Natalie M. McLaughlin
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 2007, Order of the Coif
- Miami University, B.A., 2004, Summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Bar & Court Admissions
Judicial Clerkships
- The Honorable Algenon L. Marbley, United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 2008-2009
Natalie is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the labor and employment group. Her practice is focused on a broad range of labor and employment law matters. Natalie has significant experience litigating harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge and non-compete cases. She has handled claims filed under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Uniform Trade Secrets Act and similar state laws. Natalie has represented clients before state and federal courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and numerous state civil rights commissions. She also counsels employers on compliance with employment laws, the development of personnel policies and practices, employee discipline and termination, and internal complaints and investigations.
Natalie further concentrates her practice in matters unique to colleges, universities, and academic environments. Her work in this area includes advising and representing colleges and universities as to faculty and student issues, as well as counseling colleges and universities regarding compliance with laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Title IX, the Clery Act, and NCAA regulations.
Her notable experience includes:
- Successfully defending an employer in a jury trial in a multi-plaintiff age discrimination lawsuit in federal court.
- Successfully defending an employer in a jury trial in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit in state court.
- Successfully trying a declaratory judgment action case on enforceability of a non-compete agreement in state court and prevailing on appeal.
- Successfully defending an employer in a wrongful discharge claim in arbitration.
- Obtaining preliminary injunctions and securing the denial of preliminary injunctions for non-compete agreements in state and federal courts.
- Successfully defending an employer in a multi-plaintiff race discrimination, national origin discrimination, and assault and battery lawsuit in arbitration.
- Successfully defending an employer in a multi-million dollar labor arbitration concerning contract interpretation.
- Obtaining summary judgment for employers on discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, intentional tort and trade secrets claims.
- Obtaining dismissal of Title IX claims brought by a student against a university in federal court.
- Obtaining affirmations by federal appellate and state appellate courts of summary judgment dismissals of discrimination claims for employers.
Natalie has lectured at seminars and provided training to employers on a variety of topics including workplace harassment, crisis management, developing appropriate non-discrimination policies, conducting internal workplace investigations, managing disabilities and accommodations in the workplace, managing employee leaves of absence, wage and hour issues and collective actions, voluntary separation incentive programs and reductions in force, religious accommodations, pregnancy accommodations, transgender and sexual orientation discrimination, the impact of domestic violence on the workplace, union avoidance and positive employee relations, developing appropriate policies and practices to address campus sexual violence, and employment issues for colleges and universities.
Natalie is Chair of Vorys’ Hiring Committee.
Natalie received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, graduating Order of the Coif. She earned her B.A. summa cum laude with honors from Miami University.
Natalie was a clerk for The Honorable Algenon L. Marbley, District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Professional and Community Activities
- Federal Bar Association (Columbus), Board of Directors, 2021
Honors & Awards
- Columbus CEO, Top Lawyers in Columbus, 2015
- Ohio Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Labor and Employment, 2012-2016
News
- 7/17/2020Vorys Partner Natalie McLaughlin spoke on the topic of Age Discrimination During the Pandemic.
- 1/3/2017Vorys announced that Michael J. Ball, Colleen M. Devanney, J.B. Lind, Natalie M. McLaughlin, Martha Brewer Motley, Adam J. Rocco, Benjamin A. Shepler and Nancy Nicole Workman have been named partners of the firm.
- 12/2/2015Vorys is pleased to announce that 63 attorneys from the firm have been named 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 12/3/2014Vorys is pleased to announce that 74 attorneys from the firm have been named 2015 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 12/4/2013Eighty-one attorneys from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP have been named 2014 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars. 57 Vorys attorneys were named 2014 Ohio Super Lawyer and 24 Vorys attorneys were named 2014 Ohio Rising Stars.
Events
- 11/13/2020Vorys Partner Natalie McLaughlin presented at the College and University Professionals Association’s HR Ohio Chapter 2019 Fall Conference on November 15, 2019.
- 6/30/2020In this Vorys at Work webinar, a trio of Vorys attorneys discussed unconscious bias, privilege, discrimination, and harassment in the workforce. They also touched on trainings HR departments could consider in their own organizations.
- 11/15/2019Vorys Attorneys Natalie McLaughlin and Erin French presented at the College and University Professionals Association’s HR Ohio Chapter 2019 Fall Conference on November 15, 2019.
- 11/9/2018Vorys Partners Natalie McLaughlin and Bob Harris presented at the College and University Professionals Association’s HR Ohio Chapter 2018 Fall Conference on November 9, 2018. They provided attendees with a legal update on issues impacting employees in higher education. Topics included medical marijuana, arbitration agreements, sexual harassment, the FLSA, the ADA, workplace civility, paid family leave, interviewing employment applicants, immigration, and transgender restroom access.
- 6/19/2018On June 19, 2018, Vorys Partner Natalie McLaughlin spoke at Restoring Hope: Addressing Domestic Violence in the Workplace, presented by The Center for Family Safety and Healing.
- 5/21/2018Vorys Partner Natalie McLaughlin spoke at the 2018 Ohio Bankers League Human Resources Forum on May 21, 2018.
- 5/1/2018On May 1, 2018 Vorys Partner Natalie McLaughlin and Marketing and Communications Manager Jen House led a training on crisis preparation and response for members of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio.
- 4/20/2018Vorys Partner Natalie McLaughlin presented at the College and University Professionals Association’s HR Ohio Chapter 2018 Spring Conference on April 20, 2018.
- 4/19/2018On April 19, 2018 Vorys attorneys hosted the program, What #MeToo Means For You: A Guide to Navigating Civility, Harassment, and Other Workplace Minefields in partnership with the Central Ohio Association of Corporate Counsel.
- 11/17/2017Vorys Partners Natalie McLaughlin and Kelly Jennings Yeoman presented at the 2017 Fall College and University Professional Association for Human Resources Conference on November 17, 2017. They provided an update on employment legal issues.
- 10/4/2017Vorys partners Natalie McLaughlin and Kelly Jennings Yeoman presented at the Ohio Athletic Conference Professional Development Conference on October 4, 2017. They spoke about the NCAA's new policy on campus sexual violence.
- 4/20/2017Vorys Partner Natalie McLaughlin was a speaker at the CPIM: Public Library Fiscal Officer Conference hosted by the Ohio Library Council on April 20, 2017.
- 4/6/2017Vorys attorneys Elizabeth Cramer and Natalie McLaughlin were speakers at the business forum titled "Restoring Hope: Addressing Domestic Violence in the Workplace" presented by The Center for Family Safety and Healing on April 6, 2017.
- 4/21/2016Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce hosted a half-day program focused on labor and employment updates.
Insights
- 8/9/2021In May 2021, Indiana University announced that in order to attend on-campus classes and activities, students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
- 8/2/2021On June 23, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision that limits a public school’s ability to regulate student speech that occurs off-campus at the K-12 level.
- 7/14/2021On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order “to promote competition in the American economy, which will lower prices for families, increase wages for workers, and promote innovation and even faster economic growth.”
- 3/15/2021The newly-enacted American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes, among other relief, additional funding to universities, colleges, and schools, some of which can be used to upgrade health safeguards, including improved ventilation systems.
- 8/27/2020In line with the Supreme Court’s recent holding in Bostock that Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and transgendered status, the Fourth Circuit ruled Wednesday that policies segregating transgender students from their peers are unconstitutional and violate federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education.
- 6/17/2020Today, June 17, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) published an interim final rule giving the force of law to its interpretation of the term “student” as used in the CARES Act.
- 5/27/2020The Department of Education recently announced its implementation of new Title IX regulations governing sexual harassment in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. The new regulations will take effect on August 14, 2020.
- 4/27/2020
- 4/20/2020COVID-19 relief efforts, employment and unemployment factors, and the much-anticipated rebound remain fluid.
- 4/13/2020
- 2/11/2020Indiana courts enforce restrictive covenants in employment agreements only if they are reasonable.
- 2/6/2020In 2017, Philadelphia became the first city to prohibit private employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s wage history and from relying on an applicant’s wage history in setting his or her salary.
- 10/9/2018Last year, in Doe v. University of Cincinnati, 872 F.3d 393 (6th Cir. 2017), the Sixth Circuit held that, when credibility is at issue, the Due Process Clause requires a public university to provide an accused student a hearing with an opportunity to conduct cross-examination.
- 8/29/2018After nearly a decade of work, On August 1, 2018, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted a far-reaching law that imposes substantive and procedural requirements for noncompetition agreements and prohibits their use for several classes of employees (notably, employees who are classified as non-exempt).
- 6/29/2018Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued “Fact Sheet #17S” on the applicability of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime exemptions for jobs in colleges and universities.
- 5/23/2018Michigan’s Elliott-Larson Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination “because of sex” and applies to all employers who employ at least one person.
- 1/22/2018In December 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals joined the Second, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits in rejecting the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) six-part test for determining whether interns are employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- 9/28/2017Restrictive employment agreements such as non-compete and non-solicitation agreements are generally disfavored.
- 9/15/2017New York’s Paid Family Leave Law (PFLL) will provide employees with wage replacement while away from work in order to bond with a child, care for a close relative with a serious health condition, or help with family duties when someone is called to military service.
- 4/11/2017Eleven states currently limit employers' use of credit information in employment: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware (which currently applies only to public employers), Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
- 1/20/2017In a case of first impression, the Massachusetts Superior Court (the state’s trial court) recently decided when an employee’s unpaid meal break should instead be counted as paid working time.
- 7/8/2013The United States Supreme Court recently issued its long-awaited decision in United States v. Windsor, No. 12-307, ruling that the section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that required federal laws to ignore same-sex marriages that are legally entered into under an applicable state law is unconstitutional.