Clifford R. Perry III

Cliff joined Laner Muchin as an associate and has been a partner at the firm since 1999. He represents employers nationwide in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies, handling all areas of employment law. Cliff is a trusted litigator for high-stakes matters, including class actions, multiple plaintiff and single plaintiff cases and EEOC pattern and practice class claims.

In addition to litigation, Cliff advises clients in both the private and public sectors, including serving as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois. His clients span a diverse range of industries, such as banking, finance, transportation, manufacturing, distribution, technology, sports, entertainment and restaurant/hospitality. He also has substantial experience defending employers in Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) class actions and leads Laner Muchin’s BIPA litigation and compliance subgroup.

Beyond his legal practice, Cliff is actively involved in his community. He served as an Executive Producer for the award-winning documentary Becoming Bulletproof, which follows the making of a Western costume drama featuring a diverse group of disabled individuals from across the United States. Additionally, Cliff is a former board member of Special Gifts Theatre, a nonprofit organization that empowers children and young adults with severe disabilities to perform in live plays and musicals.

HONORS, MEMBERSHIPS AND PUBLICATIONS

• Selected to the Illinois Super Lawyer list (2006-present)
• Selected as a Leading Lawyer multiple years
• Received the highest possible peer-review rating of “AV” from Martindale-Hubbell, the leading attorneys’ directory in the United States
• Current or former member of the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association
• Selected as the 2018 Animal Welfare Leadership Award Recipient, PAWS Chicago
• Board of Directors Member, Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, 2017-2018
• While attending law school, Cliff served on the Editorial Board of the Washington University Law Review
• Featured in Super Lawyers Magazine, "Not a Dry Eye in the House: What Cliff Perry Learned While Helping People with Disabilities Take the Stage" (2025) (https://www.superlawyers.com/articles/illinois/not-a-dry-eye-in-the-house/)
• Author, State Administrative Preclusion In ADEA Federal Court Suits – Answering Elliot’s Call, 67 Wash. U. L. Q. 1131

Below are representative samples of the types of matters Cliff handles on behalf of Laner Muchin clients:

Defending employers in Biometric Information Privacy Act class actions.

Defending employers in wage and hour matters, including class and collective actions.

Defending employers in breach of employment contract actions.

Representing employers in breach of non-compete agreement and non-solicitation actions (as both plaintiff and defendant).

Defending employers in defamation, interference with economic advantage, and infliction of emotional distress actions (and other, similar, employment torts).

Defending employers in employment discrimination, disability, retaliation, wrongful termination and harassment actions.

Defending landlords in fair housing actions.

Defending employers in statutory and common law whistleblower claims.

Defending employers and trustees in ERISA fiduciary claims.

Regularly counseling employers on all of these issues and advising on employee handbooks and policies, background checks, discipline and discharge matters, and lawsuit prevention and avoidance.