Ms. Laughlin represents clients in complex civil litigation in state and federal courts across the country. She has experience in a wide array of matters involving commercial contracts, insurance-coverage disputes, business torts, declaratory judgment, and environmental law. Ms. Laughlin’s representative experience includes:

• Representing opt-out plaintiffs in a high-profile action involving state-tort and federal-securities claims against international financial institutions;
• Defending an agricultural-products manufacturer in a multimillion-dollar class action against cities, villages, and water companies that sued because the manufacturer’s product was detected in the surface water;
• Representing a national pet-products company in an action for breach of a stock purchase agreement and for insurance coverage under a corresponding representations-and-warranties policy;
• Defending a group of healthcare insurers in a class action against healthcare providers that sued over the insurers’ reimbursement rates and practices; and
• Representing a local meat manufacturer in an action for breach of a license agreement, injunctive relief, and declaratory judgment.

Ms. Laughlin’s experience also includes teaching trial advocacy courses to second- and third-year law students. In that role, she has provided instruction about composing and delivering compelling statements and examinations, as well as laying the requisite evidentiary foundation and handling exhibits effectively at trial.

Prior to joining Sperling & Slater, Ms. Laughlin was a litigation attorney at McDermott Will & Emery, LLP.

Publication

• Co-author of IICLE’s chapter on complex and multidistrict litigation

Education

• Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 2008)
  • Chicago-Kent Law Review
  • Recipient of Hon. Warren Wolfson Trial Advocacy Award
  • Chicago-Kent Trial Team (National Champions)
  • Graduated with Honors
• Augustana College (B.A. in Philosophy, Mathematics, and Spanish, 2005)
  • Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society
  • Pi Mu Epsilon Honors Society
  • Graduated summa cum laude

Admissions & Certifications

• Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  
• Certified Mediator for the Center for Conflict Resolution