Overview
Lauren Sobaski focuses her practice on employment discrimination and related litigation, employment law training, wage and hour law, and business immigration compliance. Prior to engaging in the practice of law, Lauren spent 15 years in human resource management. This experience gives her a unique insight into the employment law matters that are most important to her clients. Lauren’s significant career in human resources positions her well to work with her clients to identify and obtain practical business solutions to their toughest employment issues.
Lauren regularly advises employers with business compliance matters, including representing clients during government audits by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division (WHD). She also conducts I-9 and E-Verify compliance training, performs I-9 audits and speaks on workplace immigration topics.
Lauren is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), which is issued by the Human Resource Certification Institute, and a Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).
During law school, Lauren served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr. in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri. She also interned at the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Solicitor, where she worked on OSHA and wage and hour investigations.
Honors & Leadership
Professional Activities
- Member, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- SPHR, Senior Professional in Human Resources. Human Resource Certification Institute
- SHRM-SCP, Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional
- Member, Missouri Automobile Dealers Association
- Member, New England Small College Athletic Conference, Kansas City Alumni Chapter
- Member, National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO)
Insights
Seminars & Speaking Engagements
- 8.9.19
- 6.19.19
- 6.17.19-6.18.19
- 10.23.18
- Kansas City Annual Seminar4.25.18
- HRMA of Northwest Missouri10.17.17
- 6.15.17
- 4.19.17
- The Future of Work - An Employer Update on COVID-19 Workplace Issues
Lee’s Summit, MO Chamber of Commerce
11.3.20 - Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association
Annual SHRM Seminar
10.19.20 | 10.26.20 - PTO Options Explained
Aurora Training Advantage
9.9.20 - Investigating Complaints Entangled With Performance Issues
Aurora Training Advantage
08.25.20 - In The Weeds – Navigating Medical Marijuana in the Workplace
National Association of Women Owned Businesses – NAWBO
07.21.20 - Beyond the Curve: Legal and HR Considerations for Employers to Get Back to Business
Blue Springs, Missouri Chamber of Commerce
6.18.20 - Back to Business: Bringing the Workforce Back to Work
Overland Park Chamber of Commerce
5.7.20 - COVID-19 – What Employers Need to Know
Warrensburg Missouri Chamber of Commerce
4.29.20 - COVID-19 – What Employers Need to Know
University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law CLE
4.9.20 - How the FFCRA and CARES Act Impact your Organization
Missouri Automobile Dealers Association and Kansas Automobile Dealers Association
4.3.20 - New DOL Overtime Rule
Lee’s Summit, MO Chamber of Commerce
2.18.20 - Drugs in the Workplace & Changing Marijuana Laws: Working Through The Haze
Southeast Kansas SHRM
2.20.20 - New DOL Overtime Rule
Blue Springs, MO Chamber of Commerce
1.14.20 - Weed in the Workplace, Evolution of Cannabis Law
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
11.22.19 - In the Weeds – Navigating Medical Marijuana in the Workplace
South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
11.21.19 - New Department of Labor Overtime Rule
South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
11.12.2019 - Drugs in the Workplace & Changing Marijuana Laws; When OSHA Calls; How to Survive When the Government Comes Knocking
WKHRMA - Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association
10.23.19 - Drugs in the Workplace & Changing Marijuana Laws; Conducting Effective Employment Investigations; Violence and Bullying Issues in the Workplace; Creating a Culture of Inclusiveness
Kansas SHRM Legislative and Employment Law Seminar
10.11.19 - How to Survive an Audit - from I-9 Inspections to ICE Raids and DOL Investigations
Annual Employment and Compliance Seminar Human Resource Management of Northwest Missouri
10.15.19 - Webinar: Investigating Complaints Entangled with Performance Related Issues
Aurora Training Advantage
8.22.19 - Labor Law Lunch Series: Medical Marijuana Comes to Missouri
MU Extension and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Kansas City, MO
8.21.19 - What’s On the Menu? Medical Marijuana and the Employer
Raymore Chamber of Commerce & Raytown Chamber of Commerce
June-July 2019 - Handling Employees with Disabilities
Human Resources Professionals Association of Greater Emporia
6.12.19 - PTO Options Explained
Aurora Training Advantage Webinar
4.26.19 - Medical Marijuana in Missouri: New Law Brings New Questions for Missouri Dealerships
Blue Springs, Springfield, Girardeau, St. Louis and Jefferson City, MO
Missouri Automobile Dealers Association
April 2019 - In the Weeds: Navigating Legal Marijuana in Missouri Workplaces
Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce
1.15.19 - Handling Employees with Disabilities – Beyond the Basics
Aurora Training Advantage
12.4.18 - What Your Managers Don’t Know Can Hurt You – Top 10 Employment Law Pitfalls Facing Auto Dealers
Springfield, Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, Blue Springs and Columbia, MO
Missouri Automobile Dealers Association
August-October 2018 - Chapter Program: Here's Why Employees Sue You, St. Joseph, MO
HRMA of Northwest Missouri
1.16.18 - Labor and Employment Law Update – Kansas City, MO
NAPEO Heartlands Leadership Council Forum
12.5.17 - Employment Law Update - Columbia, MO
Missouri Auto Dealer Association
December 2017 - Piecing Together the Employment Law Puzzle
Western SHRM Conference
10.26.17 - Employment Law Update - St. Charles, MO
Missouri Auto Dealer Association
9.21.17 - Employment Law Update - Blue Springs, MO
Missouri Auto Dealer Association
7.19.17
Articles
Legal Alerts
- 12.4.18
- 11.8.18
- 5-Step Plan To Come Into Compliance2.9.18
Practices
- Automotive Dealership
- Compliance Audits and Counseling
- E-Verify
- Employment Discrimination and Related Litigation
- Employment Law Training
- Employment Policies and Procedures
- Family and Medical Leave Act
- Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
- Labor and Employment Litigation
- Litigation of Employment Disputes
- Professional Employer Organizations
- Wage and Hour Law
Education
- University of Missouri-Kansas City School of LawJ.D.
- Kansas State UniversityM.S. in I/O Psychology
- Bates College B.A. 2002
Bar Admissions
- Kansas
- Missouri
Court Admissions
- Kansas Supreme Court
- Supreme Court of Missouri
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri