Employment Counseling & Litigation
We offer a full-service employment law practice to companies and executives, including counseling on employment law and human resource matters, advice and counsel concerning restrictive covenants and employment agreements, and defending complex and single plaintiff employment litigation.
Counseling
We counsel employers on a variety of issues, including day-to-day matters as well as prelitigation risk-mitigation. We can develop, draft, revise and implement personnel practices and policies. We also offer counseling on traditional labor matters.
The firm counsels employers on a wide variety of employment and human resources issues, including:
- Restrictive covenants and employment agreements
- Employee discipline and termination
- Reductions in force and workplace restructurings
- Equal employment opportunity laws and workforce diversity
- Leave policies and procedures and the interplay of the Family and Medical Leave Act, the ADA, Short Term Disability and State Laws
- Privacy and social media
- Wage and hour compliance
- State and Federal background check laws
Investigations
The firm has extensive experience in conducting routine as well as highly sensitive investigations for clients involving issues of gender, race and ethnicity harassment, employee fraud, whistleblowing, and other possible wrongdoing by employees or executives. We have particular strength in investigating claims involving C-Suite executives and legal departments.
Litigation
Consistent with the goals of many of our clients, we aim to achieve the best early resolution of employment disputes. If necessary, we are ready and able to represent our clients in litigation and at trial. We have significant experience defending employers in federal and state courts, and before administrative agencies. We have represented employers in pre-litigation and throughout litigation, including claims brought under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Equal Pay Act (EPA), the False Claims Act (FCA), and many other state and federal discrimination laws and common law tort and contract workplace claims, such as defamation, wrongful discharge, trade secrets violations, intentional infliction of emotion distress, and restrictive covenants. Our lawyers have significant experience in successfully defending class actions on behalf of clients, with outcomes including defeat of class certification, full wins or favorable settlements for clients.
Representative Matters by Lawyers in the Firm
- Won counterclaims and punitive damages against terminated CEO for breach of employment contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and tortious interference with contract.
- Defended public employer in over 30 cases arising from same purported defect in employee terminations. Developed legal defense and won two appellate decisions in less than a year that effectively shut down all cases, with no damages awarded against employer.
- Won summary judgment in Cook County case for public employer for race discrimination claims under Title VII, the Illinois Human Rights Act and the Illinois Whistleblower Act, as well as common law claim of retaliatory discharge.
- Obtained voluntary dismissal of non-compete suit against salesperson for sport drink retailer in DuPage County based on legal arguments against enforceability, despite entry of TRO prior to firm’s engagement.
- Successfully defended executive against non-compete claims asserted by former employer in computer security software services sales. Through creative and aggressive counsel, former employer agreed to drop all claims.
- Obtained complete defense verdict for a major pharmaceutical company at trial against age discrimination claim.
Successfully defended corporation against breach of employment contract and ERISA claims brought by two former top executives. - Have defended to agency dismissal or confidential settlement many EEOC and IDHR claims based on Race, Age, National Origin, Disability, and other characteristics.
- Review and analyze all non-disclosure, non-solicitation and non-compete agreements of incoming executive-level candidates for international consulting firm.
- Advise global client on social media, background check, and leave policies with application to all 50 states and with international reach.
- Have conducted extremely sensitive internal investigations involving claims of sexual harassment, whistleblower allegations, potential misappropriation of confidential and trade secret information, and other charges, involving high-level executives, members of clients’ legal departments, and others.
- Advised clients in financial services sector on pay equity and other practices related to women in the workplace.