Steven J. Pearlman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-head of the Whistleblowing & Retaliation Group. Steven’s practice covers the full spectrum of employment law, with a focus on claims of discrimination, retaliation and harassment, restrictive covenant violations, wage-and-hour violations, whistleblower retaliation and breach of contract. He has successfully tried cases in multiple jurisdictions, 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. Reporting to boards of directors and their audit committees, he conducts sensitive investigations and has testified in defense of investigations in federal court.
Chambers describes Steven as an “outstanding lawyer” who is “very sharp and very responsive.” Steven was 1 of 12 individuals selected by Compliance Week as a "Top Mind." Earlier in his career, he was 1 of 5 U.S. lawyers selected by Law360 as a "Rising Star Under 40" in the area of employment law and 1 of "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch" selected by Law Bulletin Publishing Company. Steven is a Burton Award Winner (U.S. Library of Congress) for "Distinguished Legal Writing." He was elected as a Fellow to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Steven has served on Law360’s Employment Editorial Advisory Board and is a Contributor to Forbes.com. He has appeared on Bloomberg News (television and radio) and Yahoo! Finance, and is regularly quoted in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has engaged Steven to serve as lead counsel on amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts. He was appointed to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois in employment litigation matters. He has presented with the Solicitor of the DOL, the Acting Chair of the EEOC, an EEOC Commissioner and heads of government whistleblower programs (SEC, CFTC and OSHA).
Publications
Top 10 Whistleblowing and Retaliation Events, Law360 [annual review]
Preserving Noncompete Enforcement Rights Amid COVID-19
The Top 10 Changes to Illinois Employment Law from 2019
The Employment Landscape Under the Current Administration, Forbes.com
How DOJ Compliance Guide Affects Employer Best Practices, Law360
How the Board Can Tackle Sexual Harassment, Forbes.com
What the Google Walkout Means for Employers, Corporate Counsel
The New Wave of Employee Biometrics Class Actions, Law360
Clarifying FCRA Stand-Alone Disclosure Rule at 7th Circ., Law360
SEC Re-Enters the Employment Law Arena, Law360
Time to Revisit Severance Agreements, Law360
Conciliation in the Wake of Mach Mining, Law360
Noncompetition Clause Cases In the Land Of Lincoln, Law360
A Transformative Year in Whistleblowing & Retaliation, Ethisphere
Why Employment Counsel Should Study FCPA Guidance, Law360
New Whistleblower Policies and Incentives: A Paradigm Shift from “Oversight” to “Insight,” RAND Center for Corporate Ethics and Governance,
Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics
Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals
Anti-Defamation League (Co-Chair of Civil Rights Committee for the Greater Chicago / Upper Midwest Region, Executive Committee, Washington Affairs Committee, Advisory Board of Directors); Leadership 2020 initiative
Illinois Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Economic Club of Chicago
Fellows of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers 2020
Chambers USA: Illinois: Labor & Employment 2017-2020
The Legal 500 United States: Labor & Employment: Labor and Employment Litigation 2014, 2017-2018
The Legal 500 United States: Labor & Employment: Disputes (including Collective Actions): Defense 2019-2020
The Legal 500 United States: Labor & Employment: Labor Management Relations 2019
Best Lawyers in America 2020-2021
Illinois Super Lawyers: Employment Litigation: Defense 2014-2019
Burton Award for "Distinguished Legal Writing" 2014
Ethisphere’s 2015 Attorneys Who Matter: Labor and Employment
Ethisphere’s 2014 Attorneys Who Matter: Labor and Employment: Top Gun
Ethisphere’s 2013 Attorneys Who Matter: Labor and Employment
Law 360 "Rising Star Under 40"
Law Bulletin Publishing Company "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch"
Benchmark Labor & Employment Stars 2019
Edited by Lloyd B. Chinn, Harris M. Mufson and Steven J. Pearlman