Laura Balson

Practice Areas

Advice & Counsel

Appellate

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Background Check & FCRA Litigation

Class/Collective Actions

Cybersecurity & Data Privacy

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Compliance

Employment Litigation Prevention & Defense

Investigations

Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition

Transactional Solutions

Wage and Hour Compliance & Litigation

Whistleblower & Retaliation

Workplace Safety & OSHA

Career

Laura is the managing partner of the firm’s Chicago office and counsels employers across industries on proactive strategies to manage workplace risk.

She regularly advises on employment practices, litigation prevention, and complex compliance issues, guiding clients through day-to-day challenges and significant organizational changes.

Laura works closely with employers to conduct employment practice audits, assist with due diligence in corporate transactions, and provide strategic defense in employment disputes. She represents employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Cook County Commission on Human Rights, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and other administrative agencies. Laura also serves as lead trial counsel in both state and federal courts and has argued appellate matters before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Laura has extensive experience defending both individual and class action claims brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). As the use of biometric technology has grown in the workplace, she helps employers and insurers navigate this evolving risk landscape through compliance counseling, litigation defense, and class settlement strategies.

Laura is known for providing practical, business-focused guidance that helps employers translate complex legal requirements into actionable solutions. She frequently conducts training programs for management and employees on a variety of topics, including sexual harassment prevention and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Laura is also a frequent speaker and writer on legal developments that impact employers and is committed to helping organizations stay ahead of workplace trends and regulatory changes.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section

Federal Bar Association

Illinois State Bar Association

Chicago Bar Association

ProVisors - Chicago

Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women (Downtown Chicago Chapter President, 2007-2008)

Society of Human Resource Professionals (Chicago Diversity Committee Leadership Team, 2015)

Personal

Laura lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two children. She loves cooking for others and if she wasn’t a lawyer, she would have become a professional chef.

Education

Work Highlights

-Represented large manufacturing company faced with multi-million dollar liability based on failure to comply with the advanced notice and data protection requirements of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act when switching to fingerprint timeclocks provided by payroll vendor

-Managed internal pay practices audit of specialty grocery store chain with operations in multiple states, following recommendations to minimize liability after Fair Labor Standards Act class action litigation

-Negotiated resolution for multi-state trade association dispute with prospective attendees of the annual conference seeking extensive disability accommodations under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act

-Represented c-suite executives in a nationally-ranked hospital with a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians on employment practices, compliance and risk management; develop and conduct customized training program for physician employees and contractors to dramatically reduce claims of discrimination and harassment from staff

-Conducted urgent compliance audit of manufacturing company’s I-9 forms, to respond to subpoena from the Department of Homeland Security; find and correct hundreds of errors, saving the client over $300,000 in fines

-Represented a national temporary staffing agency in a multi-million dollar class action lawsuit under the Fair Credit Reporting Act; obtained dismissal of claims from federal judge and then, on remand to state court, convinced the state court judge that the logic and rationale of the federal judge should apply, dismissing the case completely

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Illinois

Maine

Massachusetts

Wisconsin

U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit

U.S. District Court - IL - C.D., N.D., S.D.

U.S. District Court - WI - E.D.

District of Maine

District of Massachusetts

Awards