Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)

Key Contacts

Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 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IL","slug":"chicago-il","uri":"locations\/chicago-il","dateCreated":"2025-08-05T18:52:47+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-07T17:34:27+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":18096,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/locations\/18096-chicago-il","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"locations\/chicago-il","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/locations\/chicago-il","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":2649,"authorIds":[2649],"typeId":3,"locationHeader":[75490],"body":"Lewis Brisbois\u2019 largest office in the Midwest provides a comprehensive range of legal services, including bad faith litigation, general liability defense, and trademark protection strategies for businesses of all sizes. 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Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 2006<\/li><li>Fellow, Morgan Lewis Trial Academy, 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A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":{"select":{"**":"**"},"selectOption":null,"distinct":false,"from":null,"groupBy":null,"join":null,"having":null,"union":null,"withQueries":null,"params":[],"queryCacheDuration":null,"queryCacheDependency":null,"where":{"elements.id":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482]},"limit":null,"offset":null,"orderBy":[{"expression":"FIELD(`elements`.`id`,2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482)","params":[],"column":"elements.id","values":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"db":{"dsn":"mysql:host=master-database.project-lewis-brisbois.svc.cluster.local;dbname=lewis_brisbois_production_1768495151453;port=3306","username":"lewis_brisbois_production","password":"Rn4TxuEy9h0INf8QhWkHFEPvnuDP9Pn8","attributes":[],"pdo":[],"enableSchemaCache":true,"schemaCacheDuration":3600,"schemaCacheExclude":[],"schemaCache":"cache","enableQueryCache":true,"queryCacheDuration":3600,"queryCache":"cache","charset":"utf8mb4","emulatePrepare":null,"tablePrefix":"","schemaMap":{"mysql":{"class":"craft\\db\\mysql\\Schema"}},"pdoClass":null,"commandClass":"yii\\db\\Command","commandMap":{"mysql":"craft\\db\\Command"},"enableSavepoint":true,"serverStatusCache":"cache","serverRetryInterval":600,"enableSlaves":true,"slaves":[],"slaveConfig":[],"masters":[],"masterConfig":[],"shuffleMasters":true,"enableLogging":false,"enableProfiling":false,"isSybase":false}}],"indexBy":null,"emulateExecution":false,"elementType":"craft\\elements\\Entry","customFields":null,"generatedFields":null,"inReverse":false,"asArray":false,"withProvisionalDrafts":false,"ignorePlaceholders":false,"drafts":false,"provisionalDrafts":false,"draftId":null,"draftOf":null,"draftCreator":null,"canonicalsOnly":false,"savedDraftsOnly":false,"revisions":false,"revisionId":null,"revisionOf":null,"revisionCreator":null,"id":null,"uid":null,"siteSettingsId":null,"fixedOrder":false,"status":["live"],"archived":false,"trashed":false,"dateCreated":null,"dateUpdated":null,"siteId":1,"unique":false,"preferSites":null,"leaves":false,"relatedTo":null,"notRelatedTo":null,"title":null,"slug":null,"uri":null,"search":null,"inBulkOp":null,"ref":null,"with":null,"eagerLoadSourceElement":{"sectionId":7,"collapsed":false,"postDate":"2025-08-26T18:57:00+00:00","expiryDate":null,"oldStatus":"live","placeInStructure":false,"eagerLoadInfo":null,"id":21022,"tempId":null,"draftId":null,"revisionId":null,"isProvisionalDraft":false,"uid":"37cdf47d-caff-48d0-ae1a-362dc240a7de","siteSettingsId":21022,"fieldLayoutId":null,"enabled":true,"archived":false,"siteId":1,"title":"Smigielski, Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 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Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 2006<\/li><li>Fellow, Morgan Lewis Trial Academy, 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Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 2006<\/li><li>Fellow, Morgan Lewis Trial Academy, 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Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 2006<\/li><li>Fellow, Morgan Lewis Trial Academy, 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Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 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Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 2006<\/li><li>Fellow, Morgan Lewis Trial Academy, 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a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 2006<\/li><li>Fellow, Morgan Lewis Trial Academy, 2006<\/li><\/ul>","insurancePracticeAreas":{},"yearsOfPractice":{"label":null,"value":null,"selected":true,"valid":false,"icon":null,"color":null},"dataPrivacyAndCybersecurity":{},"realEstateLandUse":{},"intellectualPropertyTechnology":{},"startDate":null,"departureDate":null,"equityPartner":false,"onCallTransportationList":false,"legacyId":"13123","transportationCellNumber":null,"onCallPrimary":{"select":{"**":"**"},"selectOption":null,"distinct":false,"from":null,"groupBy":null,"join":null,"having":null,"union":null,"withQueries":null,"params":[],"queryCacheDuration":null,"queryCacheDependency":null,"where":{"elements.id":[]},"limit":null,"offset":null,"orderBy":[{"expression":"","params":[]}],"indexBy":null,"emulateExecution":false,"elementType":"craft\\elements\\Entry","customFields":null,"generatedFields":null,"inReverse":false,"asArray":false,"withProvisionalDrafts":false,"ignorePlaceholders":false,"drafts":false,"provisionalDrafts":false,"draftId":null,"draftOf":null,"draftCreator":null,"canonicalsOnly":false,"savedDraftsOnly":false,"revisions":false,"revisionId":null,"revisionOf":null,"revisionCreator":null,"id":null,"uid":null,"siteSettingsId":null,"fixedOrder":false,"status":["live"],"archived":false,"trashed":false,"dateCreated":null,"dateUpdated":null,"siteId":1,"unique":false,"preferSites":null,"leaves":false,"relatedTo":null,"notRelatedTo":null,"title":null,"slug":null,"uri":null,"search":null,"inBulkOp":null,"ref":null,"with":null,"eagerLoadSourceElement":{"sectionId":7,"collapsed":false,"postDate":"2025-08-26T18:57:00+00:00","expiryDate":null,"oldStatus":"live","placeInStructure":false,"eagerLoadInfo":null,"id":21022,"tempId":null,"draftId":null,"revisionId":null,"isProvisionalDraft":false,"uid":"37cdf47d-caff-48d0-ae1a-362dc240a7de","siteSettingsId":21022,"fieldLayoutId":null,"enabled":true,"archived":false,"siteId":1,"title":"Smigielski, Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 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Mary A","slug":"smigielski-mary-a","uri":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","dateCreated":"2025-08-26T18:57:20+00:00","dateUpdated":"2026-01-20T18:17:11+00:00","dateLastMerged":null,"dateDeleted":null,"deletedWithOwner":null,"trashed":false,"forceSave":false,"fieldId":null,"sortOrder":null,"canonicalId":21022,"cpEditUrl":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/admin\/entries\/attorneys\/21022-smigielski-mary-a","isDraft":false,"isRevision":false,"isUnpublishedDraft":false,"ref":"attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","status":"live","structureId":null,"url":"https:\/\/lewisbrisbois.com\/attorneys\/smigielski-mary-a","primaryOwnerId":null,"ownerId":null,"authorId":21850,"authorIds":[21850],"typeId":12,"formattedFullName":"Mary A. Smigielski","firstName":"Mary","middleInitial":"A","lastName":"Smigielski","pronouns":"she\/her","positionList":"Partner","employeeId":"22427","profileImage":[61292],"email":"Mary.Smigielski@lewisbrisbois.com","phone":"312.463.3377","cellPhone":null,"linkedinUrl":null,"vcard":[],"homeOfficeLocation":[18096],"additionalLocations":[],"biography":"Mary A. Smigielski is a partner in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Lewis Brisbois, Vice Chair\u00a0of the firm\u2019s national Labor & Employment Practice, Co-chair of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Practice, and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee. Ms. Smigielski has a national practice and handles class\/collective actions and single-plaintiff employment litigation\/arbitrations, mediations, administrative charges, nationwide counseling, training, and sensitive workplace investigations, including at the C-Suite level. Having spent nearly a decade as in-house employment and business counsel for a multi-national, Fortune 50 company with responsibility for over 100,000 employees, Ms. Smigielski is in a unique position to recognize the challenges faced by our clients and is committed to achieving creative and cost-effective solutions, whether that involves legal compliance, negotiation or the defense of sensitive litigation.\u00a0<\/p>Ms. Smigielski partners with all levels of leadership to achieve complex business objectives, define, assess and control legal risk, and implement workplace policies and best practices. She routinely represents businesses in State and Federal Courts, and she has appeared in courts and other venues across the United States. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Relations and various other agencies nationwide.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski has been on the cutting-edge of the defense of class action litigation brought against employers and others under the Illinois Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) as well as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). She works closely with national insurance carriers and private clients for defense, compliance and mitigation of risk related to these unique statutes.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski\u2019s counseling practice involves partnering with clients on all aspects of the employee and contractor life cycle, including pre-employment screening, the application\/selection process, executive agreements, restrictive covenants, orientation, handbooks, policies, contracts, compensation programs, exemption analysis, leaves of absence, accommodations, crisis response\/threat management, training, wage\/hour audits, reductions-in-force, facility closures, termination counseling, separation agreements and responding to inquires from the media and regulatory officials.<\/p>Her practice also involves business-to-business disputes, gig-economy initiatives, non-disclosure\/non-competition\/non-solicitation agreements, professional services and independent contractor arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchase\/sale agreements, and intellectual property matters such as the defense of trademarks. She also has litigated a wide variety of other matters including personal injury, products liability and securities fraud.<\/p>Recently, Ms. Smigielski chaired a bench trial and successfully defended her client for a complete defense verdict against claims of age discrimination, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act valued in excess of $1.5M.<\/p>Ms. Smigielski also serves as the firm-wide Ombudsperson for Lewis Brisbois.<\/p>","position":null,"leadershipBio":null,"keywords":null,"practiceAreas":[2416,2364,2398,2368,2324,2350,2494,2482],"additionalPracticeAreas":[2334,2292],"relatedSectors":[],"admissions":[1718,1736,1745,1721,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1723,1983,1985,1724],"badges":[],"abotaMember":"no","education":{"67121":{"title":"University of San Diego School of Law","slug":"university-of-san-diego-school-of-law","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Juris Doctor<\/em>, 1993<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Deans Distinguished Service Award<\/li>\n\t<li>Editor-in-Chief, Motions, School of Law newspaper<\/li>\n\t<li>Diploma, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Paris 1991<\/li>\n\t<li>Intern, Center for Public Interest law<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}},"67122":{"title":"University of San Diego","slug":"university-of-san-diego","type":"education","enabled":true,"collapsed":false,"fields":{"description":"Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1990<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li>Honors<\/li>\n<\/ul>"}}},"languages":[],"languageDetails":null,"certifications":null,"awardsHonors":null,"representativeMatters":"<ul><li>Nearly a decade in-house at an international Fortune 50\u00a0retail company after 14 years of private practice. Counseling and litigation supervision for approximately 100,000 retail and pharmacy employees nationally and off-shore, as well as Supply Chain\/Distribution, Real Estate, Loss Prevention, Consumer Electronics, Procurement, Apparel, Grocery\/Drug, Inventory Management, Facilities, Finance and other business units.<\/li><li>Cost sensitive litigation management of heavy class\/collective action\/PAGA and single-plaintiff docket nationally and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Developed strategy with outside counsel, managed outside counsel\/budgets and attended significant depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials. Evaluated risks, set reserves and litigation budgets and counseled management on litigation process\/avoidance. Resolved $26M individual plaintiff employment verdict and related cases for $1.9M in California.<\/li><li>Directed litigation and negotiated highly favorable class\/collective settlements including alleged failure to pay vacation\/personal days to approximately 100,000 employees in Illinois; national violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) during hiring; nationwide misclassification of various managers; improper wage statements in California.<\/li><li>Successfully defended Employment Arbitration Agreement from claims of unconscionability and compelled putative class actions to arbitration in state and federal court.<\/li><li>Employment law due diligence for M&A deals, including $2.3B spin-off with 6,000 employees and a $2B REIT transaction.<\/li><li>Counseled HR\/management through all aspects of WARN, OWBPA and EEO adverse impact analysis of staff reductions and facility closures, including negotiating and preparing exit agreements and restructuring for optimal efficiency and avoidance of litigation.<\/li><li>Developed and revised employment policies, executive\/employment agreements, third party contracts, organizational and compensation structures, diversity initiatives, marketing materials and press responses.<\/li><li>Continually revamped payroll practices to ensure compliance, evaluated risk and revised independent contractor selection process, and advised on e-commerce\/gig-economy initiatives and new policies such as a non-accrual vacation policy, BYOD, social media and elimination of performance reviews.<\/li><li>Led significant workplace\/ethics investigations and immediately responded to workplace violence or other situations requiring crisis management. Responded to DOL\/state audits and partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security.<\/li><li>Proactively advised on new laws and regulations.<\/li><li>Developed training and trained all levels of employees on employment law issues.<\/li><li>Various Law Department responsibilities while in-house included RFP process, planning CLE, revamping processes for legal compliance, paralegal performance analysis, member of Pulse Committee and co-chair of social planning subcommittee.<\/li><li>Led corporate raiding\/restrictive covenant litigation at direction of the Chairman of the Board of a national healthcare provider.<\/li><li>Achieved favorable consent decree in multi-year ADA litigation with the EEOC for a retail client.<\/li><li>Multiple favorable summary judgment decisions, including in favor of a mortgage company on a claim of retaliation when plaintiff was terminated five days after her sexual harassment deposition.<\/li><li>Member of firm management committee at a prior firm.<\/li><\/ul>","associations":"<ul>\n\t<li>Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Labor & Employment Committee, 2024 to present<\/li>\n\t<li>Vice-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association\u00a0Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee, 2024-2025<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance<\/li>\n\t<li>First Chair, Top Employment Counsel 2012, 2016\n\t<ul>\n\t\t<li>Top Assistant General Counsel 2014, 2015<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/li>\n\t<li>Chicago Bar Association<\/li>\n\t<li>Member, Illinois Women Conquer ALZ<\/li>\n<\/ul>","proBono":null,"militaryService":null,"publications":"<ul><li>Interviewed, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=FhJcs7HkWEA\%22>Trump Admin Offers 2 Million Buyouts to Federal Employees<\/a>,\" NBC Chicago<\/i>,\u00a0January 30, 2025<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF/u2019s $228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After \u2018White Castle<\/a>,\"\u00a0Boomberg Law, <\/i>March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//privacy-and-data-security//illinois-biometric-privacy-cases-jump-65-after-seminal-ruling/">Illinois Biometric Privacy Cases Jump 65% After Seminal Ruling<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, May 2, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////news.bloomberglaw.com//business-and-practice//old-dominions-biometric-waiver-offers-creative-legal-tactic/">Old Dominion\u2019s Biometric Waiver Offers Creative Legal Tactic<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 20, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////iapp.org//news//a//the-rise-of-us-state-level-bipa-illinois-leads-others-catching-up///">The Rise of US State-Level BIPA: Illinois Leads, Others Catching Up<\/a>,\" IAPP<\/i>, March 28, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-about-application-of-recent-illinois-supreme-court-bipa///">BNSF's 228 Million BIPA Judgment in Play After 'White Castle'<\/a>\",\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, March 10, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-bloomberg-law-on-pivotal-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court Allows Privacy Fines<\/a>,\"\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/i>, February 23, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//josh-kantrow-mary-smigielski-speak-with-insurance-journal-about-illinois-bipa-ruling///">Illinois Supreme Court: BIPA Claims Accrue With Each Scan<\/a>,\" Insurance Journal<\/i>, February 22, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-supreme-court-decision-on///">Ill. Justices' Focus On Legislators' Intent Divides BIPA Bar<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>February 3, 2023<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">1st/u00a0BIPA Jury Trial May Raise Coverage Headaches<\/a>,\" Law360,\u00a0<\/i>October 6, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-first-bipa-jury-trial///">Landmark Ill. Privacy Law Faces First Jury Test,<\/a>\"\u00a0Law360<\/i>, October 3, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-avoiding-bipa-liability///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Avoiding Liability<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-cybersecurity-law-report-about-bipa-litigation///">Shaping the BIPA Landscape: Notable Trends and Developments<\/a>,\u201d Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-key-anticipated-decisions-from-illinois-sc///">Illinois Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2022<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, July 14, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-about-illinois-bipa-issues-in-white-castle///">White Castle Aims To Whittle Down BIPA's Scope<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, May 16, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-on-illinois-supreme-court-bipa-workers-comp///">Ill. High Court BIPA Ruling: Next, How Big Can Damages Get?<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, February 4, 2022<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-in-law360-article-on-illinois-appellate-decision-addressing-bipa///">BIPA Timing Decision Underscores Debate Over Claim Accrual<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 21, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-law360-regarding-highly-anticipated-bipa-arguments///">3 Major Biometric Privacy Arguments To Watch This Month<\/a>,\u201d Law360<\/i>, September 10, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Will Voice Recognition Tech Be the Target of a New Wave of BIPA Complaints?<\/a>,\u201d The Recorder<\/i>, June 3, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-speaks-with-the-recorder-about-mcdonalds-illinois-bipa-lawsuit///">Would You Like Fries With That BIPA Complaint?<\/a>,\u201d Law.com<\/i>, June 2, 2021<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-provide-bipa-commentary-for-cybersecurity-law///">Big Questions for BIPA Case Law in 2021<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Cybersecurity Law Report<\/i>, February 17, 2021<\/li><li>Author, \"<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//labor-employment//respect-and-communication-pathways-to-productive-and-satisfied-employees/">Respect and Communication: Pathways to Productive and Satisfied Employee<\/a>,\" The\u00a0Grindstone\u00a0Blog<\/i>, December 4, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//blog//category//covid-19-response-resource-center//coronavirus-employers-be-smart-be-prepared/">United States: Coronavirus \u2013 Employers, Be Smart! Be Prepared!<\/a>,\u201d The Grindstone Blog<\/i>, February 13, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////www.nbcchicago.com//news//local//illinois-facebook-users-can-now-file-claims-for-payouts-in-650-million-lawsuit-settlement//2342967///">Illinois Facebook Users Can Now File Claims for Payouts in $650 Million Lawsuit Settlement<\/a>,\u201d NBC\u00a0Chic<\/i>ago, September 22, 2020<\/li><li>Co-author, \u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-and-kenneth-walsh-publish-bloomberg-law-insights-article-on///">Illinois Biometric Privacy Law Has Nationwide Potential in Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d Bloomberg Law<\/i>, April 24, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-quoted-by-ap-news-on-facebook-privacy-suit-settlement///">Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0AP News<\/i>, February 9, 2020<\/li><li>Quoted,\u00a0\u201c<a href=https://lewisbrisbois.com/"https:////lewisbrisbois.com//newsroom//news//mary-smigielski-josh-kantrow-quoted-in-chicago-daily-law-bulletin-article-a///">Firm courts new biometric clients with BIPA practice<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Chicago Daily Law Bulletin<\/i>,\u00a0February 21, 2019<\/li><\/ul>","professionalPresentations":"<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\"><li>A 2026 Overview of New Employment Laws Impacting Illinois, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, January 2026<\/li><li>Ethics II: Advanced Legal Issues Involving AI, December 2025<\/li><li>Employment Law Trends in the Pacific Northwest, Moderator, July 2025<\/li><li>2025 Illinois Labor & Employment Law Updates, Chicago Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee, April 2025<\/li><li>2024 Election: Opportunities and Risks For Lewis Brisbois Clients & Friends, December 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international insurance carrier:\u00a0 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act 2024 Update, March 2024<\/li><li>Presentation to international professional services firm:\u00a0 BIPA, GIPA and AI \u2013 Oh My!, March 2024<\/li><li>\u201cAI Task Force: The Promise and Perils of AI,\u201d webinar presented to approximately 350 attendees, including firm clients, February 29, 2024. <\/li><li>\u201cBoth Sides of BIPA,\u201d panel discussion sponsored by University of Chicago Law School and Technology Society, February 9, 2024.<\/li><li>\"Chicago Team To Present On Inaugural Seminar For Cba\u2019s New Biometric Information And Privacy Law Committee,\"\u00a0\u00a0February 7, 2024<\/li><li>\"Which Employment Law is Worse? Is There Still Hope?,\" Presentations to national insurance carriers in Connecticut, New York, and national webinar.<\/li><li>'Three Turning Points in Handling Employment Claims at the Claims Letter,\u00a0Administrative Charge and Litigation Stages.\" Presentation to national insurance carrier in Connecticut.<\/li><li>Law Firm Representative, Mansfield Client Forum hosted by Paramount Global, May 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"Employment Law 101: Navigating the Workplace,\" for a large\u00a0Chicagoland Financial Advisory Business, May 2023<\/li><li>2023 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium, Latest on ESI Planning and Related Strategies, February, 2023<\/li><li>Presenter, \"The Year in Cybersecurity & Predictions for 2023,\"\u00a0a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 2022<\/li><li>Presenter, Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Comittee, \"BIPA: The Statute that Keeps on Giving,\"\u00a0September 2022<\/li><li>Fall 2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act,\u00a0DuPage County Bar Association, September 7, 2022<\/li><li>An Update on Notable Employment Caselaw and Its Impact on the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Industries, CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Update \u2013 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, DuPage County Bar Association, May 2022<\/li><li>2022 Updates in Labor & Employment Law presentation to international pharmaceutical company, April 2022<\/li><li>\"Fall 2021 BIPA Update,\" a Lewis Brisbois Webinar, presented with Josh Kantrow, September 23, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Return to Work and COVID-19 Testing Plans, for a national laboratory company, July 22, 2021<\/li><li>Presenter, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Webinar, 2021 Update: Biometric Information Privacy Act, February 10, 2021<\/li><li>Lawline Webinar,\u00a0\"2021 Labor and Employment Law Update,\" February\u00a04, 2021<\/li><li>McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Podcast, \"Decoding Cyber Risks\" two-part series, January, 2021<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar,\u00a0Employment Law \u2013 2020 Recent Developments, April, 2020<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Webinar, BIPA, The CCPA & Data Breaches, January, 2020<\/li><li>2020 National Labor & Employment Law Symposium,\u00a0U.S. Soccer & Equal Pay: Lessons to be Learned in the Workplace on Pay Equity, January, 2020<\/li><li>Chicago Bar Association, Overview of BIPA, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, November, 2019<\/li><li>First Chair Equal Pay Summit,\u00a0An Analysis of Pay Equity Laws and Legislation in the United States, 2019<\/li><li>National Insurance Carrier Presentation, The Sweet Spot to Resolution: Difficult Cases, Cantankerous Counsel, but Ideal Outcomes, June 2019<\/li><li>Lawline National Webinar, Defense and Coverage Issues Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, May 2019<\/li><li>Overview of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Defense & Coverage Issues \u2013various clients and national insurance carriers throughout\u00a02019<\/li><li>Brokers Risk\/The Sandner Group, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2019<\/li><li>36th\u00a0Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, The Latest on Issues Dealing with Equal Pay in the Workplace, 2019<\/li><li>Habitat for Humanity Illinois Annual Conference: Employment Law 101, Navigating the Workplace when Hostility Happens, 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, 2018<\/li><li>North Shore Labor Counsel: The Equal Pay Landscape of 2018<\/li><li>National Client Training:\u00a0Know the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018<\/li><li>Lewis Brisbois Management Academy:\u00a0Employment Documentation: Who, What Where, When and Why \u2013 What to Include and What to Leave Out, 2018<\/li><li>DRI National Webcast:\u00a0The Millennial Effect:\u00a0How Millennials are Impacting the Workforce and Employment Claims, 2018<\/li><li>35th Annual National CLE Conference: Labor & Employment, Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation, 2018<\/li><li>First Chair, Annual CLE Seminar \u2013 Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2016<\/li><li>North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) and Baker McKenzie \u2013 Employment ADR 2.0:\u00a0How to Build an Effective & Efficient ADR Program, 2015<\/li><li>Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Wisconsin Chapter and Littler Mendelson \u2013 The Great Arbitration Debate, 2014<\/li><li>Ogletree Deakins, Workplace Strategies \u2013 State Law Considerations for HR Professionals, 2012<\/li><li>Littler Mendelson, Executive Employer Conference \u2013 Retail Roundtable, 2010<\/li><li>Kmart Corporation, National Store Managers Academy, Employment Law 101<\/li><li>Practicing Law Institute 27th, 28th, and 29th Annual Institutes on Employment Law (Title VII and Section 1981)<\/li><li>Morgan Lewis, Retail Roundtable \u2013 Hiring Employees Who Are Subject to Non-Competes, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements, 2006<\/li><li>Fellow, Morgan Lewis Trial Academy, 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