Overview

Katherine C. Franklin is an experienced litigator and trial attorney who has represented employers for more than 30 years. Her practice focuses on:

  • Training executives, managers, HR professionals, and ethics and compliance officers 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, anticorruption laws including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Acts, executive ethics and compliance, code of conduct and whistleblower claims and retaliation, compliance issues and global employment law
  • Advising clients on the implementation and maintenance of proactive employment practices
  • Teaching workplace investigation best practices for U. S. and multinational organizations
  • Wrongful discharge and discrimination litigation

Katherine advises both U. S. and multinational companies on proactive employment and compliance practices.  She assists companies with creating and revising investigation protocols, codes of conduct and developing ethics and compliance programs.  She also advises companies on proactive employment practices in multiple areas.

Katherine has vast experience training executives and managers using interactive training programs designed to minimize employment litigation. She has trained thousands of managers and employees and has prepared, designed and implemented many different training programs all across the U. S. and globally, including harassment prevention, violence prevention, lawful and effective investigations, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, Managers’ Boot Camp, retaliation prevention, effective hiring and performance management.

Katherine has substantial experience training companies, including multinational organizations, on ethics and compliance issues. She has traveled abroad to many countries including India, China, the 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, management and employees.

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, Katherine 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.

Katherine is a frequent speaker on employment law topics to lawyers, ethics and compliance officers and human resources professionals at companies in the United States and around the world. Katherine served on the Washington Supreme Court's Gender and Justice Commission for two terms. She was President of the Washington Women Lawyers in 1993-1994.

Recognition

Named, Recommended Lawyer

Workplace and Employment Counseling

Legal 500 United States

2016

News, Analysis & Press

Eight Steps Toward Eliminating Workplace Bullying

The National Law Journal

August 24, 2015

8 Steps for Addressing Bullying in the Workplace

Corporate Counsel

August 11, 2015

Building an Effective 'Speak-Up' Culture

Human Resource Executive Online

September 11, 2014

Global Investigations: A Six-Step Process

HR Magazine

November 1, 2013

Global Corruption Quandaries

Human Resources Executive Online

May 1, 2013

A Roadmap to Effective and Lawful Global Investigations

Human Resources IQ

December 10, 2012

How to Conduct Global HR Investigations – an Illustration

Compliance Week

November 2012

Avoiding Corruption: A Practical Approach to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act

Conference Materials

February 1, 2012

Phil Gordon and Katherine Cooper Franklin Encourage Social Media Policies

BNA: Privacy and Security Law Report

June 22, 2009

Speaking Engagements

Conducting Internal Investigations: Employer’s Guide to Legal, Effective, and Defensible Workplace Investigations

Center for Corrective Management Webinar

September 12, 2018

Conducting Lawful Investigations: Facing New Challenges, Refining Your Techniques and Avoiding Common Pitfalls

NHRMA, Bellevue, WA

September 7, 2016

Second Annual Puerto Rico Conference

August 18, 2016

Conducting Lawful Investigations: Facing New Challenges, Refining Your Techniques and Avoiding the Common Pitfalls

The 2016 Executive Employer® Conference, Scottsdale, AZ

May 6, 2016

Conducting Lawful Investigations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

ECOA/ECI, Orlando, FL

May 2, 2016

Maintaining and Managing a Respect-Based Workplace and Preparing for Bill 132

Toronto, ON

April 12, 2016

Conducting Compliance Investigations

OCEG Webinar

November 2015

Conducting Lawful Investigations: An Interactive Program for Internal Investigators

Toronto, ON

November 24, 2015

Compliance Week Europe

October 26, 2015

Ethics, Codes of Conduct and the Consequences of Corruption

NHRMA Conference, Portland, OR

October 2015

Littler Global Puerto Rico Conference

San Juan, PR

August 20, 2015

Global Compliance & Cross-Border Investigations: Strategies for Enforcement and Risk Management

June 17, 2015

Presenter

SCCE Higher Education Compliance Conference, Austin, TX

June 2015

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly – Conducting Lawful Investigations

The Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 2015

Presenter

PHRMA Conference, Portland, OR

May 2015

Why Can’t I Just Ask

The Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 2015

Presentation Skills and Training Strategies for the Modern Workplace

The Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 2015

Presenter

ECOA Annual Ethics & Compliance Conference, Grapevine, TX

March 2015

Creating a "Speak Up" Culture Work Shop

Anchorage, AK

June 19, 2014

Ten Solid Ways to Prevent Retaliation

Washington, DC

October 8, 2013

Whistleblowers and Retaliation: What Boards Need to Know

New York, NY

October 3, 2013

Conducting Lawful Investigations – Avoiding the 10 Biggest Pitfalls of HR Investigations

The 2013 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Scottsdale, AZ

May 8, 2013

Preventing Retaliation with a Speak-up Culture

The 2013 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Scottsdale, AZ

May 8, 2013

Prevent Retaliation with a Speak-up Culture

Association of Corporate Counsel, St. Louis Chapter, St. Louis, MO

April 30, 2013

Aligning Your Compliance Programs to Mitigate Risks

Corporate Board Member Conference - New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

April 2013

Conducting Global HR Investigations

Open Compliance & Ethics Group

March 2013

Conducting Lawful & Effective Global Investigations

The Global Employer – Latin America Conference

Littler Mendelson, Miami, FL

February 2013

Fox in the Hen House: Managing a Whistleblower Who is a Key Executive

West Coast Boardroom Summit

February 2013

Preventing Retaliation with a Speak-Up Culture

Open Compliance & Ethics Group

January 2013

Assuring Compliance with Anti-Corruption Policies and Requirements

Global Employer Institute

Littler Mendelson, Washington D.C.

November 8, 2012

Respect in the Workplace

Seattle University School of Law

November 2012

Understanding Harassment

Seattle University School of Law

November 2012

How to Assess and Mitigate the Risk of Misconduct Occurring and Not Being Reported

Las Vegas, NV

October 15, 2012

Ethics and Compliance and Global Investigations

The Law School of Luiss-Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy

October 2012

Ethics and Compliance and Global Investigations

Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, College of Law, Paris, France

October 2012

How to Keep Your CEO Out of Jail

Atlanta Employer Conference

Littler Mendelson, Atlanta, GA

September 28, 2012

How to Keep Your CEO Out of Jail: What Every HR Professional and Employment Counsel Should Know About the Federal Sentencing Guidelines?

The 2012 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Scottsdale, AZ

May 11, 2012

Conducting Lawful Investigations: The First 72 Hours

The 2012 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Scottsdale, AZ

May 9, 2012

FCPA and Anti-Corruption Laws and Global Investigations

The Global Employer - Latin America Conference

Littler Mendelson, Miami, FL

February 2012

Conducting Lawful Investigations

November 29, 2011

Conducting Lawful and Effective Investigations

The Ethics & Compliance Officer Association, Seattle, WA

November 2011

Conducting Global Investigations

The Global Employer Institute

Littler Mendelson, Washington D.C.

November 2011

Conducting Lawful Investigations - the Proper Response to Retaliation Claims

The National Employer Conference - Littler Mendelson

March 6, 2011

Conducting Lawful Investigations in the Workplace

West Sound Human Resource Management Association (WSHRMA)

November 10, 2010

Global Workplace Ethics and Compliance

The Global Employer Conference - Littler Mendelson

October 19, 2010

Reducing the Potential for Discrimination and Harassment Liability

National Business Institute

October 7, 2010

The Proper Response to Allegations of Unethical Conduct in the Workplace

The Ethics and Compliance Officer Association (ECOA)

September 21, 2010

Social Media

Littler Mendelson

September 14, 2010

Building an Ethical Foundation

Conference on Human Resource Law - National Business Institute (NBI)

June 3, 2009

Conducting Lawful Investigations Into Wage & Hour Claims

The Executive Employer Conference - Littler Mendelson

March 23, 2009

International Employment Law Training

The Global Employer Conference - Littler Mendelson

October 22, 2008

Conducting Lawful Investigations

26th Annual National Conference - Industry Liaison Group

July 29, 2008

Workplace Ethics & Compliance for HR Professionals and Managers

June 15, 2007

14th Annual Employment Law Institute

March 30, 2007

Workplace Discrimination Seminar

March 21, 2007

Diversity and the Inclusive Workplace: The Role of the HR Professional

February 20, 2007

An Executive Overview: Workplace Ethics & Compliance

December 5, 2006

Education

  • J.D., University of Washington, 1986
  • B.A., University of Washington, 1983magna cum laude

Bar Admission

Washington

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit