Practice Areas

• Retaliation
• Discrimination / Harassment
  • Age
  • Disability / Reasonable Accommodation
  • Pregnancy
  • Race
  • Sex
• Family & Medical Leave Act
• Federal Court & EEOC/ IDHR Proceedings
• Unemployment Hearings
• Overtime Claims
• Wage Claims
• Mass Lay-Offs and the WARN Act (federal and Illinois)
• Employment Contracts & Non-Compete Agreements/ Non-Solicitation
• Severance Agreement Negotiations
• Executive Compensation
• Ongoing Employment Advice

Employers regularly consult with their own attorneys to know the law and protect themselves – although whether or not they then follow the law is an open question, and is dependent upon a review of the particular individual situations.

Likewise, for you to best protect yourself – and thereby level the playing field (or even have the advantage) – you also should be informed of the law covering your situation. This will enable you to know your options from a legal employment law standpoint, so that you can make good decisions and take good actions. The best way for you to do that (beyond merely reviewing the above sections of my website, as well as other websites) is to consult with a knowledgeable Chicago Employment Lawyer.

I am committed to providing employees with good practical advice, innovative strategies and, where needed, hard-working and properly-focused representation. Since I have represented both individuals and businesses, I know from that experience what motivates employees and employers in employment disputes. This dual perspective informs and shapes not just my litigation strategies, but also my approach to resolving disputes for the utmost benefit of my clients.

I represent current employees. If you are a current employee sometimes all that is needed is a single consultation with me to provide you with practical advice regarding your rights and options: toward enabling you to have a winning strategy going forward to best protect your rights and your employment/career.

Depending on the situation, for current employees there are other times when more involvement by me is needed (which I readily provide). I do this through ongoing advice to you either behind the scenes (which likewise the Employer is receiving behind-the-scenes advice from their attorneys), or by stepping to the forefront to directly deal with your Employer (by telephone or by letter), or by starting litigation (administrative/court proceedings) and representing you in that litigation. Various situations that I regularly get involved to help current employees include the following:

• Reviewing/revising employment contracts and non-compete agreements;
• Providing advice for my client who want to know how to best ask for higher pay rates and/or receive the salary/ commissions/ bonuses that they feel they are due;
• Providing advice for employees who are having problems with their supervisors and/or co-workers (due to discrimination, retaliation, personality conflicts, etc.) toward having my client’s employment continue and/or to best position my client to protect herself in the event that my client’s employment is terminated;
• Providing advice where my client has unwarrantedly or overly harshly been issued a discipline or been placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”) that threatens the continuation of their employment. In these situations there are certain specific steps that I proactively recommend that my clients take (which I can sometimes provide in one consultation or through ongoing advice);
• Severance agreement negotiations (for proactive suggestions in this regard go to How to Get the Best Severance).

More examples and information in this regard is also provided at my Ongoing Employment Advice section.

WARNING – Please do not quit your employment before speaking with an attorney (because such actions usually can and will have a detrimental effect to any potential legal claims that you may have had prior to resigning).

All too often I have potential clients call me the day after they have quit their employment. Usually there is nothing I can do for these people – and I do not take them as clients. But had they called me before they had quit there may very well have been many things that I could have potentially successfully done for them.

So if you are thinking about quitting your employment, please hold off on doing so until you have spoken (even briefly on the phone) with a knowledgeable employment attorney such as myself – because: it can be the difference between being out of a job and having no income vs. instead keeping your job (and potentially alleviating the harassment that may be occurring) and; it can be the difference between you receiving $0 vs. you receiving tens of thousands of dollars.

I also represent former employees. If you are a former employee, there frequently are different factors that are involved – and I am very quick to realize (and advise you) whether or not it makes sense to: pursue pre-litigation severance/settlement negotiation; go forward with litigation (EEOC/IDHR, IDOL, other agencies, and State and Federal courts); and/or go in a different direction (or some combination of these alternative directions). I actively strategize with you how we can best protect your rights and achieve your goals given your factual situation, the law, and my practical knowledge of how to best implement and achieve your goals.

I provide practical advice, hope, and strength. Depending on the factual and legal situation, for some individuals state/federal litigation is the right way to go – and that is something that I am ready, willing, and able to press forward for you. But there are other times when there are other options that make more sense to explore instead/ first, such as behind-the-scenes advice (as mentioned above, employers get advice from their attorneys; why shouldn’t you?), direct verbal and written communications with the employer, employment contract negotiation, severance agreement negotiation, mediation, pursuing EEOC charges, etc.

I am a Chicago Employment Lawyer, well-experienced in the ins-and-outs of best protecting and representing my employee/ former employee clients. So call me to briefly discuss your situation to see if it makes sense for you to come in for an appointment to my Chicago Loop office.