• Federal Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• McHenry County and Lake County Bar Association
• Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
  • Co-Chair – Employment Law Committee 2009 – Present
  • Speaker – IDC 2009 Fall Seminar
  • Involvement as Amicus Curia on behalf of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel in support of the Tort Reform Act
• Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association
• Claims and Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance

• Employment Law
  • Employment Litigation
  • Workplace Harassment
  • Business Formation
  • Employment Policies and Handbooks
• Insurance Coverage
• Corporate Law and Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation Defense
  • Construction Law
  • Commercial Transportation Law
• Malpractice Defense
  • Legal Malpractice
  • Medical Malpractice
• Appellate Practice

• University of Iowa, BA, 1989
• DePaul University, JD, 1993

• State of Illinois
• USDC – Northern District of Illinois
• USDC – Northern District of Illinois, trial bar
• USDC – Central District of Illinois
• USCA – 7th Circuit

The Rehabilitation Act – Does It Extend To Independent Contractors? (IDC Employment Law Publication, 2010)

Significant Changes in the Americans With Disabilities Act (IDC Quarterly, First Quarter, 2009, Vol 19,  No. 1)

Embedded Microprocessors: The Other Y2K Problem (Illinois Bar Journal, 1999, Vol. 87, No. 12)

Courts Are Beginning to Permit Excess Insurers to Maintain Malpractice Actions Against Their Insured’s Attorneys (ABA Tort & Insurance Practice Committee News, Fall, 1998)

D & O Liability and the Year 2000: A Repeat of the 1980s? (Illinois Bar Journal, 1998, Vol. 86, No. 9)

The Sale of Asbestos Insulation, Incidental to Its Installation into Real Property, is a Protected Activity Under the Construction Statute of Repose (IDC Quarterly, First Quarter, 1998, Vol. 8, No. 1)

An Excess Insurer’s Right to Maintain a Malpractice Action Against the Insured’s Attorney: An Undecided Issue in Illinois (IDC Quarterly, First Quarter, 1998, Vol. 8, No. 1)

Construction Statute of Repose: The Sale of a Product, Incidental to Its Installation, Is a Protected Activity Under the Construction Statute of Repose (IDC Quarterly, Fourth Quarter, 1996, Vol. 6, No. 4)

Liability Insurance (IICLE, 1996)

• Woodstock, McHenry County, Lake County (Suburban) or Chicago Attorney – Does it matter where your attorney practices?March 16, 2022
  Prospective clients call McKenna Storer’s Woodstock law office saying they have been sued and need a Woodstock attorney.  Woodstock is the home of the McHenry […]
• UNDERSTANDING INSURANCE POLICIES FOR SMALL AND MIDSIZE BUSINESSESMarch 15, 2022
  Small to midsize businesses often do not have legal teams to advise them on the types of insurance coverage they need to protect their businesses.  […]
• Employment Practices Liability Insurance (“EPLI”) Is A Must For New, Small And Midsized BusinessesNovember 18, 2021
  All employers should have employment practices liability insurance, otherwise known as an EPLI insurance policy. This is different from a workers compensation policy or a […]
• OSHA – Emergency Temporary Standard Vaccination Requirements and MoreNovember 12, 2021
  On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) for the purpose of minimizing the risk of […]
• Where are the workers?November 9, 2021
  The help wanted signs are everywhere. What happened to all the workers? There is not a single industry that is not affected by the lack […]
• Sexual Harassment Is A Pervasive Problem: Employers Need Policies, Training to Prevent and a Good Employer’s Liability Insurance PolicyOctober 8, 2021
  By now most of Illinois, if not beyond, is aware that yet another major celebrity (this time a famous Chicago radio host), has been accused of sexual harassment in court pleadings. It has been years since the Me Too movement began, and stories still arise about sexual harassment in the workplace. Still!
• Illinois Businesses Should Look At The Model ABA Rules For Guidance On Virtual PracticeMay 7, 2021
  More than a year has passed since businesses moved to a virtual format in the wake of the Covid-19 global pandemic. Covid-19 is still circulating […]
• Illinois Right to Fire for Political Speech and ConductJanuary 13, 2021
  The world watched as thousands marched in protest and others stormed the US Capital Building this past week. The identities of few but the faces […]
• Employers Can Avoid Penalties for Failing to Comply with Illinois’ Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training LawJanuary 6, 2021
  The Illinois Workplace Transparency Act required all employers to train employees on sexual harassment prevention by December 31, 2020, and requires training thereafter on an […]
• Mandatory Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Policies Receive Approval from the EEOCDecember 28, 2020
  Employers may be able to mandate that employees get a COVID-19 vaccination before returning to the workplace. The EEOC has updated its COVID-19 webpage to […]
• Are “Karen Jokes” Just a Joke or Potential Evidence Against Employers of a Hostile Work Environment or Discrimination?December 11, 2020
  We have all seen “Karen Memes” or heard the “OK, Karen” refrain stated in response to what is basically a white, middle-aged woman, in a […]
• Illinois’ Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training- ReminderDecember 7, 2020
  Time is running out. The Illinois Workplace Transparency Act requires all employers to train employees on sexual harassment prevention by December 31, 2020, and on […]
• Businesses Face Criminal Penalties Yet Gain Protection Under Illinois Mask RulesAugust 26, 2020
  On August 11, 2020, Illinois Governor. J.B. Pritzker was successful in a second attempt to criminalize business owners who fail to enforce his mask rules. Under […]
• Employers Can Be Fined $2,500 For Failure To Enforce Mask RulesAugust 25, 2020
  On August 11, 2020, Illinois Governor. J.B. Pritzker was successful in a second attempt to criminalize business owners who fail to enforce his mask rules. Under […]
• Maintaining a Drug-Free Workplace after Illinois Legalized MarijuanaAugust 14, 2020
  The Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“Cannabis Act”) legalized the use and possession of recreational cannabis for adults age 21 or older beginning January 1, […]
• Deciphering Minimum Wage In Illinois Is Not An Easy TaskAugust 7, 2020
  By now, most Illinois employers know that the minimum wage in Illinois has gone up. Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation providing a path to an […]
• Employers Should Have a COVID-19-Return-to-Work Plan Before ReopeningMay 28, 2020
  As more states loosen the COVID-19 Shelter in Place laws and people begin to return to previously sheltered business, it is essential that businesses have a plan for how that return to work will look and, equally important, convey relevant portions of the plan to its employees.
• Illinois Requires Written Sexual Harassment Prevention Policies For All Public ContractorsMay 8, 2020
  Illinois’ amended COVID-19 Shelter in Place rules permits essential workers, which includes most businesses that contract with the State of Illinois for essential services, including […]
• Illinois Sexual Harassment Prevention Guidelines Are OutMay 4, 2020
  With COVID-19 news taking center stage in our lives, it is easy to push aside Illinois’ new Workplace Transparency Act enacted to protect employees against […]
• Illinois COVID-19 Executive Order 17 Extends Immunity To Healthcare ProfessionsApril 3, 2020
  Illinois issued an executive order to protect healthcare workers against liability for negligent treatment of COVID-19 patients.
• Insurance Coverage And The COVID 19 PandemicApril 1, 2020
  As more than a billion people are under some sort of quarantine law and numerous US states and foreign countries have “shelter in place” laws […]
• Illinois Employers Shelter In Place Order – Corona Virus (COVID-19) OutbreaksMarch 24, 2020
  Less than three weeks ago, I wrote a blog regarding why employers needed to be prepared for the reality that the Corona COVID – 19 […]
• IDHR’s Model Sexual Harassment Prevention Training – Available March 31, 2020March 6, 2020
  All Illinois employers must provide yearly sexual harassment prevention training starting this year. Illinois Public Act 101-0221 amended the Illinois Human Rights Act (“IHRA”) , […]
• Illinois Employers Should Be Prepared For Corona Virus (COVID-19) OutbreaksFebruary 28, 2020
  Illinois has had only two confirmed cases of the Corona COVID-19 virus and both patients recovered. According to the Illinois Dept. of Health, there are no known, infectious Illinois residents at this time. Nevertheless, employers need to plan.
• Amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act Expand the Scope of HarassmentJanuary 21, 2020
  Illinois’ Human Rights Act has been amended to enlarge its scope of potential harassment violations, including both an expansion of the definition of employer as well as expansion of the definition of harassment and an extension of the Illinois Human Rights Act to protect non-employees.
• Check List of Major Changes in Laws Governing the Workplace in IllinoisJanuary 14, 2020
  Illinois has had significant changes in the laws governing the workplace in 2019 and 2020. Employers can be hit with serious legal consequences for ignoring these major changes in laws governing the workplace.
• Illinois Requires Mandatory Disclosures Of Sexual Harassment and Unlawful Discrimination JudgmentsJanuary 10, 2020
  Illinois, in its quest toward curbing sexual harassment in the workplace, has amended the Illinois Human Rights Act, to require annual disclosures of sexual harassment and unlawful discrimination in the work place.
• Illinois Employers Need to know About The New Laws Governing Employee Arbitration ClausesDecember 17, 2019
  Illinois has new restrictions with respect to all employment agreement, including written arbitration agreements.
• Illinois Employers Need to Know About Mandatory Sexual Harassment TrainingDecember 10, 2019
  Illinois employers need to be aware of the new mandatory sexual harassment training requirements.
• Employers Need to Be Aware of the Hotel and Casino Employee Safety ActDecember 5, 2019
  Illinois hotels and casinos need to begin to prepare for a new employee safety law taking effect in 2020 known as the Hotel and Casino Employee Safety Act,820 ILCS 325/5-10.
• The Illinois Workplace Transparency Act’s Effect on Sexual Harassment Nondisclosure and Nondisparagement ClausesNovember 7, 2019
  In a prior blog, I discussed Illinois’ continuing attempts to curb sexual harassment through its enactment of Public Act 101-0221. One important aspect of Public Act 101-0221 is the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act.
• Illinois Employers Need to Be Aware of New Sexual Harassment ProtectionsOctober 28, 2019
  There are many new laws giving Illinois employees more protection against sexual harassment in the workplace. On August 9, 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Public Act 101-0221 into law.
• The Equitable Restrooms Act to Take Effect in IllinoisSeptember 15, 2019
  Illinois has passed a law that requires all single-occupancy public bathrooms be labeled as gender-neutral. The Equitable Restrooms Act, which takes effect on January 1, 2020, mandates that all single-occupancy restrooms “in a place of public accommodation or public building” to be identified as “all-gender and designated for use by no more than one person at a time or for family or assisted use…
• Illinois’ New Tool Against Discriminatory Pay: The No Salary History LawAugust 15, 2019
  Governor Pritzker signed into law the No Salary History Law, which will advance equal pay in Illinois. The No Salary History Law will strengthen both […]
• Which Pronoun Fits Your Employee?June 18, 2019
  I was recently at a seminar at a large university where the speaker stood at the podium and stated, “Hi, my name is… and the […]
• ISERRA- New Illinois Military Leave Law Now in EffectMay 8, 2019
  Illinois has a new law protecting Illinois service members’ employment rights while they are serving and protecting our country.
• SMALL COMPANIES NEED TO KNOW THE EMPLOYMENT LAWSFebruary 27, 2019
  Smaller companies often mistakenly believe that the state and federal employment discrimination laws do not apply to them because they are too small to be […]
• Employers Beware: Chicago Minimum Wage Increases in 2019January 25, 2019
  Chicago’s minimum wage is already the highest in the state and due to increase on July 1, 2019. Employers need to be ready for not […]
• Illinois Employers Must Update Employee Reimbursement Policies by January 1, 2019December 10, 2018
  The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act has been amended to require reimbursement of employees expenses, which may include higher ticket items like cellular phones, […]
• All Employers Need A Workplace Violence Policy or PlanDecember 3, 2018
  Employers need to be proactive in formulating a written policy for workplace violence. The news is replete with stories of workplace violence. A disgruntled ex-employee, […]
• Illinois Expanded Its ‘Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act’ to Require Paid Breaks for Nursing MomsNovember 23, 2018
  The Illinois Legislature recently approved amendments to the Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act, 820 ILCS 260, changing nursing mothersunpaid breaks to paid. Under 820 […]
• Benefits of Binding Mediation as an Alternative Dispute ResolutionOctober 22, 2018
  To most attorneys, alternative dispute resolution means resolving a case through either mediation or arbitration. A third rarely used Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is binding […]
• Clients Need To Know About The Joint Defense Agreement Under Illinois Law For Cost Effective LitigationAugust 30, 2018
  A joint defense agreement provides an exception to what would be the waiver of the attorney client and work product privileges. At least one Illinois […]
• Federal Courts Are Expanding Title VII Protections to Transgender Status and Sexual OrientationMay 21, 2018
  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination “because of . . . sex.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a) (2012 Since its […]
• Kristin Dvorsky Tauras Named a Partner at McKenna StorerMay 15, 2018
  McKenna Storer is pleased to announce the naming of attorney Kristin Dvorsky Tauras as its newest partner. Kristin combines a client-oriented focus with highly developed […]
• Department of Labor Relaxes the “Unpaid Intern Test” in time for Summer Employment.April 20, 2018
  This is the season when employers are finalizing their plans for summer interns. The summer internship gives students experience in the working world and the […]
• What Employers Need to Know About the Legal Obligations of the Working InterviewMarch 26, 2018
  The typical job applicant will put their credentials on a job application or resume and the employer has to decipher through the job interview and background review process whether the credentials accurately reflect the applicant’s abilities and maybe more importantly, whether the applicant is a good fit for the company.
• Service Animals and the Americans With Disabilities ActJanuary 29, 2018
  We often see people with service dogs on the street, in the stores, and on trains and it appears as if the number is growing. […]
• All Employers Need To Know About The National Labor Relations ActJanuary 9, 2018
  Employers too often take the approach that they do not have to worry about the National Labor Relations Act, most commonly called the NLRA, because […]
• Sexual Harassment In The WorkplaceDecember 16, 2017
  New allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace appear in the headlines daily now. We have all heard the reports about Harvey Weinstein, former president […]
• Courts Limit Hospital “Peer Review” ProtectionDecember 14, 2017
  Illinois hospitals routinely use physician peer reviews and hospitals and other health care facilities quality control committees to improve the quality of patient care. These […]
• The ADA Does Not Entitle Employees To Long Term LeaveOctober 25, 2017
  A long-term leave of absence is not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”) , at least according to the Seventh Circuit. […]
• No Age Discrimination When Older Employees Terminated Based on Insurance ReasonsAugust 22, 2017
  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a suit accusing Indiana’s Lake County of violating the Age Discrimination in […]
• Protecting Access to Care Act – Passed by the HouseJuly 17, 2017
  On June 28, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed medical tort reform legislation intended to help lower the cost of health insurance by lessening […]
• EEOC SETTLES DREADLOCK CASE AS A PROTECTED RELIGIOUS EXPRESSIONJune 5, 2017
  A common workplace dispute involves dress code polices and deviations from dress and grooming standards.  These disputes often result in a religious discrimination suit claiming […]
• Illinois Employers Can Be Liable for Heinous Crimes Committed by Their Supervisor Off PremisesMay 29, 2017
  An employer can be sued for a supervisor’s murder and rape of one of its employees, which took place while the employee was with the […]
• Illinois Has Already Amended its Employee Sick Leave ActMarch 20, 2017
  On January 1, 2017, the Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act went into effect.  It requires employers to allow employees to use their personal sick leave […]
• 2017 Employment Case to Watch – Seventh Circuit Court To Rule On Sexual Orientation Discrimination ClaimFebruary 16, 2017
  Neither the US Supreme Court nor any federal circuit appellate court has held that discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited by Title VII. Title […]
• EEOC Focus in 2017 – Employers BewareJanuary 16, 2017
  The EEOC announced its Strategic Enforcement Plan for the fiscal years 2017 to 2021 which outlines the areas upon which the EEOC will focus its […]
• Businesses Cannot Discriminate Against Transgender EmployeesOctober 3, 2016
    Transgender bathroom rights have been in the spotlight this year. The nation’s schools have been grappling with the issue of which locker rooms should […]
• Illinois’ 6 Person Jury UnconstitutionalSeptember 23, 2016
  Approximately one year after a public law went into effect limiting the size of a civil jury to 6 persons, the Illinois Supreme Court has […]
• Employer Use of Covenants Not To Compete Threatened By New LawSeptember 12, 2016
  Employees given access to the trade secrets, customer lists and other confidential materials vital to the operation of a business can easily use that information […]
• Employers Under Pressure To Comply With Ban-The-Box LawsJuly 18, 2016
  The “ban-the-box” movement has grown across the United States. The purpose behind the movement is to encourage federal, state and local governments to enact employment […]
• The Hot Employment Law Issue That You Can’t Ignore: “Which Bathroom?”June 20, 2016
  The calls from employers come into our office several times a week seeking legal advice about the use of bathrooms by transgender employees. It’s an issue that federal regulatory agencies and the U.S. Supreme Court are racing to address as transgender employees assert their rights. My advice to clients who own businesses may not be the easiest solution to enforce, but I believe it’s where the emerging laws on this topic will eventually settle.
• An EEOC Subpoena Can Greatly Expand The Scope Of The Initial Discrimination ChargeApril 13, 2016
  In EEOC v. Aerotek, Inc., No. 15-1690, March 4, 2016, 7th Circuit, the EEOC filed suit against the employer and applied for an order to […]
• To Have A Cause Of Action An Employee Has To Apply For The Position Into Which They Were Not Promoted.March 4, 2016
  In Jaburek v. Foxx, No. 15-2165, January 13, 2016, 7th Circuit, the employee filed a Title VII and Equal Pay Act claim alleging that her […]
• EEOC Rules That Workplace Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Sex Discrimination Under Title VII Of The Civil Rights ActJuly 21, 2015
  On July 16, 2015, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a decision that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation states a claim of […]