Bio

Laura M. Dinon has been a member of Plunkett Cooney since 1979. After graduating from the Detroit College of Law in 1988, she began practicing in the Detroit office, concentrating in the area of professional liability.

Since transferring to Petoskey in July of 1990, she has concentrated on representing public and private employers in all aspects of employment law, including labor relations. She has also handled no fault motor vehicle cases, health care issues and municipal law matters. She has a broad client base of small to medium size businesses, including health care practices, as well as municipalities and large insurance companies. She handles cases in federal and state courts, Arbitrations and Administrative Agency hearings.

Representative Client Work

  • Labor negotiations and arbitrations
  • General labor and employment counsel for numerous businesses advising and assisting them in managing their employees, including hiring, firing, discipline, leave, compliance and all other employment related issues up to and including litigation. Assists these clients with drafting of contracts and policies, and then the implementation, training, and interpretation of those policies and contracts
  • Represents and advises business and health care clients on wide range of issues, including contracts, corporate document updates/filings, handbooks, bylaws, operating agreements, as well as contract negotiations
  • Represents employers in employment litigation in state and federal court

Publications and Lectures

  • “Harassment U” - We Major in Violating Employment Law Best Practices, Panelist, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Seminar, Detroit Marriott Troy, Nov. 17, 2023
  • "The Employment Law Lab - Analyzing Employee Leaves and Accommodations," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Seminar, MSU Management Education Center, June 14, 2023
  • "Digging Out - From Under Michigan's Employment Law Avalanche" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Apr. 20, 2023
  • “SCARE-tober: Urban Legends or Realities of the Workplace?,” Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Seminar, Detroit Marriott Troy, Oct. 27, 2022
  • "Opinions Matter - Making Sense of Recent Employment Law Cases" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Sept. 8, 2022
  • "The New Age of ‘Reasonable’ - Accommodating Traditional & Pandemic-related FMLA & ADA Requests" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, May 18, 2022 
  • "Remote Control - Ensuring Policy Compliance in Today's Virtual Workplace" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Mar. 16, 2022
  • "Understanding and Implementing the new Federal COVID-19 Vaccination Rules" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Nov. 22, 2021
  • "Delta Variant Update - New Federal COVID-19 Regulations for Employers" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Sept. 16, 2021
  • “Getting Vacc to Work - A Guide to Returning to In-Person Work Amid Easing Pandemic Restrictions,” Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Webinar, May 20, 2021
  • “New Challenges in the New Year - A Virtual Seminar for Employers & HR Professionals," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Webinar, Feb. 25, 2021

  • "Is This the New Normal? A Virtual Town Hall for Employers," Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group Webinar, Aug. 28, 2020 
  • "Did that Really Happen - Concerning Court Cases for Employers and the Risky Side of HR" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, May 28, 2020
  • "Back to Work - Best Practices for Resuming Business Operations Under Michigan and Federal Law" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, May 12, 2020
  • "Coronavirus Response Q&A - Employment Law Panel Discussion" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Mar. 17, 2020
  • "Winds of Change - NLRB Shifts Momentum Toward Employers" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Jan. 16, 2020
  • "Here we go Again - New DOL Regulations for White Collar Exemptions" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Nov. 7, 2019
  • "One Fact Matters - Responding to Employee Leave Request Under Michigan & Federal Law" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Jun. 4, 2019
  • "What's New and What to do About it (Practical Advice for Michigan Employers)" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Dec. 5, 2018,
  • "Ripped From the Headlines -Unique Challenges for Public Employers" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Oct. 11, 2018
  • "Flashpoint - Frank talk about the legal issues surrounding workplace violence" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Apr. 12, 2018
  • "Things That go Bump in the Workplace" Seminar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Detroit Athletic Club, Oct. 27, 2017
  • "LGBTQ Alphabet Soup - Ingredients for a more inclusive workforce" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, March 21, 2017
  • "TANGLED…Unknotting Complex Employee Leave and Disability Issues" Webinar, Presenter, Plunkett Cooney's Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, Nov. 10, 2016
  • Frequent presenter at Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce Seminars on numerous employment topics including HIPAA, Sexual Harassment, Fair Labor Standards Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Youth Labor Laws, Record Retention, Bullard-Plawecki Employee Right to Know Act, FMLA, ADA, Affordable Care Act, as well as other current legal topics
  • Frequent presenter for the Northern Michigan Society for Human Resource Management (NMSHRM) and Professional Association of Health Care Office Managers Traverse City Chapter (PAHCOM) on numerous employment and health care topics 
  • Frequent contributor to Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce Monthly Publication on Employment topics including Michigan Minimum Wage Laws, HIPAA, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Youth Labor Laws, Michigan Social Security Privacy Act
  • Presenter on Basic Labor Issues, the Superiorland Society of Human Resource Managers, October 2006
  • Presenter for Michigan Works Seminars on employment issues 

Professional Memberships

  • Emmet-Charlevoix Bar Association
  • State Bar of Michigan (Labor & Employment and Negligence sections)
  • American Bar Association (Labor & Employment Section)
  • Society for Human Resource Management
  • Northern Michigan Society for Human Resource Management (Past Secretary and Past President; Board of Directors, Member)

Community Involvement

  • Women's Resource Center of Northern Michigan (Board of Directors)
  • Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce (President, 2002)
  • The Christ Child Society of Northern Michigan (Board of Directors)
  • Petoskey High School Ski Boosters (Board of Directors)

Credentials

Education

  • Detroit College of Law, J.D., 1988
  • Michigan State University, B.A., 1983

Admissions

  • Michigan, 1988
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1988
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 1991

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Go To Employment Lawyer honoree, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2024

Insights

Speaking Engagements

Blog Posts