Jeffrey S. Nowak

Jeffrey S. Nowak represents public and private sector management clients in all areas of labor and employment law. He regularly counsels clients and litigates single- and multi-plaintiff matters relating to employment discrimination and traditional labor claims, harassment, wrongful discharge and breach of contract. He also has extensive experience dealing with the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. His expertise includes counseling clients on compliance with FMLA regulations, conducting FMLA audits and training, and successfully litigating FMLA and ADA lawsuits. As a result of his expertise in this area, Mr. Nowak serves on the Editorial Board of the Family and Medical Leave Handbook, a comprehensive and well-respected publication which addresses the complex requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act, and is a Contributing Editor of the ABA/BNA FMLA treatise.

Mr. Nowak recently served as lead defense counsel in a jury trial representing the University of Chicago in the matter of Vernon v. University of Chicago. The Plaintiff, a former Ph.D. student, alleged that the University violated provisions in its student handbook when it suspended him after he made continuous inappropriate communications to University administrators. Following a nine-day trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the University.

Mr. Nowak joined the firm in February 2003. Prior to that, he worked as a labor and employment attorney for the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery (1999–2003). He received his law degree from Indiana University in 1999. In 1995, he obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Indiana University, where he served as student body president. Also in 1995, Mr. Nowak was selected by then Illinois Governor Jim Edgar's administration for the Dunn Fellowship Program, where he spent a full year working in the press office of Governor Jim Edgar. In 2008, he was appointed to the Illinois Bar Association's Labor and Employment Section Council. He also is Vice Chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Labor and Employment Committee, and serves on the Legislative Committee of the Society of Human Resource Professionals (SHRM chapter).

Mr. Nowak is author of Employer Liability for Employee Online Criminal Acts, 51 FED. COMM. L.J. 467 (March 1999), and co-author of Outside the Title VII Bubble: Other Theories of Employer Liability, NON PROFIT GOVERANCE AND MANAGEMENT (ABA 2002).

In addition to practicing law, Mr. Nowak serves on the Board of Directors for Marist High School, a Catholic college-preparatory high school on Chicago's southwest side and Mr. Nowak's alma mater. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Pillars, a not-for-profit social service organization serving Chicago’s west and southwest side, and is a Commissioner on the Village of LaGrange Plan Commission. A self-proclaimed baseball fanatic (and avid White Sox fan), he also is a registered Illinois High School baseball umpire who fills his spring and summer weekends working varsity and semi-professional baseball games.

News

• 25 Franczek Radelet Attorneys Named in Law & Politic's Illinois Super Lawyers
• Jeff Nowak Publishes FMLA Article on MyManagersNetwork.com
• Jeff Nowak to provide FMLA and VESSA Updates at Law Bulletin Conference
• Jeff Nowak featured in Daily Labor Report article on President Obama's Labor and Employment Initiatives
• Obama's Approach to Labor, Employment Seen as Aggressive, but 'Pragmatic'

Seminars & Presentations

• Jeff Nowak to Present to Northwest Personnel Administrators regarding FMLA
• Jeff Nowak to Present on EEOC and DOL Initiatives to Illinois State Council of SHRM
• Jeff Nowak to Present on Hiring Issues to Local SHRM Chapter
• Jeff Nowak to present on the Obama Administration's Labor and Employment Agenda
• Jeff Nowak to provide FMLA and VESSA Updates at Law Bulletin Conference
• View All »

Professional Affiliations

• Chicago Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• American Bar Association