Bennett L. Epstein is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. He is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice and the Health Care Industry Team. Since 1978, he has practiced exclusively in the area of labor and employment law and has extensive experience in resolving disputes between executives and their employers, including conflicts concerning age discrimination, written and implied employment contracts, and financial or sexual impropriety. He is an authority on civil rights, downsizing, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claims, union negotiations and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Mr. Epstein’s experience includes representation of both public and private employers. His clients include advertising agencies, media, distribution, financial services, engineering, manufacturing and distribution companies.
Mr. Epstein has lectured and written extensively on employment practices and labor law. He has developed a training course to acquaint managers with the fundamentals of employment law and practical methods to successfully implement employment practices. Mr. Epstein is regularly invited to speak before trade associations and other industry seminars and is a contributor to the annual employment law treatise, The Law Guide - Employee Relations Law for Illinois Employers, published by MRA - The Management Association, Inc.
He serves as general counsel for Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ, an NPR member station).
Mr. Epstein has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system and was selected for inclusion in the 2009-2013 Illinois Super Lawyers® lists. He was elected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 in the field of litigation – labor & employment.*
Mr. Epstein received his law degree from Washington University (J.D., 1975) and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan (B.A., with distinction, 1972). He is admitted to the bar in Illinois and Missouri, and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Illinois, the District Courts of Utah and Colorado and the Sixth and Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
* The Illinois Supreme Court does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law and no award or recognition is a requirement to practice law in Illinois.