HeplerBroom

Employment & Labor

Want to avoid drowning in the ocean of complicated employment laws and regulations? Our attorneys can help you stay afloat.

The employment relationship is governed by an ever-changing maelstrom of laws, regulations, and court decisions. These rules are complicated, and the consequences for even inadvertent violations can be high fines, penalties, back pay awards, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees.

HeplerBroom’s Employment and Labor Practice Group emphasizes preventive, practical, and creative approaches to employee relations, including:

  • Advising on day-to-day employment issues, including preparation and review of: employee handbooks; human resource-related policies, procedures, and training; and recommended best practices to avoid litigation.
  • Preparing continuing education and other seminars for employers and human relations professionals on various employment topics, including updates on changes in the law.
  • Ensuring compliance with applicable wage & hour laws and regulations before problems arise by auditing client procedures, developing policies and procedures that comply with the laws, and representing clients in enforcement proceedings.
  • Conducting internal investigations for management related to possible discriminatory conduct or violations of employment law.

 

Experienced Trial Lawyers

If litigation is required or appropriate, however, we aggressively represent our clients’ interests, frequently resolving the matter at the pre-trial stage with a dispositive motion or favorable settlement. We represent clients in a variety of employment-related litigation matters in federal and state courts on matters involving:

  • Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, the EPA, the FLSA, Section 1983, ERISA litigation, state anti-discrimination statutes, and other related litigation such as claims for wrongful discharge, breach of contract, retaliation, whistleblower, violation of non-solicitation or non-competition agreements, and wage and hour matters.
  • Matters before administrative agencies including the EEOC, the NLRB, Illinois Human Rights Commission, Missouri Commission of Human Rights, OSHA, Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General, and other state, local, and civil rights agencies.
Vinge and Weiner Secure Dismissal of IDHR Complaints Against Fire Protection District
Illinois Appellate Court Upholds HeplerBroom Clients Right to Recover Attorney Fees
HB Springfield Attorneys Secure Decertification in Gender Discrimination Case
Court Denies Plaintiff’s Motion for Class Action Certification

News

New Associate Joins HeplerBroom

Events

Boeckman and Kuchar Serve in Leadership, Speaking Roles at DRI Senior Living and Long-Term Care Seminar
Kuchar Helps Illinois Engineering Firms Understand the Legalities of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
HeplerBroom Updates State Chamber of Commerce on Employment Issues
HeplerBroom Attorneys Present Employment Seminar to Chamber of Commerce
HeplerBroom Presents Workshop on Essential Skills Supervisors Need to Prevent or Mitigate Employment Discrimination Cases
Davis Presents Webinar on Intersection of Employment and Antitrust Laws
Jones and Kosiba Discuss Employment Law Issues with Illinois Insurance Agents
Jones and Westbrook to Speak to Independent Insurance Agents about Legalized Marijuana in the Workplace
HB Holds Employment Law Seminar
HB Sponsors Employment Law Seminar

Publications

A Matter of Time: Johnson v. Amazon.com Services, LLC
5 Keys to Crafting Non-Compete Agreements in Missouri After FTC Abandons Its Nationwide Ban
SCOTUS Ends “Background Circumstances” Rule in Reverse Discrimination Cases
New Year, New Laws: A Legal Update for Illinois Employers
Navigating AI and the Hiring Process: Legal Implications
Employer Best Practices: Artificial Intelligence and the Illinois Human Rights Act
A Finger on the Pulse of Biometric Privacy: What Illinois’ New BIPA Amendment Means for Employers
What the FTC’s New Ban on Noncompete Agreements Might Mean for Your Business
Time for Illinois Employers to Review Their Handbooks and Policies
New Guidance on Best Practices for Internal Investigations
U.S. Supreme Court Revisits Religious Accommodations in the Workplace: Groff v. DeJoy
FTC’s Proposed Ban on Noncompete Agreements — Delayed Again, But Not Dead Yet
From Metaphor to Reality? NCAA Athletes Might Become Your Favorite College’s New Employees
Old Standards Die Hard: MHRA Pre-Amendment “Contributing Factor” Standard Allowed for Harassment Claim Based on Events Before and After MHRA Amendment
Illinois Set to Further Expand Employee Rights with the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act
Missouri Employers: Evaluate Your Marijuana Drug Testing Policy in the Face of This Tight Labor Market
Strategies for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Manufacturing Employment
Illinois’ 2022 Employment Law Changes
Restrictive Covenants: Illinois’ Amended Freedom to Work Act has Serious Impact on Responsibilities of Both Employers and Employees
District Court of Puerto Rico Denies Preliminary Injunction and Dismisses Case Seeking to Halt Vaccine Mandate for Executive Branch Employees
Second Circuit Upholds Vaccine Mandate for New York’s Healthcare Workers
Correcting COVID: District of Massachusetts Denies Correction Officers’ and Union’s Request for Injunctive Relief against Massachusetts’ Vaccine Mandate
Eastern District of Washington Finds COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Reasonable
No Southern Hospitality: The District of South Carolina Denies Plaintiffs’ Requests to Enjoin Local Governments’ Vaccine Mandates
Employers, Consider These Legal Issues Before Mandating COVID-19 Vaccinations
Employers Navigating COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Workplace
Corporate Death Cut-Off Claims: Oakridge Healthcare and Successor Nonliability
Illinois Employers Face New Minimum Wages, Higher Gas Taxes, and New Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Protections
Let’s Hash This Out: General Questions About Cannabis
Compliance Reminder for Illinois Employers: Illinois Human Rights Amendments and Required Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Tackling COVID-19 in the Workplace: Expanded Unemployment Eligibility and Benefits under the CARES Act are Just What the Doctor Ordered
Missouri Supreme Court Holds that an Employee’s Mere “Request for Accommodation” of a Disability Does Not Support a Retaliation Claim Under the MHRA
EEOC Onsite Inspections: How to be Prepared after a Charge is Filed
Instructing Juries on the Elements of Employment Discrimination: The Important Distinctions Made in Schnitker v. Springfield Urban League, Inc.
Expanding Prohibitions on Accessing Applicants’ and Employees’ Personal Online Accounts: An Amendment to Illinois’ Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act
Consider It (Not) A Deal: Whether offering "continued" or "new" employment, an offer for "at-will" employment is insufficient consideration to form a contract
No New Math Here: A Recent Illinois Supreme Court Decision Clarifies that “Causal Nexus” ≠ Causation in Retaliatory Discharge Actions