Patricia L. Ogden is a partner in Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s Indianapolis office and a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Department. Ms. Ogden exclusively represents management interests for a broad client base, including both private and public employers of varying size. On the litigation side of her practice, Ms. Ogden routinely defends allegations of wrongful discharge, wage and hour claims, discrimination, retaliation, sexual and other forms of harassment, whistleblower complaints, OSHA violations, worker’s compensation matters, and a variety of other employment claims. In addition to defending claims in federal and state court, Ms. Ogden has represented clients in a variety of administrative forums, including the Department of Labor, matters before the EEOC, federal and state OSHA matters, unemployment appeals, and worker’s compensation claims. With regard to OSHA matters, Ms. Ogden has assisted employers defend claims, including multiple fatality cases, in multiple jurisdictions and with regard to both federal and state plans.

Recognizing the significance of being proactive in employment matters in order to reduce legal risks, Ms. Ogden spends a substantial amount of her practice in daily client counseling, effective policy development, and client training on a variety of legal compliance issues, including by way of example Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, harassment issues, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), various state statutes, wage and hour compliance issues, effective hiring, as well as other effective supervisory skills. Her practice regularly involves advising human resource professionals and management personnel who hold the responsibility of administering the FMLA and ADA compliance, as well as advising clients on OSHA compliance and training requirements and best practices. In addition, Ms. Ogden works with clients on consulting agreements, independent contractor issues, handbooks, and in analyzing reductions-in-force and preparing severance packages.

Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Ms. Ogden was a practicing registered nurse (RN) specializing in research and transplantation and critical care, as well as the nurse manager of a large medical unit. Due to her background as an RN, Ms. Ogden participates in healthcare symposiums and advises clients and other HR personnel on updates to the ADA and FMLA, workplace medical issues, risk management, effective documentation, legal issues involving unemployment proceedings, transfer of patients between facilities, and other healthcare-related topics.

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