Jennifer Berhorst is a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group, where she represents employers across the full spectrum of the employment relationship. A trusted advisor to companies navigating complex workforce challenges, Jennifer counsels clients on compliance and best practices, drafts and implements employee policies, negotiates employment contracts, and designs and delivers targeted human resources training programs. Her litigation practice is equally broad: she defends employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under Title VII, the ADA, the FMLA, and analogous state statutes, as well as wage and hour disputes under the FLSA and corresponding state laws, whistleblower actions, and restrictive covenant and trade secret disputes. Jennifer has successfully represented employers at every level of the dispute resolution process, including administrative hearings, arbitrations, state and federal trials, and appeals before the Eighth and Tenth Circuits.

Jennifer also brings significant experience to the labor and employment dimensions of mergers and acquisitions. She regularly advises private equity sponsors and strategic acquirers on both buy-side and sell-side transactions spanning a diverse range of industries, including manufacturing, technology and software, professional services, agriculture, transportation and logistics, infrastructure, and energy. Her transactional practice encompasses leading employment-related due diligence, drafting and negotiating labor and employment provisions in purchase agreements and ancillary documents, structuring and negotiating executive employment agreements, managing transaction-related reductions in force, and harmonizing policies and benefit programs post-closing. Through this work, Jennifer helps clients develop workforce integration strategies that mitigate risk and advance their business objectives.

Beyond employment matters, Jennifer maintains a robust complex commercial litigation practice. She has handled disputes involving business torts, breach of fiduciary duty, financial services litigation (including commercial and residential foreclosure), business contract claims, and fraud. She is particularly skilled at obtaining emergency injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, and has an equally strong record defending clients against such requests.

Jennifer is widely recognized for her commitment to pro bono service. She has prosecuted multiple international child abduction cases under the Hague Convention, securing the return of children to their countries of habitual residence. She has also obtained favorable immigration status for victims of human trafficking and successfully represented clients seeking guardianship of minors in their care. Her pro bono contributions have earned her the Missouri Bar Pro Bono Award and a place on the Missouri Bar Pro Bono Wall of Fame.