Katherine Manuel is an experienced employment litigator who defends companies of all sizes in lawsuits and government agency matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, whistleblower, breach of contract, defamation, tort, medical leave and unfair competition claims. Katherine also devotes a portion of her practice to counseling employers regarding various employment law issues (with a particular focus on leave of absence/accommodation issues), conducting on-site training and handling workplace investigations. Katherine regularly represents and advises employers in the retail, higher education and hospitality industries. Katherine has significant jury trial experience and routinely achieves dismissals for employers at summary judgment.
Since 2015, Super Lawyers has named Katherine an Illinois Rising Star, which is a distinction awarded to less than 2.5% of Illinois attorneys under the age of 40 based on peer recognition and professional achievement. Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins in 2013, Katherine practiced at an employment litigation firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After more than 8 years in the Chicago office, Katherine transferred her practice to Ogletree Deakins’ San Francisco office in January 2022. She is licensed to practice law in California, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
