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Laura J. Hazen

Director

Biography

Ms. Hazen is a Director with the law firm of Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, PC. She serves as the head of the Child Care / Early Education Practice Group, and focuses on regulatory, licensing and employment issues.

In her employment practice, she provides day-to-day advice to public and private companies on allegations of employment discrimination, non-compete agreements and other labor and employment matters. Ms. Hazen works with her colleagues to provide training for public and private companies on issues such as diversity, management strategies, electronic document management and sexual harassment, and drafts employment documents, including employee handbooks and contracts on site and through the Employment Law Workshop Series.

Ms. Hazen helps all employers, but focuses considerable attention on child care providers and restaurateurs and the unique problems that face those businesses. Ms. Hazen also enjoys working with small and emerging businesses, to help them grow. After receiving many calls from small business owners asking about business plans, funding, marketing plans and other "non-legal" services, Ms. Hazen designed a series of lunchtime workshops, called the Small Business Toolkit, designed with the small business owner in mind. Her business skills were recently recognized in a nomination for the Denver Business Journal?s Outstanding Woman in Business Award, and in her inclusion in the Denver Business Journal's list of "Top 40 under 40" in 2008.

Ms. Hazen's litigation practice concentrates on representing business in all aspects of complex business disputes. Ms. Hazen represents public and private companies in cases involving contractual and partnership disputes, employment litigation and landlord/tenant issues, construction defect disputes, trade secrets, and other commercial issues. She also devotes a significant amount of time to alternative dispute resolution, including mediation. Ms. Hazen is dedicated to providing clients with excellent representation in the court room as well as out. In 2007, Ms. Hazen completed an 8 day workshop with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. She volunteers with the DU Layering Process Program to help others develop strong litigation skills.

She is admitted to practice in Colorado and Massachusetts, and the U.S. District Courts of the Districts of Massachusetts and Colorado, as well as before the First and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the Unites States Supreme Court. Ms. Hazen received a B.S.S. cum laude from Cornell College, a J.D. degree from Northeastern University School of Law, and is a candidate for an MS-management degree from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2009.

Accomplishments

Ms. Hazen was named a "Rising Star" by the Super Lawyers publication in 2008.

Ms. Hazen regularly publishes articles in human resources and childcare trade journals, and lectures for the University of Colorado , Bard Center for Entrepreneurship, Sterling Education Services, Lorman Education Services and trade organizations.

Specifically, Ms. Hazen published the following articles:

•  Jobbing.com Employer - focused legal blog, (http://denver.jobing.com/blog_author.asp?author=75023)
•  Hospitality News (Colorado Restaurant Association). "'I Quit!' and other reasonable reactions to managing problem employees," November 2007.
•  Members' Newsletter ( Colorado Child Care Association). Small Business Corner, August 2007.
•  The Advisor ( Colorado Human Resource Association). "' We're Like a Family,' and Other Lies Small Business Owners Tell Themselves about Discrimination and Harassment Claims," October 2006.
•  The Docket ( Colorado Bar Association). " Lookin' for Love in all the Wrong Places," (legal issues surrounding intraoffice dating), December 2004.

Ms. Hazen lectured on the following topics:

•  Employment Law Series. "Taking the Fear Out of Firing." February 2009
•  Colorado Restaurant Association. "Thriving in 2009: Trouble Free Terminations." February 2009
•  CHRA/HR Conference. (Colorado Human Resource Association.) "Developing Sound Strategic HR Policies" & "Corporate Social Responsibilities." January 2009.
•  Employment Law Series. "FLSA Update," August 2008.
•  Association of Legal Administrators. Presentation: "Personal Expression in the Workplace," June 2008.
•  Employment Law Series. "Hiring and Firing," June 2008.
•  Hospitality Human Resource Association. Presentation: "Hiring and Firing," May 2008.
•  Early Childhood Education Association of Colorado "Personal Expression in the Workplace" & "Hiring and Firing." May 2008
•  Sterling Education Services, Inc. "Immigration and Employment Law," April 17, 2008.
•  Colorado Restaurant Association. "Employment Law 101," March 2008.
•  CHRA/HR Conference "Blogs, Piercings and Tatoos, Oh, My!: Personal Expression in the workplace, January 2008.
•  ISPP Small Business Toolkit . Four Workshop Series: Creating Your Empire: Choosing a Business Entity; Lights, Camera Action: Developing & Protecting Your Intellectual Property; Maximizing Value: Real Estate, Financing, Buying & Selling a Business; Help Wanted: Hiring Employees, 2007
•  Lorman Education Services . "Personal Liability and the HR Professional in Colorado ," January 2006.
•  CHRA/HR Conference ( Colorado Human Resource Association). "Employment Law Update," January 2006.
•  ISPP Small Business Toolkit . Four Workshop Series: Getting Started: Heading in the Right Direction; Light the Way; Finding Your Four Key Advisors; Employee Makes Three: What Every Employer Must Know; and, Green Thumb: Managing Your Growth & Marketing Your Business, 2005-2006

Affiliations

Ms. Hazen is involved in many civic, community and volunteer activities. Ms. Hazen is a trustee with the Legal Aid Foundation and sits on the YMCA Metro Board of Advisors. Ms. Hazen was the YMCA Metro Board of Advisors Volunteer of the Year in 2007, and continues to sit on the Special Events Committee. She is a board member with the Colorado Early Education Association of Colorado, the Colorado Restaurant Association Mile High Chapter, and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management and the Colorado Human Resource Association Mile High Chapter. Ms. Hazen is active in the Alliance of Professional Women, the Colorado Women's Bar Association, and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce (Chamber 100, Class of 2006-7).

Interests

Outside of the office, Ms. Hazen spends much of her time as possible with her husband and daughters and their hyper Siberian Husky, Beta. Ms. Hazen enjoys cooking, running, and community service.