Diane Sorensen

Diane joined Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock & Kennedy, Chtd., in Wichita in 1988 after serving two judicial clerkships, one at the Kansas Supreme Court, and one at the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.  She has extensive experience in litigating employment law cases in both state and federal court, having represented both employers and employees. She has handled a wide range of employment law cases, from enforcement of noncompete agreements to discrimination claims to wage and hour matters. Her work also includes advising employer clients on all aspects of employment law, handling of administrative complaints, drafting of employment contracts, conducting on-site investigations of sensitive personnel matters, and training supervisory employees.  In addition to her extensive employment law experience, Diane has experience in litigating non-employment business disputes and appellate work.

Diane is a frequent speaker at employment law and ADR seminars, and has published numerous articles on employment law and mediation topics, including four articles in the Kansas Bar Journal.

Since 2013, a large portion of Diane's practice is mediation.  She is skilled at helping litigants reach resolution of disputes. She is on the approved mediator list for the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, and frequently mediates federal and state lawsuits. She is an arbitrator for American Arbitration Association, where she is an employment law panel member.

Diane is active in the legal community (she currently serves on the Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct, and is an editor of the Kansas Annual Survey), as well as the Wichita and Newton communities. Diane has received Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory’s highest AV®* rating for lawyers.

• Kansas State University, B.S in Secondary Education, English and Math, 1981
• University of Kansas, J.D., 1984
• ADR training through the Association for Attorney Mediators and KIPCOR at Bethel College, Newton, Kansas

• Law Clerk to Chief Justice Alfred G. Schroeder, Kansas Supreme Court, 1984-1986
• Law Clerk to the Honorable Patrick F. Kelly, 1986-1988
• Employment Law Section, Kansas Bar Association, Past President (1997), Current Treasurer
• Chairman, Board of Editors, Kansas Bar Journal, 2002-2005; Member of the Board of Editors 1988-2009
• Editor, Kansas Annual Survey, 2009-present
• Member and Chair of Panel B, Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct
• United States District Court for the District of Kansas Approved Mediator
• Member of the Association of Attorney – Mediators
• Federal Bench Bar Committee, 2016-2018
• American Arbitration Association (AAA) Arbitrator in the area of Employment Law
• Carriage Factory Art Gallery Board of Directors

$375/hour for preparation and mediating, typically split between the parties.