Barry Hartstein

Barry A. Hartstein has earned a national reputation for a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters. He is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers nationwide in individual and class action claims and wage and hour collective actions.

He has particular expertise dealing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on both a local and national level, which included an invitation by the EEOC chair to address the Commission at a recent meeting in Washington D.C. on the legal standards governing employers’ consideration of criminal arrest and conviction records.

Barry serves in numerous leadership roles for Cornell University’s ILR School. Founded as the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, the ILR School today is the world’s leading college focused on work, employment and labor issues.

In addition to his position on the Dean’s Advisory Council and as a board member of the Scheinman Institute, which is the first institute exclusively focused on the study and practice of workplace dispute resolution, he recently completed his term as president of ILR’s Alumni Association.

Barry has served for many years in a national leadership role for the American Bar Association in its section devoted to labor and employment law focusing on EEO issues, including serving as a management co-chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee.

In this role, he has worked closely with various chairs and other members of the EEOC, in addition to serving as a liaison between the Chicago Bar and the EEOC’s Chicago District Office to facilitate communication between the Bar and the EEOC on both a local and national level.

Prior to joining Littler, Barry was the managing partner of the Chicago office of a major AM Law 100 Firm, where he also served as the Chicago practice leader for the firm’s labor and employment practice.

Education :

• J.D., Northwestern University School of Law, 1976
• B.S., Cornell University, 1973

Courts :

• U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin

Professional & Community Affiliations :

• Member, Labor and Employment Law Section, American Bar Association
• Co-Chair, Finance Committee, American Bar Association, 2010-present
• Management Co-Chair, EEO Committee, American Bar Association, 2002-2004
• Co-Chair, EEOC Liaison Committee, Chicago District Office, 1995-present
• Former President, Cornell ILR Alumni Association, 2007-2009
• Program Chair, American Employment Law Council, 2010-2012
• Member, Trustee Nominating Committee, Cornell University, 2008-present