William J. "Bill" Tarnow II

William J. "Bill" Tarnow II

Chicago, IL recognized lawyers icon Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2024
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP

49 Best Lawyers awards

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP logo

Awarded Practice Areas

Employment Law - Management

Biography

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 advises clients daily on noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements, trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract matters. He also has deep experience counseling on, investigating, and litigating all manner of complaints and claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation regulated by federal and state counterpart statutes such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Bill also advises clients on compensation issues, and defends class action cases across the country involving wage & hour and overtime pay claims regulated by state and federal laws.

Clients benefit every day from Bill’s ability to deliver much more than exceptional litigation management and daily counsel in employment matters – he’s also the clients’ trusted general business advisor and the leader of a team of attorneys charged with ensuring clients have effective strategies in place for every facet of their operations.

In addition to serving clients, Bill regularly publishes articles and provides presentations and training on a variety of workplace considerations and strategies, both to individual employers and at conferences, to address employment matters impacting their businesses. He also appears on television and is quoted in print media as a thought leader to provide his views on trending employment issues.

Bill has been recognized as a leader in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in “Labor & Employment” since 2017 and by The Best Lawyers in America in “Employment Law—Management” since 2024.

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP

49 Best Lawyers awards

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP logo

Overview

  • University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., graduated 1997
  • University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, B.A., graduated 1994

  • Illinois, Illinois State Bar Association
  • Illinois, Illinois State Bar Association
  • University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., graduated 1997
  • University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, B.A., graduated 1994

Client Testimonials

Bill Tarnow is an exceptional attorney who has provided our association guidance on labor law/management issues for several years. It provides me and my team great comfort to know that whenever an issue arises in any of our HR areas that we can call upon Bill and he will respond within the day with either an answer, or to set a time for us to speak further about our concerns. There may be more time needed for certain issues, but he answers questions that he can and provides a timeline for what our next steps are. We've experienced first-hand how he and his team handles investigations, mediation, litigation, and working with additional counsel on matters. His professionalism partnered with a keen knowledge of the law allow him to get to the root of an issue and represent our best interests in the face of controversy. It's no wonder he is often requested to be a guest speaker for SHRM events in the Chicago area! I feel fortunate to have Bill on our side!

Ann Bresingham (American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology)

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Employment Law - Management

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