Nick Birkenhauer

Partner

Nick is a management-side employment lawyer whose practice focuses on assisting businesses with all aspects of Human Resources and Employment Law. Nick has extensive experience working with employers of all sizes and across a wide array of industries, including healthcare and manufacturing. Nick works side-by-side on a daily basis with management and human resources professionals to help his clients achieve their organizational HR objectives.

Nick has extensive employment litigation experience, having successfully practiced at all levels of Kentucky state and federal courts. He also regularly represents his clients before state and federal administrative agencies such as the EEOC, DOL, Kentucky Labor Cabinet, and Kentucky Human Rights Commission. In addition to his litigation practice, Nick assists his clients with day-to-day HR counseling and compliance, contract preparation and review, and policy development and drafting.

Outside the office, Nick enjoys being active in the community. He currently serves on the boards of Covington Catholic High School and the Congregation of Divine Providence, and he is active with the Diocese of Covington’s Alliance for Catholic Urban Education. In the past, Nick served as the chairperson of Northern Kentucky SHRM as well as the Salvation Army of Northern Kentucky.

Nick is a native of Northern Kentucky and resides in Fort Thomas with his family.

Honors & Distinctions
  • Kentucky Rising Star, Super Lawyers (2013 – 2017)
  • Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
  • Northern Kentucky Law Review, Associate Editor
Professional Affiliations
  • Northern Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (NKY SHRM)
  • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
  • Kentucky Defense Council
  • Kentucky Bar Association
  • Northern Kentucky  Bar Association
  • Ohio Bar Association
Community Involvement
  • Chairman, The Salvation Army of Northern Kentucky Advisory Council
  • Member, Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board
  • Member, Covington Catholic High School Board
  • Co-Chair, Congregation of Divine Providence Development Advisory Board
  • Member, Alliance for Catholic Urban Education Leadership Gifts Team
  • Member, St. Thomas Parish, Ft. Thomas, KY
Publications
  • Author, Kentucky Supreme Court Doubles Down on a More Nuanced Understanding of the “Open and Obvious” Doctrine under Comparative Negligence, Kentucky Defense Counsel’s Common Defense (Fall/Winter 2016).
  • Author, When Nonprofit Employees Volunteer: What it Means Under Federal Wage and Hour Laws, Kentucky Defense Counsel’s Common Defense (Spring/Summer 2014).
  • Author, Employers can Prevent Doomsday Scenario with Restrictive Covenants, Ohio State Bar Association’s Legal Basics for Small Business (2013).
  • Author, How You Conduct a RIF can Reduce Your Risk of Being Sued, Ohio State Bar Association’s Fine Print (Summer 2010).
Admissions
  • Commonwealth of Kentucky
  • State of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
11DBL Attorney Nick Birkenhauer
Contact
nbirkenhauer@dbllaw.com
(859) 426-2176

Education

J.D., Northern Kentucky University, Chase College of Law, 2007
B.A., Washington and Lee University, 2004

Practice Areas

Employment & Labor

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