Margaret Hartwell
Founding Partner
Wage-and-hour class and collective actions; pay-practice audits.
LinkedInEmployment counsel for Illinois companies with 50 to 5,000 people.
We advise HR leaders and general counsel before a workplace problem becomes a lawsuit — and defend them in court, before the EEOC and IDHR, and in arbitration when it does. Fourteen lawyers. One practice area. Chicago since 1998.
- Chambers USA 2025 — Labor & Employment, Illinois
- 9 lawyers listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026
- Member, ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law
What we do
We represent employers only — never employees — so there is no conflict when your matter arrives. Our work falls into six areas, most of them handled by the same partner from first advice to final resolution.
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Employment litigation
Defence of claims under Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, FMLA and the Illinois Human Rights Act in federal and state courts in Illinois and Indiana. We respond to agency charges with position statements written to end matters early, and take cases to trial when settlement isn't in your interest.
Typical matters
- EEOC and IDHR charges
- Retaliation and whistleblower claims
- Jury trials, N.D. Illinois
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Wage & hour
Collective actions under the FLSA and class actions under the Illinois Minimum Wage Law and Wage Payment and Collection Act. We also run privileged pay-practice audits — exempt classification, rounding, meal breaks, final pay — before a plaintiff's firm does it for you.
Typical matters
- Misclassification class actions
- Off-the-clock and rounding claims
- DOL investigations
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Workplace investigations
Independent investigations of harassment, discrimination and misconduct allegations, including complaints against executives and board members. Interviews are conducted by partners, findings are documented to withstand later litigation, and privilege is structured from day one.
Typical matters
- C-suite misconduct complaints
- Hotline and #MeToo allegations
- Board-level reporting
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Restrictive covenants & trade secrets
Drafting non-compete and non-solicitation agreements that comply with the Illinois Freedom to Work Act's salary thresholds and notice requirements, and enforcing them — including temporary restraining orders — when an employee leaves with confidential information.
Typical matters
- TROs and preliminary injunctions
- DTSA and ITSA claims
- Agreement audits
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Labor relations
Advice under the National Labor Relations Act for unionised and non-union employers: responding to organising campaigns lawfully, defending unfair labor practice charges before the NLRB, and negotiating first and successor collective bargaining agreements.
Typical matters
- Representation elections
- ULP charges, Region 13
- Contract negotiations
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Compliance & day-to-day advice
Handbooks, policies and manager training kept current with Illinois and Chicago law — including the Biometric Information Privacy Act, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance, and annual sexual harassment prevention training requirements.
Typical matters
- Handbook rewrites
- BIPA consent programs
- Reductions in force and WARN
Many clients retain us on a fixed monthly fee for advice, with litigation billed separately.
Discuss your matterA specialist firm, deliberately kept small
Margaret Hartwell and Daniel Rowe founded the firm in 1998 after a decade each in the employment groups of larger Chicago firms. Their view was simple: mid-sized employers need senior attention on their matters, not a rotation of first-year associates and a monthly bill that is hard to read.
Twenty-eight years later we are 14 lawyers and 9 staff, still focused only on employment and labor law, and still representing only employers. Most of our clients have been with us for more than five years.
1998 Founded in the Loop by Margaret Hartwell and Daniel Rowe
2009 Labor relations practice added with Samuel Okafor
2016 Investigations practice formed, led by Priya Natarajan
2023 Moved to 155 North Wacker Drive
- A partner on every matterThe partner you meet is the one who works your case and answers your calls.
- Advice you can act onWe tell you what we would do, what it will cost, and what the realistic risks are — in writing, in plain English.
- Budgets agreed up frontEvery litigation matter starts with a phased budget. We tell you before we exceed it, not after.
1998
Year founded
Employment and labor law only, for employers only, since day one.
240+
Active clients
Employers with 50–5,000 staff; figure as of January 2026.
1,150
Agency charges resolved
EEOC and IDHR charges since 2010; 71% closed without a lawsuit being filed.
9
Best Lawyers® listings
In The Best Lawyers in America® 2026, Employment Law – Management.
Partners
Each partner leads a practice area and personally handles the matters within it. Together they have tried more than 60 employment cases to verdict.
Daniel Rowe
Founding Partner
Discrimination and retaliation litigation; jury trials in federal court.
LinkedInPriya Natarajan
Partner, Investigations
Executive misconduct investigations; harassment prevention programs.
LinkedInSamuel Okafor
Partner, Labor Relations
NLRA counseling, union campaigns and collective bargaining.
LinkedInSupported by 10 associates and counsel. Full biographies, bar admissions and publications are available on request.
Who we work for
Our clients are mostly privately held and family-owned employers across the Midwest, alongside regional subsidiaries of national companies. Client names are kept confidential unless they have agreed otherwise.
- HealthcareHospitals, clinics, senior living
- ManufacturingFood, metals, plastics
- LogisticsWarehousing, trucking, 3PL
- Professional servicesAccounting, engineering
- Higher educationPrivate colleges
- HospitalityRestaurant groups, hotels
“We received a collective action covering 600 warehouse staff. Margaret's team told us in the first week what our exposure was likely to be, and they were within ten percent at mediation. That candour is why we have used them for every matter since.”
Matter: FLSA collective action, N.D. Illinois — resolved at mediation, 2024
“When a complaint was made about one of our executives, the board needed an investigation nobody could call one-sided. Priya interviewed 23 people in three weeks and gave us a report that our auditors, our insurer and the complainant's counsel all accepted.”
Matter: Board-commissioned executive investigation, 2025
Quoted with permission. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future matter.
Book a consultation
Tell us briefly what you need. A partner will reply within one business day to arrange a 30-minute call at no charge.
Chicago office
Hartwell & Rowe LLP155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60606
- Phone(312) 555-0148
- Emailconsult@hartwellrowe.com
- HoursMonday–Friday, 8:30 am – 6:00 pm CT
- TransitClark/Lake (Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple lines); Ogilvie Transportation Center