Karen Sutherland

Karen is the Chair of the Workplace Investigation Group and the former Chair of the Employment & Labor practice area. Her employment law experience includes representing clients on issues such as discrimination and harassment based on age, race, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, religion, and other protected status; ethics and conflicts of interest; theft and fraud; HIPAA violations; failure to follow hiring and promotion processes; retaliation; safety issues; whistleblower complaints; misuse of information, technology assets, trade secrets, and other employer property; hostile work environment; workplace violence and bullying; retaliation; wage and hour laws; employee theft; and property damage by employees.

Since the novel coronavirus pandemic began, Karen has devoted a substantial amount of time developing resources and giving advice on COVID-19 issues such as: unemployment benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act; paid time off under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA); reopening workplaces under the Washington State Safe Starts Plan; coronavirus safety and health issues; drafting COVID-19 exposure control, mitigation, and recovery plans; quarantine, contact tracing and reporting; EEOC compliance; and guidance on layoffs and recalls. She has also co-presented webinars on Reducing Lability for COVID-19 Exposure and Reopening the Workplace Post-COVID.

Karen also drafts employee policies and handbooks; employment contracts and severance packages; noncompetition, nonsolicitation, and nondisclosure agreements; and last chance agreements, collective bargaining agreements, and memorandums of understanding. In addition, Karen advises employers on a wide variety of issues such as hiring processes; employee performance measures and performance improvement plans; employee discipline; developing ADA-compliant job descriptions; FMLA leave; and reasonable accommodation of disabilities; and layoffs.

Karen is a licensed Private Investigator Principal and has conducted over 200 workplace investigations on a wide variety of subjects ranging from harassment and discrimination to theft, workplace bullying, Title IX violations, and alleged falsification of medical and scientific data. Karen also conducts employee and management training on topics such as discrimination, harassment, wage and hour issues, change management, ethics and conflicts of interest, HIPAA, and employee documentation and records management.

In addition, Karen serves as a neutral arbitrator for the King County Superior Court and has served as an Ombudsman and Hearing Examiner. She has also served as an expert witness on matters relating to employment law.

Karen’s litigation experience includes employment law, business disputes, construction law, product liability and other complex litigation.

Karen is a frequent lecturer, author and business advisor on litigation, ethics, discrimination, wrongful termination, noncompete agreements, employment law, and workplace issues. She also authors the monthly King County Bar Association Bar Talk column.

Karen received her B.A. degree in 1980 from the University of Washington and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She received her J.D. in 1984 from the University of Washington School of Law. When she is not practicing law, Karen works as an artist with a focus on encaustic painting, blown glass and mixed media artwork. Her artwork can be found in several Seattle-area shops and galleries.