Laura Liss is a partner and a member of the Employment Relations Practice Group. Her practice includes all aspects of labor and employment law, including litigation in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. She has experience with discrimination and termination claims, as well as unfair labor practice charges, collective bargaining and interest arbitrations. She is experienced in appellate work, having drafted appellate briefs and argued before the Illinois Appellate Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She frequently counsels clients on employment issues related to the evaluation and discipline of employees, discrimination and harassment, employee policies and handbooks, non-competition agreements, wage claims, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and Title VII. She is a member of the firm’s Professional Development Committee.
Prior to joining the firm, she was a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney and an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago.

Representative Work

Defended plaintiffs' motion for class certification in a race and national origin discrimination and harassment case.

Obtained the dismissal of a disability discrimination case filed by a former graduate student/employee against a world-renowned university in federal district court.

Successfully defended a large municipality in a bench trial before Judge Milton Shadur wherein the plaintiff alleged constructive discharge and national origin discrimination.

Professional Activities

Member, Chicago Bar Association (Labor and Employment and Federal Civil Practice Committees)

Selected Speeches & Publications

Author: "Eating is a Major Life Activity That Can Render an Employee Disabled," January 2005

Co-Author: "Domestic Partner Benefits Raise Interesting Tax Issues," Chicago Lawyer, May 2004

Author: "Ten Critical Errors HR Professionals Should Avoid,"Human Resources Management Ideas & Trends, April 2003

Speech: "'The Doctor Is In' - Conducting an Annual Employment Practices Check-up," September 2004

Speech: "Ten Issues Facing the Human Resources Professional in the Electronic Age," June 2004

Speech: "The Enforceability of Restrictive Covenants in Illinois," August 2003

Speech: "Crafting the Ultimate Employee Handbook," Spring 2002

Speech: "12 Critical Errors that HR Departments Must Avoid Making," Fall 2002

Other

Junior Board Member and Volunteer, Working in the School (WITS), a tutoring and mentoring program in the Chicago Public Schools.