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Overview
Chris is an associate in Tonkon Torp’s Labor & Employment Practice Group. He works with local, regional, and national employers in such industries as banking, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and craft beverage, helping clients to solve complicated employment matters and comply with Oregon employment law. He has substantial experience representing employers in state and federal court, and before Oregon’s Bureau of Labor &Industries (BOLI) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offices across the United States.
Chris guides clients in navigating tricky legal obstacles by drafting and revising employment policies to keep employers up-to-date with Oregon’s ever-changing employment laws. He also counsels frontline managers and HR professionals on avoiding lawsuits thorough the implementation of meaningful hiring and progressive disciplinary practices.
Chris graduated cum laude from Lewis & Clark Law School, where he was the Lead Articles Editor for the Lewis & Clark Law Review. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Washington State University.
A craft beer enthusiast, Chris is an Associate Member of the Oregon Brewer’s Guild, and regularly writes about employment law issues impacting the craft beer industry.
Chris guides clients in navigating tricky legal obstacles by drafting and revising employment policies to keep employers up-to-date with Oregon’s ever-changing employment laws. He also counsels frontline managers and HR professionals on avoiding lawsuits thorough the implementation of meaningful hiring and progressive disciplinary practices.
Chris graduated cum laude from Lewis & Clark Law School, where he was the Lead Articles Editor for the Lewis & Clark Law Review. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Washington State University.
A craft beer enthusiast, Chris is an Associate Member of the Oregon Brewer’s Guild, and regularly writes about employment law issues impacting the craft beer industry.
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Featured Work
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Community Involvement & Activities
Multnomah Bar Association
Membership Committee, Former Member
Pro Bono Committee, Former Member
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Professional Memberships
Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon Brewer’s Guild
Beverage Industry Networking Group
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Awards & Recognition
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Recent News
8.10.2020
Chris Morehead Shares Strategies for Enforcing Pandemic Safety Rules
Tonkon Torp’s Labor & Employment Practice Group continued its coffee break webinar series with a July 23 program featuring attorney Chris Morehead. The topic focused on strategies to enforce pandemic workplace safety policies in a fair and consistent…
5.26.2020
Tonkon Torp L&E Coffee Break Smooths Out Thorny Leave Laws
The May 14 session of the Tonkon Coffee Break webinar series addressed thorny leave issues related to COVID-19. The Coffee Break series, hosted by Tonkon Torp’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, provides practical advice to help businesses navigate…
4.23.2020
Christopher Morehead Talks FFCRA Emergency Leave Options for Craft Beverage Industry
Tonkon Torp attorney Christopher Morehead was a featured guest for a webinar program on emergency leave for craft beverage businesses hosted by The Oregon Brewers Guild, B.I.N.G., and The Caputo Group.
3.31.2020
Tonkon Torp Welcomes New Labor & Employment Attorney
PORTLAND, Ore. (March 30, 2020) Tonkon Torp welcomes attorney Christopher Morehead to the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group. Morehead works with local, regional, and national employers in industries such as banking, manufacturing, retail…
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Recent Alerts
9.16.2020
Don’t Forget to Update Your Anti-Discrimination Policies: Oregon Workplace Fairness Act Goes into Effect October 1, 2020
Although it may be the understatement of the century, a lot has happened in Oregon in 2020. An employer could be forgiven for overlooking that SB 726 – the Workplace Fairness Act (WFA) – goes into effect on October 1, 2020, nearly 16 months after it…
9.14.2020
FFCRA Update: DOL Revises Rules In Response to Court Ruling
As previously discussed, a New York court recently struck four provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The ruling left many employers outside of New York wondering the extent to which the decision impacted them…
9.10.2020
FFCRA Update: Court Strikes Four Employer-Friendly Rules
On August 3, 2020, a federal court in New York struck four key Department of Labor (DOL) employer-friendly rules implementing the Families Firsts Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Pursuant to the court’s ruling, more employees will be able to take…
8.26.2020
Oregon OSHA Releases Proposed Temporary Workplace Safety Rules for COVID-19
On August 17, 2020, Oregon OSHA released its draft temporary rules aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Oregon OSHA will accept public comment on the proposed rules through Monday, September 7, and will implement the temporary rules – which…
8.18.2020
Learning Pods as a Pandemic-Era Education Choice – Where to Start
It's a sad fact that many parents with school-aged children are living in a state of anxiety, whether they are preparing for a fall of remote learning or bracing themselves to send their children back to in-person school. A supportive and safe…
5.22.2020
Reopening the Pacific Northwest: A Checklist for Employers
With Governors Brown and Inslee announcing their respective phased approaches to reopening the Oregon and Washington economies, employers need to start planning for how they will resume operations in a safe and legally-compliant manner given the…
5.12.2020
New DOL Guidance on Joint Employers, Summer School Closures, and Domestic Workers
The Department of Labor released new Q&A guidance regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Among other things, the guidance provides new insight on various coverage issues relating to whether domestic service workers are covered…
5.8.2020
Governor Releases Phase One Reopening Guidance for Oregon Employers
On May 7, 2020, Governor Brown and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released a series of guidelines and resources concerning the prerequisites to “Reopen Oregon.” Among the guidelines, and of immediate interest to many Oregon employers, is the…
4.28.2020
Further DOL Guidance on Interaction Between EPSL, EFMLA, and Employer-Provided Leave
On April 20, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) released further Q&A guidance (questions 80-88) regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).
4.17.2020
OSHA Issues Guidance on COVID-19 Recordkeeping, Work-Relatedness Determinations
Recognizing the difficulty in assessing whether an employee contracted COVID-19 at work, OSHA released interim guidance on April 10, 2020 for how it will enforce its recordkeeping requirements. This guidance should be of interest to employers who are…
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Publications & Presentations
"FFCRA Update: DOL Revises Rules In Response to Court Ruling," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, September 2020
"FFCRA Update: Court Strikes Four Employer-Friendly Rules," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, September 2020
"Oregon OSHA Releases Proposed Temporary Workplace Safety Rules for COVID-19," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, August 2020
"Learning Pods as a Pandemic-Era Education Choice – Where to Start," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, August 2020
“Enforcing Pandemic Workplace Policies to Keep the Workplace Safe,” July 2020
"Reopening the Pacific Northwest: A Checklist for Employers," Tonon Torp Legal Update, May 2020
"Managing Thorny COVID-19 Leave Issues," May, 2020
"New DOL Guidance on Joint Employers, Summer School Closures, and Domestic Workers," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, May 2020
"Governor Releases Phase One Reopening Guidance for Oregon Employers," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, May 2020
"Further DOL Guidance on Interaction Between EPSL, EFMLA, and Employer-Provided Leave," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, April 2020
"OSHA Issues Guidance on COVID-19 Recordkeeping, Work-Relatedness Determinations," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, April 2020
"Emergency Paid Leave: An Overview of the Families First Act," The Oregon Brewers Guild, B.I.N.G., and The Caputo Group, April 2020
"Families First Coronavirus Response Act: What Employers Need to Know," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, March 2020
"Oregon Employers: Remember Your Employee Leave Obligations as COVID-19 Spreads," Tonkon Torp Legal Update, March 2020
"Brewers Beware: BOLI’s New Interpretation of Overtime Rules," Oregon Beer Growler Magazine, March 2017
"Romance at Work? Brew up a Love Contract," Oregon Beer Growler Magazine, February 2017
"Three Craft Beverage Workplace Law Changes Under Trump," Oregon Beer Growler Magazine, January 2017
"Three Biggest Workplace Law Concerns for Breweries and Brewpubs," craftbrewingbusiness.com, December 2016
"Holiday Parties: Three Ways to Stay Off Santa’s Naughty List," Oregon Beer Growler Magazine, December 2016
"Tackling OSHA Inspections: Lessons from Current and Former Northwest Football Coaches," Oregon Beer Growler Magazine, November 2016
"The Gig Economy: How Will it Impact the Craft Beer Industry?" Oregon Beer Growler Magazine, October 2016
"Law Changes Oregon Beer Employers Need to Know,” Oregon Beer Growler Magazine, September 2016
"As Summer Temps Increase, So Do Legal Obligations," Daily Journal of Commerce, June 2016
"Hiring and Firing," Sterling Education Services Employment Law Update, June 2016
"Rightful Discharge," Paychex Seminar, May 2016
"You’re Living in a Fantasy World if You Think Your Employees Aren’t Playing Fantasy Football," Vancouver Business Journal, September 2015