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| Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in: | Extensive Experience in: |
| Employment Law: Management | Employment Litigation |
| Labor Law: Management | Labor Relations |
| Collective Bargaining | |
| Occupational Safety & Health | |
| Employee Benefits |
James Pirages has more than 20 years of experience representing management and employers in labor and employment matters. He is the Partner in Charge of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP's Rockford office. He joined the firm in September 1987. He handles investigations of unfair labor practice charges, and represents employers in proceedings of the National Labor Relations Board and Illinois State Labor Relations Board. Mr. Pirages also deals with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Illinois Department of Human Rights discrimination charges against employers, investigating charges and, when necessary, speaking on behalf of clients at hearings before those administrative agencies.
In addition, Mr. Pirages advises clients in matters involving OSHA inspections and citations, and has effectively contested the agency's citations and administrative actions.
Mr. Pirages' vigorous advocacy of employers extends to wage and hour matters, from contesting the results of audits completed by the Illinois Department of Labor and United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, to representing clients in federal court litigation.
Mr. Pirages has extensive experience acting on behalf of employers in matters involving union representation. He advises on certification and decertification of third-party organizations, and helps employers maintain a union-free working environment. He also handles charges involving claims of secondary boycotts and other illegal activity by unions.
For companies with unions, Mr. Pirages represents management in collective bargaining negotiations and advises on discipline and discharge matters (including "preventative" measures to avoid legal claims over these actions). His proactive dispute avoidance counsel includes the drafting of personnel rules, employee handbooks and affirmative action programs that comply with employment laws and regulations.
In the area of employee benefits, Mr. Pirages handles defense of collective bargaining agreement claims involving employer obligations to contribute to pension, health and welfare funds. He also helps clients resist assessments of multi-employer withdrawal liability pursuant to the provisions of the Multi-Employer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980.
Bar Admissions:
Illinois, 1980
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Date of Birth: 1955
Law School: Southern Illinois University College of Law,J.D., 1980
Law School Honors/Involvement:
Notes and Comments Editor, Southern Illinois University Law Journal, 1979-1980
Ethics Committee Chair, 1979-1980.
Undergraduate School: Rockford College, B.A., 1977
Undergraduate School Honors/Involvement: magna cum laude
Community Involvement:
In January 2005, Mr. Pirages received the "Top of Illinois" award from the Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce. This award is presented to an individual in the Rock River Valley who has made extraordinary contributions to the welfare and progress of the community.
In September 2005, Mr. Pirages was inducted into the Rock Valley College Alumni "Hall of Fame," by the Rock Valley College Foundation, for his volunteer work advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities.
Published Legal Writing:
Mr. Pirages is the author of "The National Labor Relations Board and Pre-Election Misrepresentations: From General Shoe to General Knit," Southern Illinois University Law Journal, Vol. 1979, No. 3 (1980).
Legal Lectures:
Mr. Pirages is a frequent speaker on behalf of the Employers' Association of Illinois, the Council on Education in Management, Lorman Business Center, Inc., the National Business Institute, and to private industry on all matters of labor and employment law, including such topics as:
- "Accommodating Employees and Applicants With Intellectual Disabilities, Hinshaw?s "Effectively Dealing with Current Labor & Employment Issues" seminar, Oak Brook, Illinois, November 2006.
- "Union Organizational Activity," Hinshaw?s 2006 Health Care Conference, "Current Issues Affecting Health System and Hospital Boards and Management," Chicago, Illinois, September 2006.
- "Rights of the Employer and Employee Under the FMLA," and "Wage and Hour," Lorman Education Services? seminar, "State and Federal Personnel Laws in Illinois," Rockford, Illinois, June 2006.
- "Blagojevich-Era Labor and Employment Legislation," Hinshaw?s "Effectively Dealing with Current Labor & Employment Issues" seminar, Chicago, Illinois, September 2005 and again in Lisle, Illinois, November 2005.
- "Labor and Employment Law Update," Hinshaw?s Breakfast Seminar Series, Rockford, Illinois, March 2005.
- "Recent Developments in Illinois Law," and "Hiring and Recruiting," Lorman Education Services seminar "Illinois State and Federal Personnel Laws," Rockford, Illinois, March 2005.
- "Advanced Techniques for Managing the Interplay between the ADA, FMLA and the Workers' Compensation Act"
- "Liability for Sexual Harassment Outside the Workplace"
- "Record Keeping and Record Retention
Mr. Pirages has presented "The Labor and Employment Law Year in Review" for the last seven years on behalf of the Employers' Association of Illinois.
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