Margaret Hartwell
Founding Partner
Workplace investigations and executive separations
LinkedInEmployment law advice for Chicago companies with 50 to 5,000 employees
Call when a complaint, an agency charge or a restructuring is in front of you. The first 30-minute call is with a partner and free of charge; within two business days you receive a written note of your options and the likely costs.
- Founded in Chicago, 1998
- 14 employment lawyers
- Ranked by Chambers USA, 2022–2026
- 190 South LaSalle Street, the Loop
What we do
We act only for employers: privately held and public companies in Illinois and the Midwest with 50 to 5,000 employees, usually through their HR lead or general counsel.
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Workplace investigations
Independent investigations of harassment, discrimination and misconduct complaints, conducted in line with EEOC guidance and the Illinois Human Rights Act. You receive a written report with findings of fact that can be relied on if the complaint later becomes a charge.
Typical matters
- Harassment complaints against senior managers
- Whistleblower and retaliation allegations
- Board-requested executive conduct reviews
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Wage & hour compliance
Audits and advice under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Illinois Minimum Wage Law and the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. We review classifications, timekeeping and pay practices and give you a prioritized list of fixes.
Typical matters
- Exempt and non-exempt classification audits
- Independent contractor reviews
- Defending FLSA collective actions
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Restrictive covenants & trade secrets
Drafting and enforcing non-compete and non-solicitation agreements that meet the Illinois Freedom to Work Act’s earnings thresholds and 14-day review rule. We also bring and defend claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act.
Typical matters
- Agreements for sales and engineering teams
- Departing-employee data reviews
- Temporary restraining orders
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Agency charges & litigation
Position statements and defense for charges before the EEOC, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the NLRB, and for lawsuits in Cook County and the Northern District of Illinois. You get an estimated cost range for each stage before it starts.
Typical matters
- Discrimination and retaliation charges
- Unfair labor practice charges
- Federal court defense through trial
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Policies, handbooks & training
Handbooks, policies and manager training written for Illinois requirements, including annual sexual harassment prevention training and the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Deliverables are plain-language documents your HR team can maintain.
Typical matters
- Illinois-specific employee handbooks
- Annual harassment prevention training
- BIPA consent and retention policies
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Reductions in force & restructuring
Planning layoffs, site closures and acquisitions under the federal WARN Act, the Illinois WARN Act and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act. We prepare selection reviews, notices and separation agreements.
Typical matters
- Selection and adverse-impact reviews
- WARN notices and timelines
- Separation and release agreements
Not sure which of these fits? Describe the situation and a partner will tell you whether we are the right firm for it.
Describe your situationFourteen lawyers, one area of law, by choice
Margaret Hartwell and Daniel Rowe founded the firm in March 1998, after eleven years together in the labor and employment group of a large Loop firm. They wanted to advise mid-sized employers directly, with a partner who answers the phone and fees agreed before work begins.
Today we are 14 lawyers and 6 support staff on one floor of 190 South LaSalle. We practice only employment law and act only for employers, and we turn down work outside that focus so the people you speak to have handled your kind of matter before.
- 1998Founded by Margaret Hartwell and Daniel Rowe with two associates.
- 2006Moved to 190 South LaSalle Street with eight lawyers.
- 2014Priya Natarajan joined as partner to lead the wage and hour practice.
- 2023Formed a three-lawyer workplace investigations team.
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Costs in writing first
Every matter starts with a written estimate or a fixed fee, and we tell you before it changes.
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A partner on every matter
One of our four partners is responsible for each file and is the person you call.
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Advice that includes not fighting
If settling or changing a policy costs less than defending a claim, we say so plainly.
The firm in figures
28
Years in practice
Advising employers since March 1998, under the same two founding partners.
1,900
Matters closed
Approximate count of closed files, 1998 to June 2026, from our matter management system.
87%
Resolved before trial
Of 412 agency charges and lawsuits we defended that closed between 2016 and 2025.
Band 1
Chambers USA ranking
Illinois, Labor & Employment: Mid-Market, in the 2022 to 2026 editions.
Partners
Every client works with one named partner, who stays on the matter from the first call to its close and returns calls the same business day.
Daniel Rowe
Founding Partner
Reductions in force, WARN and restructuring
LinkedInPriya Natarajan
Partner
Wage and hour compliance and FLSA collective actions
LinkedInSamuel Okafor
Partner
Agency charges and federal employment litigation
LinkedInThe partners work alongside 10 associates, 4 paralegals and 2 legal assistants. Your engagement letter names everyone who will work on your matter and their hourly rates.
Who we work for
A typical client has 200 to 1,500 employees, an HR team of two to ten people and no employment lawyer in house. Counts below are active clients as of September 2026.
Manufacturing
64 clients
Professional services
52 clients
Healthcare
41 clients
Technology
38 clients
Logistics
33 clients
Hospitality & retail
29 clients
“We had to close our Joliet distribution center and let 140 people go on short notice. Daniel’s team mapped the federal and Illinois WARN obligations in two days, drafted every notice and release, and joined the calls with our site managers. Eighteen months later, no claims have been filed.”
Elena Marsh
Vice President, People · Lakeshore Cold Storage
Matter: reduction in force, 140 employees at one site, 2024
“A former nurse manager filed an EEOC charge alleging retaliation. Samuel told us at the first meeting what our documents would and would not support. The charge was dismissed after our position statement, and we changed two policies on his advice.”
Thomas Greer
General Counsel · Midwest Pediatric Partners
Matter: EEOC retaliation charge, dismissed in 2025
Quoted with permission. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every matter depends on its own facts.
Book a consultation
Tell us briefly what is happening. A partner reads every request and replies within one business day, by phone or email as you prefer.