Norma W. Zeitler

Norma W. Zeitler

Chicago, IL recognized lawyers icon Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2018
Barnes & Thornburg LLP

302 Best Lawyers awards

Barnes & Thornburg LLP logo

Awarded Practice Areas

Employment Law - Management Litigation - Labor and Employment

Biography

Norma Zeitler serves as outside labor and employment and litigation counsel to nonprofit, healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing clients. Norma is totally committed to helping each client focus on its mission and mitigate the potential for a dispute through proactive counseling and development of sound policies, practices and procedures.

Norma represents employers in the defense of employment discrimination, retaliatory discharge, breach-of-contract, workplace torts and restrictive covenant cases in federal and state courts across the country and before administrative agencies. She also provides day-to-day counseling for employers on the matters that impact the employment relationship.

In addition to daily labor and employment law counseling and litigation, Norma draws upon her background as an intelligence officer and guides clients through C-suite and harassment investigations across a multitude of industries.

Norma remains dedicated to helping her clients avoid and/or mitigate the potential for litigation altogether. However, in the event a serious or high-stakes claim arises, Norma acts as a formidable advocate who is focused on defending her client to the end. Committed to serving as the most reasonable person in the room, Norma strives to continuously earn her reputation for being tough but fair, seeking to remove the emotional component of a dispute in order to best assist her client.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Norma was an officer in the United States Army. While in the Army, she served as a communications platoon leader and intelligence officer in Germany, as a company commander in Turkey during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and as an intern to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of Legislative Affairs.

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

302 Best Lawyers awards

Barnes & Thornburg LLP logo

Overview

  • Loyola University Chicago, J.D., graduated 1995
  • National Intelligence University, M.S.
  • Southern Illinois University, B.S.

  • Illinois, Illinois State Bar Association

  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
  • Illinois, Illinois State Bar Association
  • Loyola University Chicago, J.D., graduated 1995
  • National Intelligence University, M.S.
  • Southern Illinois University, B.S.
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Employment Law - Individuals
  • Labor Law - Management
  • Labor Law - Union

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