Plunkett, Gary D.

Katherine C. Franklin is an experienced litigator and trial attorney who has represented employers for more than 24 years. Her practice focuses on:

• Training executives, managers and HR professionals in all areas of employment law and ethics and compliance, including harassment prevention, violence prevention, lawful and effective investigations, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, diversity, performance management , manager boot camp, effective hiring , Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, executive ethics and compliance, code of conduct and whistleblower retaliation and global employment law
• Advising clients on the implementation and maintenance of proactive employment practices
• Teaching workplace investigation best practices for both public and private organizations
• Wrongful discharge and discrimination litigation.

Katherine has vast experience training executives and managers using interactive training programs designed to minimize employment litigation. She also has trained thousands of managers and employees and has prepared, designed and implemented many different trainings program all across the U.S.

In addition to teaching executives and managers in the U.S. she has trained and worked with management groups around the globe.

Katherine has substantial experience training companies, including multinationals, on ethics and compliance issues. She has traveled abroad to many countries including India, China, Philippines, Canada and countries throughout Europe to teach global employment law and ethics compliance to multinationals.

Katherine has also prepared, designed and implemented many diversity training programs for HR teams, executives and management.

In partnership with the Washington State Department of Personnel, Littler Mendelson created the HELP Academy, a comprehensive program designed to train state managers and human resource professionals. Through this program, Kathy has helped to train hundreds of people in all aspects of employment law. In 1999, the HELP Academy received the Innovations Award from the Council of State Governments for proactively addressing the alarming increase in human resource-related conflicts, litigation and liability.

Kathy is frequent speaker on employment law topics to lawyers and human resources professionals at companies in the United States and around the world. She also served on the Washington Supreme Court as a member of the Court's Gender and Justice Commission for two terms.

Prior to joining Littler, Kathy worked as a law clerk with the University of Washington Division of the Attorney General's Office.