Best Lawyers in Illinois, United States for Labor and Employment Law - Management
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James C. Franczek, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. James C., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 1989. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Steven J. Pearlman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Steven J., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Steven J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Tobias E. Schlueter is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Tobias E., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Tobias E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
Joseph Mulherin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Joseph, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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’ ...
Michael A. Warner, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Michael A., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
J. Casey Leech is an associate in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice focuses on representing employers in workplace law matters, including preventive advice and counseling. Casey regularly represents clients in single-plaintiff and class and collective action lawsuits, including in cases alleging discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, retaliatory discharge, medical leave violations, and wage and hour violations. He frequently handles cases arising...
Andrew D. Welker is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Andrew D., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Andrew D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Margaret Foss is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Margaret, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Margaret is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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.