The Labor and Employment Law practice group at Brown, Hay + Stephens represents public and private-sector employers in all aspects of employment relations. We counsel management on compliance with federal and state employment laws and regulations, policy development and drafting, and union relations.

Our employment law attorneys advise clients when personnel issues arise and work in partnership with HR administrators to create and implement policies that attract and retain employees.

When litigation is unavoidable, our attorneys defend against employee claims. Our attorneys understand that Illinois' employers frequently face various legal actions. We routinely represent employers in venues including:

State court
Federal courts
Illinois Department of Human Rights
Illinois Human Rights Commission
Department of Labor
Office for Civil Rights
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

We work extensively in labor relations, addressing union issues with our clients and counseling them through collective bargaining. Our attorneys appear before mediators, arbitrators, the Illinois Labor Relations Board, and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. Collectively, our team brings decades of practical knowledge combined with an innovative approach to our service for employment and labor clients. It is a combination that reacts to help clients when it’s needed and anticipates problems that may arise from new and developing trends or technologies.

We advise and represent clients in a broad variety of areas, including:

Employment contract drafting/negotiation

Human resources and personnel issues
Employee handbooks and workplace policies
Confidentiality and noncompete agreements
Unemployment claims
Title VII and other discrimination claims, including harassment
Americans with Disabilities Act
Family and Medical Leave Act
Employee benefits
Collective bargaining
Arbitration and grievance proceedings
Unfair labor practice charges
Representation elections
Unit Clarification petitions
Technology and security in the workplace

Helping Clients Stay Informed and Educated

Each year, our legal team offers a seminar covering the latest trends and the most daunting problems facing employers in Illinois. The informational seminars include post-session meet-and-greet receptions with our attorneys to talk one-on-one about specific employment issues. It is one of the ways we show our employment and labor clients how much they are valued.