Steven Pearlman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-head of the firm's Whistleblowing & Retaliation Group, resident in the Chicago office. Steven’s practice is focused on representing management in complex employment litigation and counseling management to minimize the risk of litigation.
Steven was one of five U.S. lawyers selected by Law 360 as a "Rising Star Under 40" in the area of Employment. He also was selected as one of "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch" by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company from a field of 1,200 nominees. In addition, he has been named a "Rising Star" in employment litigation defense on multiple occasions by Illinois Super Lawyers.
Steven defends employers of all sizes in complex employment litigation involving claims of discrimination and harassment, wage-and-hour laws and breaches of restrictive covenants. A number of his cases involve executives, claims brought by thousands of employees, and challenges to wide-reaching policies. He has successfully tried cases to verdict in Illinois, Florida and California and defended what is reported to be the largest Illinois-only class action in the history of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
In addition, Steven is at the forefront of defending management against whistleblower claims, and he provides comprehensive counseling to minimize the risk of whistleblower claims. Steven was selected by the RAND Corporation (one of the world’s leading think-tanks) to submit a white paper and present at an exclusive symposium comprised of some of the most influential thought leaders on whistleblower laws and related policy issues. Steven also was appointed to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois in employment litigation matters and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board has invited him to serve as a stakeholder in its rule-making and related proceedings and to serve in an amicus curiae capacity.
A sought-after commentator on a range of legal issues, Steven has appeared on Bloomberg News and has been quoted in a wide range of leading publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, The AmLaw Litigation Daily, Corporate Counsel, Law 360, BNA Daily Labor Report, CCH Workday, Inside Counsel, The Fiscal Times, HR Magazine, Business Insider, Treasury & Risk, Business Insurance, Ignites (Financial Times), SHRM, Compliance & Ethics Professional, Compliance Week, Broker Dealer Week, iWatch News, Metropolitan Corporate Counsel and Perspectives. He is one of the editors of Proskauer’s Whistleblower Defense Blog. Steven also has published leading articles in Forbes.com, Corporate Counsel, Law 360, The Securities Regulation Law Journal, the Employee Relations Law Journal, Law 360, Employment Law Strategist and the Illinois Bar Journal.
Steven is deeply committed to providing pro bono services to individuals who are unable to afford legal resources.
read more »
Representative Matters
Arrez, et al. v. Kelly Services, Inc., No. 07 CV 1289 (N.D. Ill.) (defense of putative state-wide class action involving first-impression issues under Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act and Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act; putative class size > 95,000)
EEOC v. Kaplan Higher Education, Inc., No. 10 CV 2882, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50035 (N.D. Ohio May 10, 2011) (prevailed on partial motion to dismiss nationwide pattern-or-practice race discrimination claims based on use of credit history)
Boyd, et al. v. Alutiiq Global Solutions, LLC, No. 11 CV 00753, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88656 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 10, 2011) (defeated motion for nationwide collective action certification)
Resurrection Home Health Services v. Illinois Department of Labor, et al., No. 07M1-111335 (Cook Cty., Ill., Chancery Div.) (summary judgment on home healthcare workers' novel overtime claims)
Williamson, et al. v. United Air Lines, Inc., No. 03 CV 01456 (S.D. Ind.) (defense of putative class action alleging WARN Act violations; putative class size > 900)
Hageman, et al. v. Accenture LLP, No. 10 CV 01759 (D. Minn.) (defense of ADEA disparate impact and pattern-or-practice claims)
Cox, et al. v. Flair Corp. of Ocala [subsidiary of SPX Corp.], No. 01 CV 322 (M.D. Fla.); aff’d 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 19914 (11th Cir. June 18, 2003) (defense verdict in multi-plaintiff jury trial involving race discrimination claims; affirmed by 11th Circuit)
Cobbs, et al. v. Mid City [subsidiary of Beauty Alliance], No. 06 CV 3971 (N.D. Ill.) (defense verdict on first plaintiff's sexual harassment and retaliation claims and mistrial on second plaintiff's claim)
Fleishman v. Continental Casualty Co., No. 09 CV 00414, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 134992 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 22, 2011), aff’d No. 11 CV 3754, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 21719 (7th Cir. Oct. 18, 2012) (summary judgment on internal counsel’s age (ADEA) and disability (ADA) discrimination claims; affirmed on appeal)
Mart v. Forest River, Inc. & Berkshire Hathaway Inc., et al., No. 10 CV 118, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22780 (N.D. Ind. Feb. 22, 2012) (dismissal of SOX whistleblower claim against corporate defendants and top executive)
Schlicksup v. Caterpillar, Inc., et al., No. 09 CV 1208 (C.D. Ill.) (defense of SOX whistleblower claims against company and top executives and claims under Illinois Whistleblower Act)
Batchelor v. Merck & Co., Inc., No. 05 CV 791, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99926, 105 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 61 (N.D. Ind., Dec. 10, 2008) (summary judgment in action alleging violations of Pregnancy Discrimination Act and retaliation)
read less »