Brent Knight

Brent D. Knight has nearly 20 years of experience advocating for employers in class action labor and employment law matters. Brent has represented clients in state courts, federal courts, and before administrative agencies throughout the United States on claims brought pursuant to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the National Labor Relations Act, and a variety of state law counterparts, including extensive experience defending claims brought under the California Labor Code.

Much of Brent’s work is at the cutting edge of labor and employment law, impacting not only his clients’ businesses but setting precedent for employers nationwide. For instance, Brent has successfully defended several cases involving claims that McDonald’s was a joint employer of its franchisee’s employees under both state and federal law.

He also successfully defended overtime claims at trial under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). And he regularly advises clients regarding the enforceability of noncompetition agreements throughout the country, navigating the constantly evolving area of restrictive covenants.

Representative clients in recent public matters include McDonald’s, Publix Super Markets, Abbott Laboratories, Service Corporation International, and CrossCountry Mortgage.

Brent is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice, a nonpartisan, independent research and advocacy organization that seeks to promote social justice by proposing solutions to barriers and inequities affecting vulnerable populations within our court systems. He also belongs to the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

EDUCATION:

• University of Michigan (J.D. magna cum laude 1998; Order of the Coif; Michigan Law Review; B.A. with high distinction 1994)

BAR ADMISSIONS:

• Illinois,
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Seventh Circuits, and
• U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois,
• Southern District of Indiana, and
• District of Colorado

EXPERIENCE:

• USG to be acquired by Gebr. Knauf for $7 billion
• Interface wins dismissal of allegations of FLSA on-call and overtime violations
• McDonald’s victorious against state-wide California class action wage and hour PAGA claims
• McDonald’s defeats attempt to expand class action
• McDonald’s wins summary judgment, defeats class certification and PAGA claims in wage and hour class, joint employer action
• McDonald’s defeats class certification and PAGA claims in statewide California class action wage and hour case
• Publix wins summary judgment on questions of FLSA regular rate calculation
• SCI Illinois Services obtains 7th Circuit affirmance of dismissal of federal and state discrimination and retaliation claims
• Jones Day Chicago develops relationship with the Civic Consulting Alliance.