Katherine (Katie) J. Donohue is a shareholder based in Butzel Long's Detroit office. Ms. Donohue concentrates her practice on employment, non-compete and trade secret litigation, traditional labor law, higher education law, and employment-related and e-discovery counseling. She is admitted to practice in the State of Michigan, the United States Court of Appeals in the Sixth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.
Ms. Donohue is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2003), where she was a Jerome P. Cavanagh Scholar, a member of the Justice Frank Murphy Honor Society, a Symposium Editor on Law Review, and a Director on the Moot Court Board. She received the State Bar of Michigan Negligence Law Section Award for trial advocacy, the Frank Sengstock Award for Excellence in Legal Writing, and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation Award for Outstanding Women Law Students. Ms. Donohue also is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A., 2000, honors with distinction).
Professional and Community Involvement
· State Bar of Michigan
· Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association - Director on the Board of Barristers, Membership Chair, and Law Day Chair
· American Bar Association - Employment Rights and Responsibilities Section Member and Non-Compete/Trade Secret and Technology Subcommittee Member
· Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Representative Cases
· Moss v. Wayne State University, No. 286034, 2009 Mich. App. LEXIS 2491 (Dec. 1, 2009) (affirming summary disposition in class action seeking refund of increased student tuition)
· Kelly Services v. Eidnes, 530 F. Supp. 2d 940 (E.D. Mich. 2008); Kelly Services v. Noretto, 495 F. Supp. 2d 645 (E.D. Mich. 2007) (issuing preliminary injunctions in trade secret and non-compete cases and dismissing defendants' motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction and improper venue and to transfer venue)
· Rooyakker & Sitz, PLLC v. Plante & Moran, PLLC, 276 Mich. App. 146 (2007) (affirming summary disposition in anti-piracy case based on arbitration agreement and finding company's restrictive covenants in employment agreements enforceable)
· Myers v. Office Depot, No. 06-cv-11252, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59231 (E.D. Mich. Aug. 21, 2007) (granting summary judgment in same-sex harassment case)
· PML North America, LLC v. ACG Enterprises of NC, Inc., No. 05-cv-70404, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94456 (E.D. Mich. Dec. 20, 2006) (granting partial summary judgment in breach of contract and fraud case, granting default judgment for e-discovery abuses, and subsequently awarding $4-million judgment, attorneys' and experts' fees, and costs)
Publications
· Author, "Are You Treating and Enforcing Your Non-Compete Agreements Consistently?," The Michigan Broadcaster (Nov./Dec. 2007)
· Co-Author, "Accommodations in Testing: Is a Level Playing Field Unfair?," Michigan Bar Journal (Aug. 2006)
· Co-Author, "Strategies for Right Sizing," Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education Annual Labor & Employment Seminar (April 2006)
· Co-Author, "Non-Competition and Trade Secret Agreements and Litigation," Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education Annual Intellectual Property Seminar (Mar. 2006)
· Co-Editor, Tortious Interference in the Employment Context - Minnesota & Wisconsin Chapters (ABA 2006 Supplement)
· Contributing Editor, "RICO and Labor Law" (Chapter 30), The Developing Labor Law (ABA 5th Ed. 2006)
· Author, The Public Buildings Exception to Governmental Immunity in Tort Liability Does Not Extend to Inmates: Brown v. Genesee County Board of Commissioners, 80 U. Det. Mercy L. Rev. 269 (Winter 2003)
· Author, Who is Responsible for Your Protection? - The Michigan Supreme Court Limits a Merchant's Duty: MacDonald v. PKT, Inc., 80 U. Det. Mercy L. Rev. 127 (Fall 2002)
Speeches and Conferences
· "Navigating Electronic Discovery," Michigan Defense Trial Counsel Annual Seminar (Nov. 2009)
· "Technology in the Workplace" and "Protecting Your Client's Most Valuable Assets," Butzel Long's Annual Labor and Employment Seminar (2006-2009)
News
Media Releases
01.05.12, Butzel Long elects shareholders
12.21.11, Butzel Long attorney Katherine J. Donohue named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's 2011 Class of "Up & Coming Lawyers"
10.28.11, Butzel Long attorneys featured during OESA Commercial Trends and Legal Strategy v.2011 program
06.09.11, Butzel Long receives Pro Bono Service Award from Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
05.11.11, Butzel Long attorney Katherine Donohue Goudie featured during American Bar Association Section of Litigation webinar on May 17
Publications
Client alerts
08.01.11, Automation Alley Newsletter - Time to Review your Employment Agreements: "Expired" is not the same as "Terminated" when it comes to enforcing restrictive covenants
07.27.11, Client Alert - Trade Secret and Non-Compete - Time to Review your Employment Agreements: "Expired" is not the same as "Terminated" when it comes to enforcing restrictive covenants
08.01.09, Automation Alley Newsletter - August 2009
07.27.09, E-news: Trade Secret & Non-Compete - 7/27/09
01.13.09, Article: Automation Alley's 2008 Technology Industry Report
04.01.08, Automation Alley Newsletter - April 2008
03.31.08, E-news: Labor and Employment - March 31, 2008
Memberships
State Bar of Michigan
Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association - Director on the Board of Barristers, Membership Chair, and Law Day Chair
American Bar Association - Employment Rights and Responsibilities Section Member and Non-Compete/Trade Secret and Technology Subcommittee Member
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Recognitions
University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) - Jerome P. Cavanagh Scholar
UDM - a member of the Justice Frank Murphy Honor Society
UDM- a Symposium Editor on University of Detroit Mercy Law Review
UDM - a Director on the Moot Court Board
UDM - recipient of State Bar of Michigan Negligence Law Section Award for trial advocacy
UDM - the Frank Sengstock Award for Excellence in Legal Writing
UDM - the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation Award for Outstanding Women Law Students