O'Hagan Spencer

Professional Overview

Kristine is one of the firm’s Partners in the Chicago office. She leads the firm’s employment litigation practice and employer counseling services. Her role and accompanying services transform O’Hagan Spencer from a law firm which provides defense expertise on specific litigated cases, to one which provides a full spectrum of employment-related services to its employer-clientele. Kristine and the employment attorneys offer counseling and internal investigation during lay offs, terminations, disciplinary action or hiring, and can negotiate employment contracts and severance packages. The team also provides drafting or updating of employee-related written policies, such as employee handbooks and disciplinary polices. She is sought after to present company-wide, in-house diversity and sensitivity training seminars to employees, management and supervisory personnel. Of course, Kristine and the employment litigation team are ready and willing to defend employers in lawsuits and administrative complaints.

In addition to her employment practice, Kristine defends a variety of professional liability and general commercial and corporate litigation matters, and has extensive experience in the defense of class actions. She is currently lead counsel for one of the leading land trust companies in the Chicagoland area for its errors and omissions claims. Highly regarded by this client, the firm was written into the latest addition of its errors and omissions policy.

Kristine is licensed to practice in Illinois as well as before the federal judiciary for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of Illinois and the Northern District of Indiana.

Education

In 1996, Kristine received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the John Marshall Law School in 2000. While attending John Marshall, she was a member of the Moot Court honor society where she served as an Executive Board member. Kristine also served as a judicial extern for a Circuit Court judge of Cook County – Law Division and received two CALI awards for academic excellence in Sales Transactions and Securities Regulation.

Professional Organization Memberships

Member: Illinois State Bar
Member: U.S. District Court for the Northern, Central & Southern Districts of Illinois
Member: Professional Liability Attorney Network (PLAN)
Member: Illinois State Bar Association
Member: Asian American Bar Association

News, Publications, & Speeches

• "Policies Can Protect An Employer from Invasion of Privacy Lawsuits", In The Loop, October 2010

  The courts are beginning to give employers some guidance on what an employer's rights are against an employee's right to privacy.

• "Employers' Hiring and Employment Practices Critiqued by State Legislators and EEOC", In The Loop, October 2010

• "Policies Can Protect Employer from Invasion of Privacy Lawsuits", In The Loop October 2010
• "Employers' Hiring and Employment Practices Critiqued by State Legislators and EEOC", In The Loop October 2010
• Employment Law Update, October 2010

Presentations:

• Wage & Hour Law Update - Freedom Specialty Lines, August 2010
• Cyber Liability - Professional Lines Attorney Network, October 2010
• ADA Amendments Act & Case Updates - EPLI ExecuSummit, September 2011

Employer Diversity/Sensitivity Training:

• Thompson Flanagan, August 2009
• Northwest Pediatrics, April 2010
• O'Hagan Spencer LLC, 2008-Present

Editor O'Hagan Spencer LLC's Newsletter In The Loop

Kristine has time and again obtained dismissals of charges of discrimination filed against her employer clients at the administrative level and at the federal court level, including through summary judgment. While representing land trustees, Kristine has obtained dismissals for her client at the inception of the cases through motions to dismiss and summary judgment. In September 2009 while at trial, Kristine obtained a directed verdict in favor of her land trustee client.

Support Staff

• 
  • Melissa Martinez
  • (312) 422-6127
  • mmartinez@ohaganspencer.com

Practice Areas

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  Class Actions

  Nowadays, whenever someone’s earnings are restated, one’s product is recalled or the screen...

• 
  Commercial Litigation

  It sometimes seems to us that the people who are writing contracts are stuck in...

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  Directors & Officers

  Directors and Officers face scrutiny like never before...

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  Employment

  We’re a long way from the days when employers and employees...

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  Real Estate

  Acquisition. Development. Financing. Leasing. Sale. Litigation...