William G. Wake

William (Will) joined Laner Muchin in 2013 and is a partner at the Firm. He regularly advises public and private employers in compliance matters involving state and federal employment laws including the Family Medical Leave Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Illinois Human Right Act, the American With Disabilities Act, and the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. Will has represented numerous clients at mediations and fact finding conferences before the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Will also specializes in advising clients on internal investigations, drafting useful and compliant employment policies and other best practices.

Additionally, Will has been appointed a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois and advises and represents the Illinois State Superintendent of Education in actions against educators’ professional educator licenses. Will also defends clients in discrimination, wage and hour and employment tort law cases in federal and state court.

HONORS, MEMBERSHIPS AND PUBLICATIONS

• 2017 Illinois Emerging Lawyer, Leading Lawyers
• Member, Chicago Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Co-Author, The NLRB Turns Employer Handbooks From Useful Evidence To Potential Liabilities Under The NRA, 2016 Employment Law Update

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

Defends employers in class action wage and hour matters.

Defends employers in employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases before state and federal courts and administrative agencies.

Conducts corporate investigations on behalf of employers on a broad-range of topics, including investigations of alleged harassment, retaliation, discrimination and other matters.

Provides ongoing employment counseling advice to a variety of clients, including those in the temporary staffing, logistics, distribution, educational, manufacturing and other industries. Such advice includes, but is not limited to, advising clients on terminations/workouts, accusations of harassment and discrimination, regulatory compliance and how to comply with various state laws.

Provides training to executives and managers on a range of employment-related topics including leave and disability, discrimination and harassment, social media, hiring, background checks, effective documentation/discipline practices and a variety of other employment-related topics.