing partner, policy committee, management committee, and human resources personnel on a broad range of human resources and personnel matters.

During law school, Doug was articles and staff editor for Law and Contemporary Problems.