- Find a Lawyer
- /
- United States
- /
- Employment Law - Management
- /
- Illinois
- /
- Chicago
Find Lawyers in Chicago, Illinois for Employment Law - Management
Practice Area Overview
Employment law is the practice area of lawyers who advise employers about workplace related issues.
Regulations governing the way employees are hired, managed, disciplined, and terminated are complex and constantly evolving. These laws affect companies differently depending on size, industry, and workforce makeup. Businesses must ensure that employment policies, training program, and everyday practices are in compliance – or risk crippling lawsuits. Employment law practices emphasize preventive counseling to minimize liability and potential business interruption for employers. Employment law audits are frequently utilized to expose problem areas before they become legal nightmares.
Despite the best efforts of conscientious employers to comply with the law and to treat employees fairly, lawsuits can occur. Such suits present problems both obvious – large verdicts, for example – and more insidious – such as the waste of management’s time and resources which can interfere with productive, efficient business operation. This ever-increasing scope of employment litigation intersects with virtually all types of business litigation including class actions, products liability, premises liability, traditional torts, and business contract disputes of all types. The employment litigation practice continues to expand with each new right or legal obligation enacted by federal and state legislators or recognized by the courts.
Nadine Abrahams is office managing principal of the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She represents management in employment cases in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies. Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Nadine was a partner with another prominent national labor and employment firm. She previously was senior counsel for the Employment Litigation Division of the City of Chicago Law Department. She has been based in Chicago her entire career and has extensi...
Craig Annunziata is the managing partner of the Chicago office and a partner in the Tampa office. He represents management in employment-related disputes. The majority of his practice is before federal and state courts and alternative dispute forums throughout the United States. He also defends management against charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and related state agencies. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to counseling management, prio...
Paul E. Bateman serves as counsel for both domestic and foreign companies, including manufacturers, retailers, and long-term care facilities, in all facets of labor and employment law. His practice includes representing and counseling employers in: Employment discrimination Wrongful discharge Wage and hour issues Traditional labor law matters Labor arbitrations Injunction proceedings With significant litigation experience at both the trial and appellate levels, Paul has appeared in federal an...
Craig Boggs has more than 25 years of experience representing clients in a vast array of labor and employment issues. Craig has extensive experience in successfully prosecuting and defending litigation matters involving temporary restraining orders and injunctions related to non-compete agreements, other restrictive covenants and trade secret misappropriation. Craig also routinely counsels employers on resolving such disputes amicably in advance of litigation and on drafting effective restric...
James F. Botana is a principal in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He represents management in employment cases in federal and state courts, and before administrative agencies in a variety of employment and labor-related claims. Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, he was a prosecutor and a senior attorney in the Employment Litigation Department of the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago. He has successfully prosecuted and defended numerous civil and crimin...
A trusted adviser with over a decade of experience, Terese Connolly counsels and represents multinational corporations in navigating the wide range of domestic and international labor and employment related issues that arise when managing a global workforce. Terese advises and counsels multinational companies; conducts enterprise risk assessments, compliance audits and internal investigations; and provides training for management and employees on employment law, leave laws, anti-discriminatio...
Rachel B. Cowen focuses her practice in various employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases in federal and state courts. Rachel’s experience includes prosecuting and defending employee mobility and trade secret litigation on an emergency injunctive basis. She also counsels employers facing union organizing activity and picketing, and has successfully tried numerous cases before the National Labor Relations Board. She also handles collective bargaining and labor arbitrations...
Mr. Cramer counsels and represents employers on a wide variety of labor and employment-related legal matters. He has advised clients ranging from small non-profits to Fortune 500 companies on employment matters, negotiated cost-effective resolutions to troubling disputes, and litigated to victory. Based on peer surveys, Mr. Cramer has achieved Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer review rating (AV), and has been named among the Best Lawyers in America, a Leading Lawyer and an Illinois Supe...
Kerry Lin Davidson focuses her practice on labor and employment matters, including employment relations, HR strategies, and traditional labor matters. She has broad experience overseeing legal affairs and complex corporate issues for both public and private organizations. Kerry has deep experience serving in an executive role as general corporate counsel. Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, she served as sole leader of both legal and HR/LR functions for a large scrap metal and recycling compa...
Mr. Deer represents management in a variety of employment-related matters, including litigation involving age, race, sex, and disability discrimination claims, covenants not to compete, trade secrets, wage and hour claims, ERISA claims, and other workplace torts. Mr. Deer has been named in the 2009 and 2010 editions of The Best Lawyers in America.Mr. Deer has acted as lead trial counsel in employment discrimination/wrongful discharge cases in the federal district and state courts in Illinois,...
Neil H. Dishman is a principal in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His business is helping employers prevent and resolve disputes with their employees. Neil helps employers reduce risk and minimize legal costs by giving advice on difficult personnel decisions before litigation ensues. When litigation is unavoidable, he helps employers protect their assets and reputations by vigorously and efficiently defending them from employee lawsuits. Neil counsels and defends employers...
With over 23 years of experience, Amy Moor Gaylord focuses her practice on traditional labor matters and employment litigation for both public and private sector employers with an emphasis on National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proceedings, union organizing drives, NLRB-conducted elections, arbitration cases, contract negotiations, and employment discrimination matters. She has experience counseling clients in various industries, including higher education, not-for-profit, public safety (fi...
Gerry has developed a well-earned reputation for providing strategic guidance to employers in numerous types of employee relations matters, including labor issues arising out of corporate transactions such as sales and mergers, collective bargaining and compliance with the full range of federal and state labor and employment statutes. He has extensive experience in employment contract disputes and other issues that arise between employers, their employees and union representatives. He has tri...
David K. Haase has extensive experience representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. He has particular expertise in litigating wage and hour class/collective actions, unfair competition claims, such as non-competition agreements and trade secrets, and employee benefits litigation. David has litigated the full panoply of employment-related matters before the federal and state courts. David is the chair of Littler’s Pro Bono Committee. He publishes frequently and lec...
Barry A. Hartstein has earned a national reputation for a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters. He is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers nationwide in individual and class action claims and wage and hour collective actions. He has particular expertise dealing with the EEOC on both a local and natio...
Monica H. Khetarpal is a principal in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and co-leader of the firm’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) resource group and Higher Education Industry Group. She is an experienced litigator and advisor, providing skilled advocacy and thoughtful advice, training, and strategic planning for her clients. Her litigation experience includes employment, civil rights, and education-related cases, including those involving allegations of di...
Jason is a litigator and strategic counselor in all aspects of labor and employment law. He litigates unfair labor practices before the NLRB, arbitrates labor grievances, negotiates and administers collective bargaining agreements, and develops long-term labor strategies to maximize the value and effectiveness of each client’s workforce. He also litigates and provides daily counsel on matters arising out of the numerous federal and state counterpart statutes governing employers, includi...
For more than three decades, private and public employers have turned to Alan King for sound and practical advice on complex and sensitive employment-related issues and to defend them in individual and class action litigation arising under federal, state, and local employment laws. An experienced trial lawyer, Alan has successfully advised and represented companies in high-stakes employment litigation and investigations across nearly every industry. Alan litigates individual and class action ...
Jody Kahn Mason is a principal in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C., and is a co-leader of both the firm’s Biometric Privacy Litigation Group and the Privacy Litigation team. Jody has significant litigation and trial experience, and is a member of the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Jody has counseled countless companies regarding compliance with biometric privacy laws, including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act...
Jane M. McFetridge is a principal of the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She has been based in Chicago her entire career and has extensive experience litigating all forms of labor and employment matters throughout the Midwest. Her practice covers the spectrum of employment litigation, including both state and federal claims, and individual and class action suits. Her class action, collective action, and multi-plaintiff experience includes both suits by private parties and by t...
Kristin is a partner in the Labor & Employment practice group. She focuses her practice on all aspects of labor and employment law and has extensive experience in the areas of labor relations, employment litigation, employment advice and counseling, and mergers and acquisitions. Kristin has particularly deep experience in the area of traditional labor law, where she has handled numerous unfair labor practice cases and litigation, strikes and injunctions, collective bargaining negotiations...
Kathryn Montgomery Moran is a Shareholder in the Chicago, Illinois office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She has extensive litigation experience in individual and class action cases in state and federal courts and administrative agencies. When disputes cannot be resolved by agreement or dismissed on technical grounds, Ms. Moran tries cases before juries, judges, administrative law judges and arbitrators. She has successfully defended employers accused of the following: age, sex, race, disability and n...
Jeff is an experienced trial lawyer and business advisor in the area of labor and employment law. Jeff advises clients on wage and hour compliance, reductions in force, enforcement of restrictive covenants, employment contracts and separation agreements, employee selection and discipline, WARN compliance, employment policies, internal investigations and business transactions. He has spoken on several employment-related topics, including effective employment documentation, joint employer liabi...
When corporate management and benefit plan fiduciaries need a highly experienced counselor to represent their interests in employment and compensation, tax, litigation, corporate planning, fiduciary responsibilities, or plan administration matters, they turn to attorney Lee Polk. Lee is adept at representing clients in business transactions and dealings with government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. C...
David represents management nationwide in virtually all areas of labor and employment law. David’s goal is to identify what each client seeks to achieve and then realize that end. David’s dedication to service is manifest in his accessibility to the clients he serves. A direct communicator, David is valued by clients and colleagues alike for providing practical and on-point legal advice, clear answers to complex questions, and workable business solutions. With more than 30 years o...
Sonya counsels companies and organizations on various employee-related legal issues and needs that arise at all the stages of the employment relationship, including the negotiation of employment agreements, restrictive covenants, policies and training, performance management, internal investigations and individual and group separations. Sonya also represents employers in litigation, her experience including the successful defense of numerous administrative charges, lawsuits and appellate proc...
Mr. Samson has represented management in all aspects of labor and employment law for over 27 years with a particular emphasis on traditional labor law. He has also litigated cases before federal and state courts as well as state and local agencies in employment discrimination and wrongful discharge actions. He routinely advises clients on a host of employment-related issues including employer investigations, claims of harassment, employment policies and social media. In the traditional labor ...
Bill is chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment practice group. He is a litigator who manages employment-related disputes before federal and state courts and administrative agencies throughout the country, and he also serves as a strategic partner to companies and executives concerning the broad spectrum of critical business and employment matters that impact their operations. Bill’s litigation practice encompasses the full spectrum of employment matters. He litigates and advis...
Craig Thorstenson concentrates his practice in the litigation of employment disputes and providing related counseling. Craig Thorstenson concentrates his practice in the litigation of employment disputes and providing related counseling. His experience includes defending numerous WARN Act, FLSA and Title VII class actions, prosecuting and defending actions over restrictive covenants, and handling complex labor arbitrations. He regularly acts as "in-house" employment counsel for several compan...
Joseph E. Tilson is Co-Chair of Cozen O'Connor's Labor & Employment Department and a member of the Management Committee and Board of Directors. Joe represents employers in large-scale employment litigation and labor arbitrations. In the past 35 years, he has tried more than 150 jury and non-jury cases before the full range of courts, administrative agencies and labor arbitrators. His clients include a number of the country’s largest public and private employers, and Illinois’ ...
Anna serves as the vice-chair of Cozen O’Connor’s national Labor & Employment Department, where she has been integral to the growth and success of the firm’s L&E practice. Working out of the Chicago office, employers engage her to represent them in high-stakes, high-profile labor and employment litigation before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. She is also widely recognized as a “go to” legal resource for institutions of higher educat...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.