- OVERVIEW
- EXPERIENCE
- INSIGHTS
- NEWS & EVENTS
INDUSTRIES
PRACTICES
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Education
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University of Michigan Law School,
J.D., magna cum laude, 1986, Order of the Coif
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Wesleyan University,
B.S., honors, 1983
Phi Beta Kappa
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Admissions
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Missouri
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Missouri USDC, Eastern District
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Missouri USDC, Western District
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Illinois USDC, Northern District
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Illinois USDC, Central District
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Illinois USDC, Southern District
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US Ct Appeals, 5th Circuit (Covers LA, MS, TX)
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US Ct Appeals, 7th Circuit (Covers IL, IN, WI)
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US Ct Appeals, 8th Circuit (Covers AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
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US Ct Appeals, 9th Circuit (AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, Guam, M. Isles)
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US Ct Appeals, 10th Circuit (Covers CO, KS, NM, OK, UT, WY)
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US Ct Appeals, DC Circuit
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Missouri Supreme Ct
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Affiliations
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American Bar Association
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The Missouri Bar
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The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
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Recognitions
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Listed in Chambers USA as a leading lawyer, 2009-Present
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Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2006-2024
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Listed in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, 2006-Present
Top 50 in St. Louis, 2011-2014
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"The Nation's Most Powerful Employment Attorneys" - Top 20 in Traditional Labor & Employment Law, 2013-Present
Lawdragon/Human Resource Executive Magazine
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Named Lawyer of the Year for Litigation-Labor and Employment in St. Louis by Best Lawyers, 2013, 2015
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Named Lawyer of the Year for Employment Law-Management in St. Louis by Best Lawyers, 2013
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Employment
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Thompson Coburn LLP
Partner, 1997-Present
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Peper, Martin, Jensen, Maichel and Hetlage
Partner, 1994-1997
Associate, 1986-1993
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Cliff is a nationally recognized labor and employment attorney who advises executives and HR leaders on all aspects of employment litigation and labor disputes. He has carved out a special niche in the area of the Railway Labor Act and is one of a limited number of practitioners nationwide who represent carriers in labor disputes under that law.
As the co-chair of Thompson Coburn's Human Resource practice, Cliff has 30 years of experience advising employers and representing them in state and federal courts across the country. He helps employers respond to claims involving discrimination, wage and hour violations, wrongful discharge, and non-compete actions, and has defeated numerous class actions through decertification or summary judgment. Cliff strives to provide the best possible value in each matter and determine early in the litigation process the most effective course of action, be it a compelling trial strategy or the early resolution of claims by settlement.
Cliff represents employers under the National Labor Relations Act, including the handling of unfair labor practice charges, grievance arbitrations, and related litigation. He has stepped in during strikes and contentious union disputes, providing clear, thoughtful guidance during high-stakes conflicts between labor and management. In one case, he secured a rare court-ordered payment from a union for damages caused by a violent union protest. Cliff also assists employers during union election campaigns, providing a unique approach that helps employers identify and address the key issues behind union organization activities.
Cliff's Railway Labor Act practice focuses on preventing unlawful strikes and handling lawsuit seeking to overturn arbitration decisions. In one case, Cliff successfully overturned an award that would have provided over $10 million in relief to a class of claimants. Cliff also successfully arbitrated the first case in which a rail union was ordered to pay damages to a carrier for breach of the collective bargaining agreement.
Representative cases under the Railway Labor Act refusing to allow union strikes
SMART v. Terminal R.R. Ass'n, 2016 WL 375038 (S.D. Ill. 2016)
Brotherhood of R.R. Signalmen v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 2013 WL 6506317 (D. Nev. 2013)
BMWED v. Union Pac. R.R., 460 F.3d 1277 (10th Cir. 2006)
Representative arbitration review cases under the Railway Labor Act or Interstate Commerce Act
Bradford v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 767 F.3d 865 (9th Cir. 2014)
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 2011 WL 5828129 (N.D. Ill. 2011)
McClendon v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 640 F.3d 800 (8th Cir. 2011)
Brotherhood of Ry. Carmen v. Kansas City S. Ry., 2005 WL 2600435 (W.D. Mo. 2005)
Union Pacific R.R. Co. v. Surface Transportation Bd., 358 F.3d 31 (D.C. Cir. 2004)
Employment discrimination summary judgments
Strong v. America's Center, 2006 WL 1975996 (8th Cir. 2006)
Curby v. Solutia, 351 F.3d 868 (8th Cir. 2003)
Dorsey v. Pinnacle Automation Co., 278 F.3d 830 (8th Cir. 2002)
Sturgeon v. Monsanto Co., 2001 WL 66279 (8th Cir. Jan. 29, 2001)
Jones v. Union Pacific Motor Freight, 1999 WL 34803757 (W.D. Mo 1999)
Thompson Coburn Publications
New NLRB ruling changes what terms private sector employers can include in many severance agreements
New law to bar mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment and assault claims
President Biden announces new vaccine mandate for large employers
Five things you should know about the DOL’s new Coronavirus paid leave rules
How the St. Louis City and County Orders may affect your business
What do the Labor Department proposed overtime changes mean to me?
Missouri to join Right to Work ranks: Is the fight over or just warming up?
TCLEs
Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Supreme Court Review
Presentations
“Current Developments in Litigation Under the Railway Labor Act”;
National Association of Railroad Referees, Chicago, Illinois, 2007-Present
"Surviving the Avalanche: New Rules on Union Organizing and Their Consequences";
Thompson Coburn HR Seminar, March 2015
"Farrow vs. St. Francis Medical Center: A Defendant's Perspective";
Missouri Bar CLE, 2015
"Social Media: Communication From All Directions";
Thompson Coburn HR Seminar, March 2014
"A Portrait of a Modern Labor Dispute";
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference, Chicago, 2013
"Workplace Investigations and Retaliation Claims";
Thompson Coburn HR Seminar, March 2012
"Managing Your Ailing Workforce";
Thompson Coburn HR Seminar, March 2012
"Union-Management Relations During the Obama Administration";
Thompson Coburn HR Seminar, March 2011
News
Chambers USA Recognizes Thompson Coburn Practices for Excellence in 2023 Guide
Thompson Coburn attorneys recognized in 2022 Chambers USA
Thompson Coburn attorneys recognized in 2021 Chambers USA
Thompson Coburn attorneys recognized in 2020 Chambers USA
Congratulations to our 14 ‘Lawyers of the Year’ for 2020
17 Thompson Coburn attorneys recognized in 2019 Chambers USA
Congratulations to our 14 ‘Lawyers of the Year’ for 2019
U.S. News & World Report names Thompson Coburn as best for railroad law
23 Thompson Coburn attorneys recognized in 2016 Chambers USA
25 Thompson Coburn attorneys recognized in 2015 Chambers USA
Congratulations to our 15 St. Louis ‘Lawyers of the Year’
Cliff Godiner, Chuck Poplstein named to 2014 ‘Most Powerful Employment Attorneys’ list
27 Thompson Coburn attorneys recognized in 2014 Chambers USA
Cliff Godiner, Chuck Poplstein named to ‘Most Powerful Employment Attorneys’ list
Cliff Godiner, Hope Abramov to dissect a modern labor dispute at SHRM annual conference
Thompson Coburn wins union election, decertifies longtime union facility
19 Thompson Coburn partners named 2013 St. Louis Lawyers of the Year