Laura M. Davis

Laura is an associate in DeWitt’s Litigation, Labor & Employment Relations, Background Screening and Intellectual Property practice groups. Laura is committed to producing timely, high quality legal work in an efficient and effective manner. She values building relationships with clients to guide them through their complex legal needs.

Laura has experience litigating in federal and state court to enforce and defend clients’ legal interests. Laura assists clients in resolving labor & employment disputes, defending and protecting intellectual property rights, and disputing and enforcing contractual rights. When clients are faced with a conflict or lawsuit, she helps provide advice and strategic analysis to resolve disputes in a cost effective manner. She has helped obtain successful resolution of disputes through pretrial motions, negotiation, mediation, preliminary injunctions, and trial.

Laura also advises and represents employers on a wide range of employment background screening issues. She counsels employers on implementing preventative measures to comply with a variety of state and federal laws, including: the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. She has experience devising anti-harassment and other personnel policies, reviewing employment contracts, and advising on hiring and termination practices. She also helps employers and background screening companies navigate a variety of background screening compliance issues, including disclosure and authorization, adverse action, and dispute resolution processes. When disputes arise, Laura helps defend employers in employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage, and wrongful termination matters before state, federal and administrative agencies.

Prior to joining the firm as an associate, Laura worked on a variety of legal matters during law school as a law clerk at DeWitt. While in law school, Laura worked for the Wisconsin Innocence Project and received the Melvin Friedman Memorial Scholarship for her outstanding work in that role. She also served as an Articles Editor of the Wisconsin Law Review and competed twice for the Wisconsin Law School’s Moot Court Board.

Articles and Presentations

• “DOL Proposes Pro-Employer Update to FLSA’s Joint Employer Regulations,” Employment Law Blog (April 2019)


• “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished – Ethical Considerations of Pro Bono Representation,” Co-Presenter with Raluca Vais-Ottosen for the DeWitt Annual Ethics Seminar (Fall 2018)


• “The Lifecycle of an Employment Relationship in Six Acts,” Presenter for the DeWitt Fall Employment Law Seminar (October 2018)


• “Employers Are Disoriented After Seventh Circuit Rejects Claim For Sexual Orientation Discrimination,” Employment Law Blog (August 2016)


• “Employers Facing Unionization Efforts Subject To Additional Disclosure Requirements,” Employment Law Blog (March 2016, Updated July 2016)


• “Attorney À La Carte: Managing the Scope and Risks of Limited Scope Representation,” Presenter for the DeWitt Annual Ethics Seminar (Fall 2015)​