Lauren C. Schaefer

Associate
Lauren’s practice focuses on the intersection of employment law and complex commercial litigation matters.
Lauren Schaefer, Associate, Arent Fox LLP

Employment Law

Lauren provides employment law counseling and advice to executives, managers, human resource professionals, and in-house counsel. She also litigates employment and labor disputes before administrative agencies and in court.

Lauren serves as trusted advisor to her clients, providing advice and counseling on employment law issues tracking the life cycle of employees, including hiring, performance management, investigations, wage and hour compliance, navigating leaves of absence and the reasonable accommodation process, and reductions in force. She also drafts employee handbooks, employment agreements, including restrictive covenant agreements, and severance agreements. Her practice includes conducting harassment and discrimination prevention training for companies.

Trade Secrets, Restrictive Covenants and Employee Mobility

Lauren’s practice involves helping clients to identify and protect their valuable trade secrets, and designing, implementing, and maintaining trade secret policies and protections within the construct of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, and related state laws.

Lauren also represents companies seeking to protect and enforce their trade secret and noncompete rights, as well as defend companies and individuals who are accused of trade secret misuse and misappropriation.

Complex Commercial Litigation

Lauren is an advocate for clients involved in high-stakes litigation. She regularly represents individuals and businesses involved in a variety of commercial litigation in state and federal court, handling matters at all phases of the litigation process. Lauren also has experience in the areas of employment restrictive covenant and trade secrete disputes, wage and misclassification claims, including class actions, intellectual property litigation, and breach of contract claims.

Awards & Recognitions

  • The Best Lawyers in America 2024, Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • The Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer, Labor & Employment Disputes: Defense
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyer, Rising Star every year from 2021-2023

Memberships 

  • Massachusetts Bar Association
    • Labor and Employment Section Council Member (2021-current)
  • Boston Bar Association
    • Co-Chair of New Lawyers Section (2017-2019)
    • Co-Chair of IP Basics Committee (2019-2020)
    • Public Interest Leadership Program (2017-2018)
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association

Publications & Presentations

  • Speaker, "Non-competes and Restrictive Covenants 2023", Practicing Law Institute, September 2023, New York, NY
  • Speaker, "Non-competes and Restrictive Covenants 2022", Practicing Law Institute, September 2022, New York, NY
  • Speaker, "Ethics in Trade Secrets", American Intellectual Property Law 2021 Trade Secret Summit, November 2021, Austin, TX
  • Speaker, “Strategies for Success,” Boston Bar Association, June 2019, Boston, MA
  • Presenter, American Intellectual Property Law Association 2019 Trade Secret Summit, March 2019, New York, N Y
  • Speaker, “Practicing with Professionalism,” Boston Bar Association, February 2019, Boston, MA
  • “Drafting Employment Documents in Massachusetts,” Arbitration Agreements, MCLE, 2019 and 2021
  • “Application of Contract Law in BG Group v. Argentina,” Boston University International Law Journal, 2016