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| Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in: | Extensive Experience in: |
| Employment Law: Employee | Arbitrator & Mediator |
| Executive Compensation | |
| Severance & Noncompete Agreements | |
| Employment Discrimination | |
| Advisory Board Member | |
| County: Cook | |
| Litigator: Yes | |
| Practice Description: The Law Office of Lori D. Ecker is an employment law firm, offering consultation and legal services to individual employees on a wide variety of employment-related matters, including executive compensation, employment discrimination, noncompete and severance agreements, sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Because many people define themselves by their jobs, employees who experience termination or a from of unequal treatment in the workplace are often traumatized and have immediate concerns about the effects on their career, financial situation and family. Ms. Ecker's goal is to educate her clients on their rights and to resolve employment disputes without having to resort to litigation. Ms. Ecker is frequently successful in negotiating salary continuation agreements and other forms of severance packages. When a fair result cannot be achieved prior to filing a lawsuit, Ms. Ecker is aggressive and skilled in litigation. Ms. Ecker has successfully negotiated settlements with and litigated against virtually all of the larger labor law firms in the Chicago area, whose clients have included numerous Fortune 500 corporations. Notable Cases and Results: Bar Admissions: Illinois, 1982 U.S. District Court, Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, including Trial Bar Hourly Rate: $300/hour, although varies depending on legal services to be performed. Retainer: Varies, depending on legal services to be performed. Date of Birth: 1956 Law School: DePaul University College of Law,J.D., 1982 Undergraduate School: Lake Forest College Representative Clients: The majority of Ms. Ecker's clients are mid-level executives, but she helps all types of employees - from blue-collar workers to senior executives - with their legitimate employment issues. Bar/Professional Association Involvement: American Bar Association (Co-Chair, Legislative Developments Subcommittee, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section) National Employment Lawyers Association Illinois State Bar Association Chicago Bar Association (Co-Chair, Young Lawyers Section, Labor and Employment Law Committee, 1991-92 and 1992-93; Vice-Chair, Labor and Employment Law Committee, 1996-97; Chair, Labor and Employment Law Committee, 1997-98) Published Legal Writing: Author: "Labor Law," Matthew Bender, Chapters 55 and 58, 1991 and 1992 revisions; "Proving Willful Violations Under the ADEA: The Evolving Law Since Thurston," 1989 National Employment Lawyers Association-Illinois Seminar Handbook; "The Joys and Pitfalls of a Small Plaintiff's Employment Practice," Second Annual National Employment Lawyers Association Conference, June 1991, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Co-Author: "Litigation at the Illinois Human Rights Commission," CBA Record, July/August 1992; "Handling Discrimination Cases in Illinois - A Practical Guide", CBA Record, February, 1991; "Privacy Issues", Employment Discrimination and Employment Termination, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1990. Panelist: "Rights, Wrongs & Responses; Sexual Harassment, Discrimination & Stereotyping," March 1992 meeting of Food Executive Women; "Winning Employment Torts," Sixth Annual National Employment Lawyers Association Conference, June, 1995; "Multiple Claims Available to Injured Employees," 1995 Annual Meeting, American Bar Association, General Practice Section, August, 1995; "Winning Pre-Trial Preparation in the New World of Illinois Civil Litigation," Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, October, 1995; "Lessons from the Real World: Best Practices for Avoiding Wrongful Discipline and Termination Liability," Progressive Discipline, Coaching and Termination Law Council on Education in Management, October 4, 1999; "Mediation Preparation and Advocacy from A to Z," EEO Mediation Conclave and Workshop, October 25, 1999; "The New Wave of Backlash Lawsuits: Employer Liability to the Accused Harasser," Personnel Law Update 1999, Council on Education in Management, November 30, 1999; "Claims and Defenses After Oncale, Ellerth, and Farragher, Perspectives after a Year and Half: How have the Courts Applied the Decisions?" American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law, Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee 1999 Midwinter Meeting, March 18, 2000, La Jolla, California; "Cash Balance Pensions: Implications for Employment Lawyers," Chicago Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Committee, Seminar, April 27, 2000; "Lessons from the Real World: Best Practices for Avoiding Wrongful Discipline and Termination Liability," Council on Education in Management Seminar: Progressive Discipline, Coaching and Termination Law, June 12, 2000, Oakbrook Terrace; "Preparing and Trying Jury Cases," NELA-Illinois luncheon meeting, February 13, 2001; "Mediation Preparation and Advocacy: A Plaintiff Representative's Perspective," Chicago Bar Association Joint Meeting of the Alternative Dispute Resolution and Labor and Employment Law Committees, March 14, 2001; "Preparing Punitive Damages Claims in the Aftermath of Kolstad," American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, 2001 Midwinter Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida; "Preparing Punitive Damages Claims in the Aftermath of Kolstad," "Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association luncheon meeting, February 1, 2002; "Family-Friendly' State Laws," American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, 2002 Midwinter Meeting, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Moderator, "Employment Litigation: Preparing for a Jury Trial," Chicago Bar Association Seminar, January 1997; "Legal Perspectives: Women in the Workplace," Chicago-Kent College of Law, March 6, 1998; "Employee Discharges: The Do's and Don'ts in Representing the Discharged Employee," Labor and Employment Section of the Illinois State Bar Association legal education program, June 5, 1998; "Terminating Employees Protected by the FMLA," Council on Education in Management, September 14, 1998; "Plaintiffs Attorney's Guide to Management Pitfalls," Employment and Labor Law in Illinois, Lorman Education Services, January 6 and 13, 1999; "Hot Topics and Recent Developments in Employment Law," DuPage County Bar Association, January 23, 1999; "Privacy Interests and Defamation: Understanding the Issues," Privacy Law in Illinois, Lorman Education Services, March 5, 1999; "The Practical Effect of the Affirmative Defenses Enunciated in Farragher and Ellerth: What Plaintiffs Need to Plan For and Do, American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law, Employee Rights & Responsibilities Committee 1999 Midwinter Meeting, March 25, 1999, Stuart, Florida; "Understanding Executive Compensation Packages," American Bar Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, August 6, 2001. Lecturer: "Representing Employees in Sexual Harassment Cases," Decalogue Society of Lawyers Continuing Education Series, April 1993; "Representing Plaintiffs in Employment Litigation: Defeating Summary Judgment Motions," Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association Seventh Annual Seminar on Litigating Employment Discrimination and Wrongful Discharge Cases, February 1994; "Illinois Employment Tort Update: A Survey of Recent State And Federal Case Law," Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association, March, 1995; "Profile of an Ideal Plaintiff," Equal Employment Advisory Council, Membership Meeting, October 1996; "Employment Litigation in the 90s: Unemployment Compensation Claims as Pretrial Preparation Fifth Annual National Workers Compensation & Disability Conference, November 1996; "Developing and Proving Damages," NELA/Illinois regional seminar on trial practice techniques, April 18, 1998; "Privacy in the Workplace," Institute for Business and Professional Ethics, DePaul University, May 13, 1998. Legal Lectures: Ms. Ecker's recent speaking engagements include: June 6 & 7, 2002, "Refining Your Discovery Tactics," Employment Litigation Skills Training, American Bar Association Regional Institute, ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, Chicago, Illinois. June 8, 2002, "Coping with Disaster: Enforcing/Avoiding Enforcement of Non-Competition Agreements and Protecting Trade Secrets in Court and Representing the Employee and New Employer - Defending Against Injunction Actions," Trade Secrets, Covenants not to Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements Basics, American Bar Association Regional Institute, ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, Chicago, Illinois. August 10, 2002, "Family and Medical Leave Act Basics," 2002 ABA Annual Meeting, Section of Labor and Employment Law, Washington, D.C. March 21, 2003, "Who Are You? I Really Want to Know: Learning Enough to Hire, Fire, and Otherwise Act Without Crossing the Legal Line," 2003 ABA Mid-Winter Meeting, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, Section of Labor and Employment Law, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Firm Description: Practice dedicated exclusively to employment law on behalf of employees Practice Group Description: Ms. Ecker represents employees exclusively in cases arising under local, state, and federal anti-discrimination laws (e.g., age, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, and national origin discrimination, sexual and racial harassment and retaliation), and in matters involving unemployment compensation, the Family and Medical Leave Act, noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements, severance agreements, employment contracts, executive compensation, and employment torts. 1005545 | |
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