Susan

Bringing extensive experience to her nationwide employment law practice, Susan Lorenc advises organizations on an array of workforce matters. When disputes arise, she skillfully defends clients in mediations and arbitrations, as well as in state and federal courtroom trials, including appeals before the 7th Circuit.

Susan represents entities in a wide range of industries and geographies, from construction to retail to manufacturing to technology—including many tech companies in the Chicago area. Frequently serving as an in-house general counsel, she partners with human resources, management and internal legal professionals to mitigate risk and liability and ensure their companies are well positioned to pursue their commercial objectives. Whether a client employs five or 5,000 people, Susan provides cost-effective counsel that helps resolve problems in business-savvy ways.

With a deep and broad knowledge base, Susan handles issues at every step of the employee life cycle: hiring, terminations, policies, family and medical leaves, personnel policies, wage and hour issue and claims of harassment, discrimination and retaliation. She also negotiates employment and severance agreements and gives direction in workplace-altering transactions such as mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, Susan directs companies in matters involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, including remote work and employer obligations for background checks and the Fair Credit Report Act.

Always staying apprised of changes to rules and regulations affecting employers at both the state and federal levels, Susan helps clients navigate emerging and evolving issues, like non-compete contracts and marijuana legality.

Clients value Susan’s honest, straightforward approach and ability to clearly lay out their options, assess each one’s pros and cons, and then give her informed opinion on which choice makes the most sense for their circumstances. She enjoys anticipating clients’ needs and addresses concerns before they’ve even reached out to ask a question. “Susan consistently provides insights that have helped our company save money and proactively deal with legal matters,” according to an HR director and longtime client.

Susan frequently speaks on a variety of topics relating to workplace policies. She is currently co-vice chair of the labor and employment department and leads that practice group in the Chicago office.