Joel is the former chair of the firm's labor and employment practice. He is an experienced litigator in the employment discrimination area, having handled hundreds of discrimination cases, including multiparty and class action cases involving Title VII, ADA, ADEA, ERISA, FMLA, FLSA, the Illinois Human Rights Act, (and various other federal, state and local discrimination and labor statutes and ordinances).
Joel also regularly counsels employers on how to avoid discrimination charges and lawsuits. Among other things, he assists corporations and businesses on a variety of labor and employment matters, including employee rights issues, disciplinary decisions, employee handbooks, employment contracts, drug testing, family medical leave, sexual harassment investigations and covenants not to compete. He has also represented employers in onsite investigations conducted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Program.
In addition to his employment discrimination law practice, Joel represents plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving noncompete agreements, confidentiality agreements, and the alleged theft of trade secrets. On the plaintiff side, he has obtained injunctions that prohibited people from competing against firm clients. On the defense side, he has effectively represented employers who have hired employees with noncompete or confidentiality agreements. In addition to his litigation experience, he regularly counsels employers on how to draft noncompete and secrecy agreements, and on whether it is appropriate to hire employees who have such agreements.
Joel also has extensive experience litigating collective (“class”) actions pursuant to the FLSA throughout the United States.
Selected for inclusion, Labor & Employment - Illinois, Band 4, Chambers USA, 2021, 2022
Named to "Illinois Super Lawyers," Employment and Labor, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2009-2018, 2020
Member, Illinois Bar Association
Member, Wisconsin Bar Association
Member, American Bar Association