Labor Relations Attorney

Jobot; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Hybrid work

Great benefits

Growth opportunities

Flexible schedule

Job summary

Jobot seeks a traditional labor attorney for our Chicago-based firm with a management-side focus, offering growth in a hybrid work setting. The associate will handle labor relations, employment counseling, and arbitration among a mix of employer clients.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years of relevant experience, a J.D., and Illinois bar admission or eligibility, plus strong writing, research, and advocacy skills for active matters and client advisory work.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active Illinois license or eligibility to waive into/admission to the Illinois Bar.
• 3–5 years of management-side labor and employment experience in a law firm, government, in-house legal department, or comparable setting.
• Experience drafting EEOC, IDHR, NLRB, Illinois Department of Labor, or similar agency position statements is strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of federal and state employment laws, including NLRA, Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and applicable Illinois employment laws.
• Experience with collective bargaining, grievance administration, labor arbitrations, unfair-labor-practice matters, or union relations is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Draft and respond to position statements, charges, and related submissions before agencies including the NLRB, EEOC, IDHR, and Illinois Department of Labor.
• Counsel employers on employee-relations issues, including discipline, termination, workplace investigations, policy development, and compliance matters.
• Provide practical guidance regarding FMLA, ADA, accommodations, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage-and-hour, and other workplace-law issues.
• Represent and advise unionized employers in connection with collective bargaining agreements, grievances, labor-management disputes, and union relations.
• Assist with and, as experience permits, handle labor arbitration hearings, including case strategy, witness preparation, document and exhibit development, hearing briefs, and post-hearing submissions.
• Interpret and apply collective bargaining agreements and advise clients regarding grievance administration, discipline, discharge, seniority, work rules, and contract disputes.
• Participate in collective bargaining negotiations and labor-management meetings.
• Represent employers in unfair-labor-practice matters, including investigations and proceedings before the NLRB and related administrative agencies.
• Counsel employers on union-avoidance strategies, organizing campaigns, labor disputes, and proactive employee-relations practices.
• Assist clients in preventing, managing, and resolving labor disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, administrative proceedings, and litigation.
• Work directly with clients to develop practical, business-focused solutions that reduce risk and support effective workplace operations.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Advocacy

Interpersonal skills

Analytical thinking

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Job description

Traditional Labor Attorney - Room For Growth, Hybrid Work!

Job details

This Jobot Job is hosted by: Amber Wood

Salary: $160,000 - $220,000 per year

A bit about us

Chicago-based law firm concentrates exclusively on the representation of employers in labor relations, employment litigation, employee benefits, and business immigration matters.

Named to 2024 Best Law Firms List for Employment, Labor, Litigation, and Immigration law!

Why join us

• Meaningful Work!
• Best in Class Firm!
• Competitive Compensation Package!
• Complete Benefits Package!
• Flexible Work Schedules!
• Accelerated Career Growth!
• Fun Company Activities!
• Many More!

Job Details

A well-established Chicago management-side labor and employment law firm is seeking an associate attorney with 3–5 years of relevant experience to join its growing Labor Relations practice.

The ideal candidate will be prepared to step into active matters quickly, including drafting position statements, advising clients on day-to-day employment issues, and supporting or handling labor arbitration proceedings.

Responsibilities

• Draft and respond to position statements, charges, and related submissions before agencies including the NLRB, EEOC, IDHR, and Illinois Department of Labor.
• Counsel employers on employee-relations issues, including discipline, termination, workplace investigations, policy development, and compliance matters.
• Provide practical guidance regarding FMLA, ADA, accommodations, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage-and-hour, and other workplace-law issues.
• Represent and advise unionized employers in connection with collective bargaining agreements, grievances, labor-management disputes, and union relations.
• Assist with and, as experience permits, handle labor arbitration hearings, including case strategy, witness preparation, document and exhibit development, hearing briefs, and post-hearing submissions.
• Interpret and apply collective bargaining agreements and advise clients regarding grievance administration, discipline, discharge, seniority, work rules, and contract disputes.
• Participate in collective bargaining negotiations and labor-management meetings.
• Represent employers in unfair-labor-practice matters, including investigations and proceedings before the NLRB and related administrative agencies.
• Counsel employers on union-avoidance strategies, organizing campaigns, labor disputes, and proactive employee-relations practices.
• Assist clients in preventing, managing, and resolving labor disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, administrative proceedings, and litigation.
• Work directly with clients to develop practical, business-focused solutions that reduce risk and support effective workplace operations.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in Illinois, or eligibility to waive into/admission to the Illinois Bar.
• 3–5 years of management-side labor and employment experience in a law firm, government, in-house legal department, labor-relations organization, or comparable setting.
• Demonstrated experience with employment counseling, employment litigation, administrative charges, or agency proceedings.
• Experience drafting EEOC, IDHR, NLRB, Illinois Department of Labor, or similar agency position statements is strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of federal and state employment laws, including the NLRA, Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and applicable Illinois employment laws.
• Experience with collective bargaining, grievance administration, labor arbitrations, unfair-labor-practice matters, or union relations is strongly preferred.
• Prior labor-arbitration hearing experience - including witness preparation, briefing, exhibit preparation, or hearing participation
• Strong legal research, writing, analytical, advocacy, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple matters, communicate effectively with sophisticated employer clients, and work both independently and collaboratively.

Preferred Background

• Traditional labor experience representing unionized employers.
• NLRB proceedings, unfair-labor-practice charges, organizing campaigns, or union-avoidance counseling.
• EEOC, IDHR, or other administrative-agency defense experience.
• Labor-arbitration, grievance, CBA interpretation, or collective-bargaining experience.
• Practical counseling experience involving employee discipline, leaves of absence, accommodations, workplace policies, and compliance.

Why This Role

This position offers the opportunity to build a sophisticated management-side labor and employment practice with meaningful client interaction and responsibility. The successful attorney will work on a broad mix of traditional labor and employment matters, including collective bargaining, labor arbitrations, grievance administration, labor-management relations, administrative agency defense, employment counseling, and dispute prevention/resolution.

Jobot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide an inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity and all qualified candidates receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Jobot also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is Jobot’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions.

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