Joel Spitz

Joel H. Spitz 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.

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.

Education :

• Marquette University, JD, Executive Editor, Marquette Law Review, 1990
• University of Wisconsin – Madison, BA, 1987

Admissions :

• Illinois
• Wisconsin
• Illinois Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• U.S. Supreme Court

Affiliations :

• Member, Illinois Bar Association
• Member, Wisconsin Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association