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List of Forms by Chapter - Chapter 1 — Federal and State Labor Regulation
- I. [1.1] Overview
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II. Key Federal Statutes Regulating Employment - III. Key Illinois Statutes Regulating Employment
- IV. Preemption
- [1.14] Concept
- Prominent Illustrations of Preemption Issues
- Federal Labor Laws
- [1.15] Choice-of-Law Preemption
- [1.16] Forum Preemption
- [1.17] Free Play Preemption
- [1.18] Wage-and-Hour Laws
- [1.19] Illinois Safety Laws
- [1.20] Employee Retirement Income Security Act
- [1.21] Employment Discrimination
- [1.22] Other Preemption Problems
- V. Preemption’s Parallel: Exclusive State Statutory Remedies
- VI. Preclusion: Res Judicata and Collateral Estoppel
- [1.26] Overview
- Potential Preclusion Scenarios
- [1.27] Employees Covered by Union Contract
- [1.28] Employees Who Have Pursued Equal Employment Opportunity Claims
- [1.29] Employees Who Have Pursued Unemployment Compensation Claims
- [1.30] Employees Who Have Pursued Workers’ Compensation Claims or Social Security Benefits
- [1.31] Forum-Shopping Problem
- [1.32] Mandatory Arbitration
- VII. [1.33] Borrowing: Statutory Law Cases as Source for Common-Law Developments
- VIII. [1.34] For the Future: A Comprehensive Employment Statute?
- Chapter 2 — Contractual Exceptions to the Employment-at-Will Doctrine
- I. [2.1] Scope of Chapter
- II. [2.2] Presumption of Employment at Will
- III. Contractual Modification of Employment-at-Will Doctrine
- Written Modifications of Employment-at-Will Doctrine
- [2.3] Duldulao v. Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center: Handbooks as Contractual Modification of Employment-at-Will Doctrine
- [2.4] Requirement That Employer’s Policy Statement Constitute Clear Promise
- [2.5] Cases finding that employer’s policy statement was clear promise
- [2.6] Cases finding that employer’s policy statement was not clear promise
- [2.7] Requirement That Employer’s Statement Be Disseminated
- Requirement that employee be aware of employer’s statement
- [2.8] Cases finding that employee was sufficiently aware of employer’s statement
- [2.9] Cases finding that employee was not sufficiently aware of employer’s statement
- [2.10] Requirement that employee reasonably believed employer’s statement to be offer
- [2.11] Cases finding that employee reasonably believed that employer’s statement was offer
- [2.12] Cases finding that employee could not reasonably believe that employer’s statement was offer
- [2.13] Requirement That Employee Accept Employer’s Offer
- [2.14] Employer Disclaimers
- [2.15] Cases Finding Employer’s Disclaimer Effective
- [2.16] Cases Finding Employer’s Disclaimer Ineffective
- [2.17] Exception When Court Found Handbook Created Enforceable Contract Despite Disclaimer Due to Handbook Being Incorporated into Another Document
- [2.18] Other Writings as Modification of Employment-at-Will Doctrine
- [2.19] Writings Insufficient To Create Contractual Rights
- [2.20] Writings Sufficient To Form Enforceable Contract
- Oral Modifications of Employment-at-Will Doctrine
- [2.21] Contracts Based on Oral Representations; Permanent Employment
- [2.22] Oral Promises of Specific Duration or Benefit
- [2.23] Application of Statute of Frauds
- [2.24] Employer’s Ability To Unilaterally Modify Its Policy Statement
- IV. [2.25] Promissory Estoppel
- V. Other Issues
- Chapter 3 — Employer Responsibilities
- I. [3.1] Introduction
- II. [3.2] Audit of Employer Documents
- [3.3] Employee Handbooks as Contracts
- [3.4] Disclaimers
- [3.5] Handbook Language
- [3.6] Employee Handbook Revisions
- [3.7] Dissemination of Handbook
- [3.8] Recommended Handbook Policies
- [3.9] Other Documents That May Affect Employment Relationships
- Examples of Employer Documents That May Affect Employment Relationships
- [3.10] Employment Applications
- [3.11] Offer Letters
- [3.12] Oral Contracts
- [3.13] Antiharassment Policy
- [3.14] Protecting Legal Audit from Discovery
- [3.15] Compliance Review Committee for Financial Institutions
- [3.16] Peer Review Committee for Healthcare Providers
- III. [3.17] Internal Procedures Reducing Risk of Employer Liability
- [3.18] Applications
- [3.19] Obtaining Consumer Reports
- [3.20] Disclosure and Authorization To Obtain Consumer Reports for Employment Purposes
- [3.21] Disclosure and Authorization To Conduct Investigative Consumer Reports
- [3.22] Requirements for Taking Adverse Action Based on Information Contained in Consumer Reports or Investigative Consumer Reports
- [3.23] Illinois Law on Prescreening Applicants Based on Information from a Consumer Report
- [3.24] Illinois Law on Prescreening Applicants Based on Criminal Convictions
- [3.25] Health Care Worker Background Check Act
- Employee Evaluations
- [3.26] In General
- [3.27] Evaluation Forms
- [3.28] Disciplining and Terminating Employees
- [3.29] Reductions in Force, Terminations, and Severance Packages
- [3.30] Access to Personnel Records
- [3.31] Documents To Be Maintained in Personnel File
- [3.32] Illinois Directory of New Hires Reporting Responsibility
- [3.33] EEO-1
- IV. [3.34] Federal and State Notice-Posting Requirements
- [3.35] Federal Posting Requirements
- [3.36] Equal Employment Postings
- [3.37] Fair Labor Standards Act Posting
- [3.38] Employee Polygraph Protection Act Posting
- [3.39] Family and Medical Leave Act Posting
- [3.40] Occupational Safety and Health Act
- [3.41] Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision
- [3.42] Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
- [3.43] Federal Government Contracts
- [3.44] Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
- [3.45] Illinois Notice-Posting Requirements
- V. [3.46] Federal and State Record-Keeping Requirements in Illinois
- [3.47] Applicability of Federal and State Laws
- [3.48] Federal and State Record Retention
- Employment of Minors
- [3.49] Employment of Minors — Federal Requirements
- [3.50] Employment of Minors — Illinois Record-Keeping Requirements
- [3.51] Work-Related Injuries, Illnesses, or Deaths
- [3.52] Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- [3.53] Immigration Reform and Control Act
- [3.54] Employee Retirement Income Security Act
- Chapter 4 — Investigation, Testing, and Privacy
- I. [4.1] Introduction
- II. Investigation Techniques
- Preemployment Inquiries and Reference Checks
- [4.2] In General
- [4.3] Health History and Workers’ Compensation
- [4.4] Personnel Record Review Act
- [4.5] Falsified Employment Documents
- [4.6] Work History and Employment Checks
- Arrest and Conviction Records
- [4.7] In General
- [4.8] Juveniles
- [4.9] Claims of Discrimination
- [4.10] Claims of Negligent Hiring
- [4.11] Mandated Investigations
- [4.12] Disparate Impact Theory
- [4.13] Personal Information Protection Act
- [4.14] Observations by Supervisors
- [4.15] Interrogation
- Surveillance and Monitoring
- [4.16] Outside Investigators
- Video
- [4.17] In General
- [4.18] Mandatory Subject of Bargaining for Union
- Sound
- [4.19] In General
- [4.20] State and Federal Statutes
- [4.21] Electronic
- [4.22] Electronic Monitoring and the National Labor Relations Act
- [4.23] Telecommuting
- [4.24] Workplace Computer Storage
- [4.25] Electronic Communication
- [4.26] Using Workplace Computers for Access to Illegal Materials
- [4.27] Text Messaging
- [4.28] Storage vs. Transmission
- [4.29] Unauthorized Access
- [4.30] Spoliation of Electronic Evidence
- [4.31] Open Records Law
- [4.32] Electronic Discovery Cost-Shifting
- [4.33] Tracking Devices
- [4.34] Personal Records
- Employee Searches — Property and Persons
- [4.35] Searches of Property
- [4.36] Searches of the Person
- Genetic and Medical Testing and Records
- [4.37] Genetic and Medical Tests
- [4.38] Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act and Federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
- [4.39] Employer Obligations Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act
- [4.40] AIDS Confidentiality Act
- [4.41] Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act
- [4.42] Fitness-for-Duty Examination
- [4.43] Disclosure or Release of Medical Records
- [4.44] Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
- III. Drug Testing
- [4.45] Brief Overview of Common Types of Tests
- Accuracy in Drug Testing
- [4.46] False Positives and Need-for-Confirmation Tests
- [4.47] Meaning of Positive Test Results
- [4.48] Mandatory Specimen Validity Testing Within Regulated Transportation Industries
- Legal Grounds for Attacking Drug Testing Programs
- [4.49] Public Sector Employees — Constitutional Challenges
- [4.50] Requirement of Individualized Reasonable Suspicion
- Exception for Highly Regulated Industry and/or Security-Sensitive Position
- [4.51] In general
- [4.52] Test’s relationship to government interest
- [4.53] Testing Based on Reasonable Suspicion
- [4.54] Requirement of Due Process
- [4.55] Considerations for Private and Public Employees
- [4.56] Unionized Employees — Limitations on Drug Testing Imposed by Collective Bargaining
- [4.57] Consequences of not bargaining
- [4.58] Union contracts that include bargained-for drug testing programs
- [4.59] Use of drug tests in arbitrations
- [4.60] Federal and State Testing Programs or Statutes
- Limitations Imposed by Equal Employment Opportunity Laws
- [4.61] Title VII
- [4.62] Disability discrimination laws
- [4.63] Employee Actions for Invasion of Privacy, Defamation, Wrongful Discharge, and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
- Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance Issues
- [4.64] Workers’ Compensation and Other Issues Concerning Injuries During Employment
- [4.65] Unemployment Insurance Claims
- [4.66] Employee Assistance Programs
- IV. [4.67] Polygraph Testing
- V. Psychological and Other Testing
- VI. [4.71] Privacy Rights
- [4.72] Library Records
- [4.73] Within the Scope of Employment
- [4.74] Intrusion upon Seclusion and the Privacy Tort
- [4.75] Freedom of Association
- [4.76] Public Disclosure of Private Facts and Invasion of Privacy
- [4.77] Federal and Illinois Freedom of Information Acts
- [4.78] Disclosure of Personnel Files in Sexual Harassment Actions
- [4.79] Right of Publicity Act and Related Acts
- [4.80] Social Security Number
- Financial Privacy
- [4.81] Fair Credit Reporting Act
- [4.82] Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
- [4.83] Employee Credit Privacy Act
- Chapter 5 — Public Employees
- I. Constitutional Rights of Public Employees
- II. [5.6] Public Employees’ Rights Under Federal Statutes
- III. Public Employees’ Rights Under Illinois Statutes
- [5.13] Illinois Human Rights Act
- [5.14] State Officials and Employees Ethics Act
- [5.15] Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003
- [5.16] State and Municipal Civil Service Acts
- [5.17] Tort and Contract Claims Against State Employers
- [5.18] Illinois Public Labor Relations Act and Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act
- Chapter 6 — Lawyers as Employees: Rights and Responsibilities
- I. [6.1] Scope of Chapter
- II. [6.2] Lawyer-Employee in Private Practice
- [6.3] Application of Title VII to Law Firms
- [6.4] Partners as Employees
- [6.5] Non-Equity Partners as Employees
- [6.6] Independent Contractors as Employees
- [6.7] Application of Other Federal, State, and Local Employment Statutes to Law Firms
- [6.8] #MeTooMovement and Sexual Harassment in a Law Firm
- [6.9] Promotion and Advancement: “Making Partner”
- III. [6.10] Rights, Remedies, and Responsibilities When Lawyer Leaves Firm
- [6.11] Fiduciary Duty and Competition
- [6.12] Predeparture Competition
- [6.13] Post-Departure Competition
- [6.14] Other Causes of Action Involving Departing Attorneys
- [6.15] Freedom of Speech
- [6.16] Employment Agreements Between Attorneys
- [6.17] Ethical Considerations
- [6.18] Restrictive Covenants
- [6.19] Ethical Considerations
- [6.20] Ethical Considerations — Retirement Restrictions
- [6.21] Firm’s Interference with Attorney’s Employment Relationship
- [6.22] Retaliatory Discharge Claims
- IV. Lawyer-Employee as In-House Counsel
- V. [6.28] Lawyer-Employee in Government: Application of the Equal Pay Act to Government Attorneys
- Chapter 7 — Partners and Minority Shareholders
- I. Scope of Chapter
- II. [7.10] Identifying a Partnership
- III. Rights of a Partner
- [7.17] Primacy of the Partnership Agreement
- [7.18] Summary of General Uniform Partnership Act (1997) Provisions
- [7.19] Equitable Doctrine of Fiduciary Duty
- [7.20] Duty of Honesty
- [7.21] Duty of Loyalty
- [7.22] Duty of Good Faith or Fairness
- [7.23] Duty of Due Care and Diligence
- Dissolution, Dissociation, and Expulsion of Partners
- [7.24] Uniform Partnership Act (1997) Provisions on Dissolution, Dissociation, and Expulsion
- [7.25] Contract Provisions
- [7.26] Partnership at Will
- [7.27] Partnership Termination on Expulsion
- [7.28] Partnership Termination for Breach of Partnership Duties
- [7.29] Provisions on Retirement Benefits
- [7.30] Provisions on Severance Benefits
- [7.31] Fiduciary Duty
- [7.32] When Fiduciary Duties Apply
- [7.33] Broad Sweep of Fiduciary Duties
- [7.34] Misappropriation of Assets or Goodwill
- [7.35] Limited Partnerships and Derivative Actions
- Remedies
- [7.36] Specific Performance
- [7.37] Redemption of Partnership Interest
- [7.38] Liquidation and Accounting
- [7.39] Buy-Sell Agreement Disputes
- [7.40] Disposition of Assets Upon Dissolution
- [7.41] Accounting as Prerequisite to Suit
- [7.42] Suit for Damages
- [7.43] Nullification of Covenant Not To Compete
- [7.44] Injunctive Relief
- [7.45] Indemnification and Advancement of Legal Expenses
- IV. Minority Shareholder Employment Rights
- [7.46] Minority Shareholders in Closely Held Corporations
- [7.47] Choice of Law and Choice of Delaware as Forum for Derivative Suits
- [7.48] Definition of a “Closely Held Corporation”
- [7.49] Importance of Delaware Law
- [7.50] Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships
- [7.51] Rights Under Shareholders’ Agreement
- [7.52] Majority Rule vs. Minority Oppression
- [7.53] Fiduciary-Duty Limits on Majority Control
- [7.54] Explanation of Scope of Fiduciary Duty
- [7.55] Business-Judgment Rule
- [7.56] Limitation on Director Liability Authorized by Statute
- [7.57] Duty of Loyalty
- [7.58] Conflict of interest transactions and self-dealing
- [7.59] Independent judgment
- [7.60] Related companies
- [7.61] Competing with the company
- [7.62] Taking the company’s goodwill
- [7.63] Duty of Care
- [7.64] Duty of Honesty and Good Faith
- [7.65] Illinois Statute on Director Conflict of Interest
- [7.66] Corporate Opportunity Doctrine
- [7.67] Fiduciary-Duty Breach Must Be Material and Willful
- [7.68] Remedies for Breach of Fiduciary Duty
- [7.69] Persons Owing Fiduciary Obligations
- [7.70] Persons to Whom Fiduciary Duties Are Owed
- [7.71] Enforcement by Individual or Derivative Action
- [7.72] Right To Recover Attorneys’ Fees
- [7.73] Distinguishing Individual from Derivative Claims
- [7.74] Demand Requirement and Futility Exception
- [7.75] Termination of Suit Through Independent Board Committee Decision
- [7.76] Minority Shareholder Right to Compliance with Corporate Formalities
- [7.77] Minority Shareholder Right To Inspect Corporate Books and Records
- [7.78] Common-Law Remedies of Minority Shareholders
- [7.79] Squeeze-Out by Elimination of Minority Interest
- [7.80] Squeeze-Out by Acquisition of Company’s Business
- [7.81] Freeze-Out or Cash-Out Mergers That Eliminate Minority Interest
- [7.82] Minority Shareholder Right to Equal Price in Sale of Business
- [7.83] Deceptive Purchase of Minority Interest at a Discount
- [7.84] Redemption or Resale of Controlling Shares at Minority’s Expense
- [7.85] Squeeze-Out by Discharge of Shareholder-Employee
- [7.86] Rescission of Stock Purchase Upon Wrongful Discharge of Minority Shareholder-Employee
- [7.87] Statutory Remedies of Minority Shareholders
- [7.88] Majority’s Right To Elect To Purchase at Fair Price in Response to Suit
- Evenly Divided Directors or Shareholders and Deadlock
- [7.89] Director Deadlock
- [7.90] Shareholder Deadlock
- [7.91] Remedy for Illegality, Oppression, Fraud, and Waste
- [7.92] Additional Equitable Remedies
- [7.93] Appointment of a Receiver
- [7.94] Other Statutory Remedies
- [7.95] Valuation of Shares — Cases Under Business Corporation Act §12.56
- [7.96] Minority Interest and Marketability Discounts
- [7.97] Comparison of Valuation Methods
- [7.98] Book or asset value
- [7.99] Share trading price
- [7.100] Sales of comparable companies as going concerns
- [7.101] Discounted-cash-flow method
- Indemnification and Advancement of Legal Expenses
- [7.102] Illinois Law
- [7.103] Delaware Law
- [7.104] Interpretation of indemnity and advancement provisions
- [7.105] Alleged wrongdoing covered unless expressly excluded
- [7.106] Relationship between litigation and corporation
- [7.107] Personal liabilities to company not covered
- [7.108] Procedure for obtaining advancement of expenses
- [7.109] Allocation of expenses covered and not covered
- Chapter 8 — Criminal Law in the Workplace
- I. [8.1] Introduction
- II. [8.2] Employment Relationship Generally
- III. [8.3] Retaliation Against Employee Reporting Crime
- IV. [8.4] Employer’s Liability Under Theory of Respondeat Superior and Other Legal Theories
- V. [8.5] Criminal Liability of Corporations
- VI. [8.6] Defenses to Criminal Liability
- VII. [8.10] Criminal Liability of Businesses Other than Corporations
- VIII. [8.11] Unique Considerations for Alleged Criminal Liability of Government Employees
- IX. [8.12] Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
- X. [8.13] Worker’s Compensation and Unemployment Compensation
- XI. [8.14] Conclusion
- Chapter 9 — Pregnancy and Family Leave Issues in the Workplace
- I. Pregnancy, Pregnancy Leave, and Parental Rights
- [9.1] Prohibition Against Pregnancy Discrimination
- [9.2] Events Leading Up to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- [9.3] Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- [9.4] What Constitutes a “Related Medical Condition”
- [9.5] Hiring, Firing, and Other Employment Decisions Based on Pregnancy
- [9.6] Pregnancy Firing and Hiring Cases
- [9.7] Light-Duty Requests by Pregnant Employees
- [9.8] Comparison to Treatment of Other Medically Related Work Absences
- [9.9] Pattern and Practice of Pregnancy Discrimination
- [9.10] Pregnancy and the Bona Fide Occupational Qualification Defense
- [9.11] “Sex-as-Sex” Characteristics
- [9.12] Requirement of Sex Features
- [9.13] When Sex Authenticity Is Required
- [9.14] Privacy and Decency Restrictions
- [9.15] Bathroom attendants
- [9.16] Nurses and orderlies
- [9.17] Salespersons
- [9.18] Health clubs
- [9.19] Prisons and prisoner privacy
- [9.20] Miscellaneous Odd Lot Categories of Jobs
- [9.21] Possibility of Sexual Assault
- [9.22] Fetal Protection Issues
- [9.23] Johnson Controls
- [9.24] Fetal Protection Policies Since Johnson Controls
- [9.25] “Sex Plus”
- [9.26] Maternity Leave and Other Family-Type Benefits
- [9.27] Employer Disability Plans
- [9.28] Coverage of Dependents in Employer-Provided Disability Plans
- [9.29] Rights When There Is No Disability Plan
- [9.30] Reinstatement After Returning from Leave
- [9.31] Seniority After Leave
- [9.32] Employer-Mandated Maternity Leave
- [9.33] Exception — When the Nature of the Job Requires Mandatory Pregnancy Leave
- [9.34] Employment Benefits and Maternity Issues
- [9.35] Federal Contractors and Employees
- [9.36] State Fair Employment Practices Statutes
- [9.37] Infertility Treatments and Pregnancy Discrimination
- [9.38] Pregnancy Is Not a Disability Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- [9.39] Pregnancy-Related Impairments Do Constitute Disabilities Under the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008
- [9.40] Pregnancy-Related Impairments Created by the COVID-19 Pandemic
- [9.41] Mandatory Vaccine Policies
- II. [9.42] Parental Leave
- [9.43] Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
- [9.44] Application of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to Government Employees
- [9.45] Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 Exemption for Highly Compensated Employees
- [9.46] Planned Medical Treatment
- Procedures and Requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
- [9.47] Certification Requirement
- [9.48] Leave Requirement
- [9.49] Notice by the Employee
- [9.50] Healthcare Provider Certification
- [9.51] Intermittent Leave
- [9.52] Employer Obligation to Employees on Leave
- Reinstatement After Leave
- [9.53] In General
- [9.54] Highly Compensated Employee Exception
- [9.55] U.S. Department of Labor Obligations
- [9.56] Private Lawsuits
- [9.57] Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and Collective-Bargaining Agreements and Fringe Benefit Plans
- [9.58] Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985
- [9.59] Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 Checklist for Employers
- [9.60] Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993’s Overlap and Interplay with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- [9.61] Arbitrary Deadlines on Return-to-Work Policies
- III. [9.62] Bereavement Leave
- IV. [9.63] Discriminatory Bias Toward Parents of Young Children
- V. [9.64] Executive Order No. 13,152
- VI. [9.65] Legal Break Time for Nursing Mothers
- Heather A. Bailey
Heather A. Bailey
Heather A. Baileyis a Partner at Amundsen Davis, LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on employment and labor law. She is a member of the Advisory Committee (2017 – present) and Past President (2015 – 2016) of the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago. She has been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable Leader in Employment & Labor Law (2023) and a Notable Woman in Law (2026). Bailey earned her BA from Bowling Green State University and her JD from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
- Tiffany L. Carpenter
Tiffany L. Carpenter
Tiffany L. Carpenteris a shareholder and equity partner of Howard & Howard PLLC in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice in matters related to litigation. She has been recognized by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 To Watch (2021). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Judges Foundation Lawyers Auxiliary Committee’s Lawyers Auxiliary Committee and the Annual Award Chair of DRI Women in Law. Carpenter earned her BA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her JD from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where she was the recipient of the Marie Adornetto Monahan Endowed Judicial Extern Scholarship (spring 2006) and sat on the Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Honors Board (2006 – 2007).
- Marcia G. Cotler
Marcia G. Cotler
Marcia G. Cotler is Principal and Founder of Cotler Law LLC, in Northbrook, where she focuses her practice on employment law. She has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer (2019 – 2022). She earned her B.A. with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center.
- Jacinta Epting
Jacinta Epting
Jacinta Epting is Vice Chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago. She has experience in employment law, real estate, litigation, procurement, public finance, eminent domain, insurance coverage, construction law, and consumer protection law. She earned her B.A. from Elmhurst College and her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law at Urbana-Champaign.
- Lynn W. Esp
Lynn W. Esp
Lynn W. Esp is General Counsel for ZFS Solutions, LLC, in Zeeland, MI, where she practices corporate and employment law. She has represented management in employment issues before state and federal courts, drafted employee guidelines and handbooks, and delivered presentations on current issues in employment law and is a member of the Illinois and Michigan State Bar Associations. Esp earned her BA from Boston College and her JD from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
- Steven M. Hartmann
Steven M. Hartmann
Steven M. Hartmann is a Partner and General Counsel at Freeborn & Peters LLP, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on employment law and commercial litigation. He has been peer selected for Illinois Leading Lawyers in Commercial Litigation, Creditors’ Rights, and Bankruptcy & Workout Law (2015 – 2021) and recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers in Business Litigation (2015 – 2021). He earned his B.A. with honors from Northwestern University and his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law.
- Kathryn M. Hartrick
Kathryn M. Hartrick
Kathryn M. Hartrick is the Founder and Principal of Hartrick Employment Law, Ltd., in Chicago, where she focuses on employment law, workplace investigations, and executive coaching. She is a member of IICLE®’s Board of Directors, Chair of the North Shore Labor Counsel, and a member and faculty member of the Association of Workplace Investigators. Hartrick received her BBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and her JD from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
- Dane M. Lepola
Dane M. Lepola
Dane M. Lepola is an attorney at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC in Royal Oak, MI, where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association (Eastern District of Michigan Chapter) and the Oakland County Bar Association. He received his BA from Michigan State University, James Madison College, and his JD cum laude from the Wayne State University Law School.
- Cynthia N. Pietrucha
Cynthia N. Pietrucha
Cynthia N. Pietrucha is Managing Attorney at Pietrucha Law Firm, LLC, in Naperville, where she focuses her practice on employment and labor law, medical leave laws, and contracts. She was recognized by The National Black Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 in Employment Law (2017), and she also received the Avvo Client’s Choice Award (2017) and the Avvo Top Attorney award (2022). She received her B.S. and B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, her J.D., with Pro Bono Honors, from Northern Illinois University College of Law, and her Summer Certificate in Entertainment and Media Law from Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles.
- L. Steven Platt
L. Steven Platt
L. Steven Platt is Of Counsel at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC in Chicago and has practiced labor and employment law for more than 48 years. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer, is a Fellow of the American College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and is rated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. He received his BA from Northwestern University and his JD from Loyola University of Chicago.
- Christopher L. Schaeffer
Christopher L. Schaeffer
Christopher L. Schaeffer is a Partner at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on labor and employment litigation, commercial disputes, complex litigation, and intellectual property. He has been recognized by Leading Lawyers as an Illinois Emerging Lawyer in Commercial Litigation (2023 – 2025), by Best Lawyers’ Ones to Watch (Commercial Litigation, 2023 – 2026), and by Super Lawyers as an Illinois Rising Star in Employment & Labor and Business Litigation (2025). Schaeffer received his BA cum laude from the Illinois Wesleyan University and his JD cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
- Meghan E. Tepas
Meghan E. Tepas
Meghan E. Tepas is a Partner at Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on trust and estate litigation. She is an Illinois State Bar Association’s Trusts & Estates Counsel Member and has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers and as among the 40 Under 40 by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Ms. Tepas received her BA from the University of Michigan and her JD from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Employment Termination: Employer Obligations and Workplace Considerations (ARCHIVED 2022 EDITION)
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