Kristofor L. Hanson

Kris has a multi-faceted management-side labor and employment practice.

He represents employers in all areas of labor-management relations, including collective bargaining, labor arbitration, and litigation in state and federal courts. He also defends employers before state and federal administrative agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, and OSHA, among others.

Solutions in action

Kris has significant experience in the following areas:

Labor

Kris centers his practice on management-side labor relations. His negotiations experience is vast. On more than two hundred occasions, he has served successfully as first chair and chief spokesperson in collective bargaining on behalf of multinational and regional employers in both the U.S. and Canada. He represents employers in grievance arbitrations and union organizing campaigns, assists unionized clients with contract interpretation and administration, and defends clients against unfair labor practice charges and in representation matters before the National Labor Relations Board. He also works with businesses on due diligence matters in mergers and acquisitions.

Litigation

Kris successfully defends multinational, regional, and small employers in state and federal discrimination matters as well as claims brought pursuant to state and federal Family and Medical Leave Acts, disability laws, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and state and federal wage and hour laws, including class action litigation, among others. He also defends employers in breach of contract, invasion of privacy, defamation, and employment-related tort actions. His litigation experience includes successfully defending clients up to and through jury trials.

Employer Counseling and Training

Kris also represents employers in matters involving recruiting, hiring, discipline, and termination decisions. He crafts presentations and conducts training for management personnel; develops employment policies and handbooks; drafts effective employment contracts, including covenants not to compete and confidentiality agreements; conducts harassment and other investigations and provides counsel on appropriate disciplinary actions at closing; serves as lead counsel in disciplinary hearings; and provides interpretative and administrative advice concerning terms and conditions of collective bargaining agreements.

In addition to his legal practice, Kris served for a decade on the Board of Directors, including two years as Chairman of the Board, for Curative Care, a Southeastern Wisconsin non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with disabilities. He currently serves on Curative’s Foundation Board. Kris also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Letters & Sciences at his undergraduate alma mater, UW-Whitewater. Prior to attending law school at Marquette University, Kris played professional baseball in the Cleveland Guardians organization, for which he was a starting pitcher for five seasons. He continues to assist local high school teams and youth programs on baseball skills development in his free time.