Jennifer B. Hagedorn

Jennifer Hagedorn leads the Bowles Rice Labor and Employment team.  She focuses her practice in representing businesses in all aspects of employment and workplace issues. She works with her employer clients to provide comprehensive preventative services to minimize potential risk of litigation.  She also works with business clients to develop creative, thoughtful defense strategies for times when litigation cannot be avoided. 

She routinely counsels businesses, such as banks, hospitals and other health care providers, manufacturing clients, energy clients, and other various entities of all sizes on ways to properly handle human resources issues, potential disciplinary situations, leaves of absence matters, separations and various employee complaints.  Jennifer also assists her clients in conducting workplace investigations and creating employment policies and handbooks tailored to the particular industry of her client.  Jennifer’s representation of business clients in such matters has involved many appearances at administrative hearings, depositions and related litigation filings.

Jennifer has also represented her clients in litigation matters at a state and federal level including wrongful termination claims, discrimination claims, including harassment and sexual harassment, retaliation claims, breach of contract claims, and invasion of privacy claims. Jennifer has also successfully defended businesses in claims brought before administrative agencies, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor, as well as various state administrative agencies in the State of West Virginia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Jennifer also serves as general counsel to small businesses, advising clients on all aspects of the law and other business matters, including employment related matters, contract negotiation and drafting, real estate transactions, and statutory and regulatory compliance.

She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

• Chair, Bowles Rice Human Resources Department (2022-)
• Member, Bowles Rice Executive Committee
• Co-leader, Bowles Rice Labor & Employment Team
• Private Practice, Wheeling, West Virginia (2001-2012)
• Treasurer, Ohio County (WV) Bar Association (2002-2003)

Representative Experience

Jennifer was appointed the Offensive Discovery Team Leader for one of the country’s largest pharmacies/supermarkets in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation pending before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The National Prescription Opiate Litigation is the major opioid national multidistrict litigation (MDL 2804) presided over by a federal judge in Ohio but affecting nearly every state in the country. Through this litigation, Jennifer has gained a higher level of experience dealing with offensive and third-party discovery.

Jennifer also served as the “offensive discovery liaison counsel” for all national counsel defending the opioid litigation. As liaison counsel, Jennifer chaired weekly meetings and led discussions with counsel from national law firms representing the major national retail chain pharmacies.  

• The Employment Lawyers, featured Pennsylvania attorney
• West Virginia University College of Law
• Recipient of Non-Profit Organizations CALI Award (recognition for achieving the highest grade in a particular subject)
• Member, Marilyn Lugar Trial Court Travel Team
• Competed in Trial Lawyers Association Mock Court Competition

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Member, Society for Human Resource Management
• Member, Findlay Area Human Resource Association
• Member, Upper Ohio Valley Chapter for Human Resource Management
• Editor, Practical State Law Q&A, Thomson Reuters

• United Way of Washington County (PA)
  • Secretary
  • Member, Executive Committee
  • Member, Board of Directors
• Volunteer, Canonsburg-Houston Food Pantry
• Member, Handbags that Help
• Member, The Coterie
• Past President and Member, Board of Directors, Holy Family Child Care & Development Center
• St. Michael Catholic School, Findlay, Ohio
  • Parent Volunteer, Organization of 2020/2021 fundraising event 
  • Team Parent, 8th grade Girls Volleyball Team, 2019-2021
  • Team Parent, 6th grade and 8th grade Girls Basketball Teams, 2019-2020
• Volunteer, Junior Achievement program at John F. Kennedy Catholic School