Laura Thalacker has been practicing employment law in Nevada for over 29 years. Prior to founding Hartwell Thalacker, Ltd. In 2014 with her longtime friend and colleague, Doreen Spears Hartwell, Laura worked for over 17 years at Nevada’s then-largest law firm, where she was a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department. Laura focuses on exclusively representing employers in Nevada, throughout the U.S., and worldwide in employment law and litigation matters.
Using her unique combination of practical human resources experience and in-depth legal knowledge, Laura takes a pro-active, preventative and strategic approach to employment issues. She helps clients comply with a myriad of complex, and sometimes contradictory, federal and state employment and labor laws. Laura takes great pride in her accessible and down-to-earth approach with clients, which is characterized by her ability to explain complex legal issues in practical and understandable terms and to listen to clients to understand and achieve their organizational and legal objectives for representation.
In the area of human resources compliance and counseling, Laura advises employers on a wide array of workplace issues including discipline and termination, reductions in force, leaves of absence, prevention of discrimination and harassment, social media use, workplace investigations, wage and hour compliance, drug testing, confidentiality, trade secrets, and non-competes. Laura also drafts employee handbooks, policies, and employment contracts. She further conducts workplace investigations and provides training to employees, managers and executives on various human resources topics.
In addition to working with employers on legal compliance and litigation prevention, Laura defends employers in employment-related litigation in Nevada state and federal courts. Laura has represented employers in a variety of cases, including claims for discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, violation of leave of absence laws, wage and hour violations, breach of contract, and non-competes and trade secrets. In her administrative practice, she defends employers before federal and state agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, the United States Department of Labor, and the Office of the Nevada Labor Commissioner.
Laura is an active member of IR Global, including serving on IR’s Labor and Employment Steering Committee and participating in several IR “Virtual Series” publications. In 2019, Hartwell Thalacker, Ltd. organized and hosted the inaugural meeting of IR’s North American Labor & Employment lawyers.
Laura is a five-time Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” as recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®. In 2024, 2018 and 2015, she received the Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” award for Employment Law-Management. In 2023 and 2016, Laura was named by Best Lawyers® as the Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation-Labor and Employment. She is also a ranked lawyer in the area of Labor & Employment with Chambers USA (2019-2023). In addition to being named to “Super Lawyers” (2012-2017, 2019-2023), Mountain States Super Lawyers® also recognized Laura as one of its “Top 50 Women Attorneys” in 2013. Laura has an “AV Preeminent” rating with Martindale Hubbell® and is one of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers” (2021-2024).
In addition to her legal credentials, Laura is certified by the Society for Human Resources Management and Human Resources Certification Institute as a SHRM-Certified Senior Professional (SHRM-CSP) and as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), respectively. Laura is also certified as a Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR). She is a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators and is a certified ATIXA Title IX Investigator.
Laura is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She is a past Chairperson of the State Bar of Nevada’s Labor and Employment Section, as well as a former Chairperson of the State Bar of Nevada’s Publications Committee. Laura has been a frequent speaker and writer on a variety of employment law topics for Bar Association, client and community events. She has served as a Practical Law® contributor for Nevada on the topics of Non-Compete Laws, Background Check Laws, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Hiring Requirements, and Wage and Hour Laws.
Admissions & Certifications
•State Bar of Nevada (1994)
•United States District Court, District of Nevada (1994)
•United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1997)
•Senior Certified Professional (SCP) – Society for Human Resources Management
•Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) – Human Resources Certification Institute
- Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) – Human Resources Certification Institute
- ATIXA Certified Title IX Investigator
Memberships
•Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Labor and Employment Section, State Bar of Nevada (past Chairperson)
•Litigation Section, State Bar of Nevada
•Labor and Employment Section, American Bar Association - Association of Workplace Investigators
•Society for Human Resources Management
•Former Regional Vice-Chair (North America), Lex Mundi Global Labor and Employment Practice Group - Past Chairperson of the State Bar of Nevada’s Publications Committee
Select Honors
- 2024 Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” (Employment Law – Management) – The Best Lawyers in America®
- 2023 Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” (Litigation-Labor and Employment) – The Best Lawyers in America®
- 2018 Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” (Employment Law – Management) – The Best Lawyers in America®
- 2016 Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” (Litigation-Labor and Employment) – The Best Lawyers in America®
2015 Las Vegas “Lawyer of the Year” (Employment Law-Management) – The Best Lawyers in America® - The Best Lawyers in America®– Employment Law (Management); Labor Law (Management); and Litigation–Labor and Employment (2010-2024)
- Mountain States Super Lawyers® – “Employment & Labor” and “Employment Litigation: Defense” (2012-2017, 2019-2023)
- Ranked in Chambers USA in the area of Labor & Employment (2019-2023)
- ”Top 50 Women Lawyers,” Mountain States Super Lawyers® (2013)
- Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers (2019-2023)
- ”Top Lawyers,” Desert Companion Magazine (2014)
- Vegas, Inc. Las Vegas “Top Employment Lawyer-Management” (2012)
Education
•B.A. (summa cum laude), Political Science and Women’s Studies, Wartburg College (1991)
•J.D. (with high distinction), University of Iowa College of Law (1994)
•Senior Note & Comment Editor, Iowa Law Review (1993-1994)
•Best Advocate, Iowa Competitive Appellate Advocacy II (1994)
- Best Brief, Iowa Competitive Appellate Advocacy II (1994)
- Chicago Moot Court Team (1994)
