(312) 332-7760 (tel.)
(312) 332-7768 (fax)
rlutner@rsnlt.com

Practice Areas: Education Law, Labor & Employment

Rachel Lutner practices in the area of labor and employment law, representing both public and private employers. She has defended claims of employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge and wage claims in state and federal court and before state and federal agencies. She counsels employers on a wide range of employment issues, including hiring, terminations, reductions in force, performance reviews, employment agreements, employee handbooks and policies, settlement agreements, noncompete and confidentiality agreements, wage and hour matters and union negotiations.

Rachel has conducted management and employee training sessions and seminars on harassment, workplace policies, human resources functions, union avoidance, civility in the workplace, and investigating and resolving harassment and other complaints.

Prior to joining Robbins, Schwartz, Rachel worked as an associate attorney with Duane Morris LLP, one of the nation's 100 largest law firms.

Education

• J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, 1994
• B.A., Economics and Public Policy, Carleton College, 1990

Admitted to Practice

• Supreme Court of Illinois
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

Recent Publications

• Are You a Target? Countering Union Organizing Activity in the Educational Workplace, CUPA-HR Journal, Fall/Winter 2005.
• Co-author, Untoward Employee Whistleblower Claims Under Sarbanes-Oxley, Journal of Investment Compliance (Fall 2003).
• Equal Opportunity Harassers Need Not Apply, Law.com (Nov. 2000).
• Hidden Discrimination, Risks Increases by the Digital Age, Law.com (Oct. 2000).
• ADA Update: What Are the Courts Debating, The Journal of Workers' Compensation, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Fall 1998).
• Employer Liability for Sexual Harassment: The Morass of Agency Principles and Respondeat Superior, 1993 U. Ill. L. Rev. 589 (1993). (Cited in amicus curiae briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court in Ellerth v. Burlington Industries.)

Recent Presentations

• Modifications for Students with Disabilities, Community College Conference, Oak Brook, IL (April 2008).
• Employment Discrimination, Fall 2007 School Administrators' Conference, Oak Brook, IL (Sept. 2007).
• Peer Harassment and Employee Confidentiality Agreements and Issues, CUPA-Illinois, Bloomington, IL (June 2006).
• State of the Workforce, College and University Professional Association for Human Resources' Regional Conference, Dearborn, MI (April 2006).
• Proposed Legislative Changes to the FMLA Regulations and Avoiding FMLA Retaliation Claims,ÊFMLA Update Seminar, Council on Education in Management, Chicago, IL (March 2006).
• Illinois FMLA Update 2006, Council on Education in Management, Chicago, IL (March 2006).
• Avoiding Improper Termination and Retaliation Against an Employee on FMLA Leave, FMLA Update 2005, Council on Education in Management, Oak Brook, IL (June 2005).
• Do You See A Problem Here?, IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference, Chicago, IL (Nov. 2004).
• Minimizing Organizational and Personal Liability Risks Arising from Employee Terminations, Personnel Law Update Seminar, Council on Education in Management, Oakbrook Terrace, IL (Oct. 2004).
• EEOC and Discrimination Law Update: Vital Lessons for Employers from Recent Cases, Personnel Law Update Seminar, Council on Education in Management, Oakbrook Terrace, IL (Oct. 2004).
• Update on Privacy in the Electronic Workplace: Balancing Employers' Right to Know with Employees' Right to Privacy, Council for Education in Management, Advanced Employment Law, Certificate Forum for HR Professionals, Chicago, IL (June 2004).
• In Depth ADA, FMLA and Workers' Compensation, National Workers' Compensation and Occupational Medicine Seminar, Hyannis, MA (July 2003).
• Human Resources for Retailers in the E Tail Economy, National Retail Federation, St. Louis, MO (May 2000).
• Workers' Compensation, Short Term and Long Term Disability Insurance: The Legal Impact of Integrated Benefits, Ninth Annual Workers' Compensation and Occupational Medicine Seminar, San Diego, CA (Mar. 2000).
• How to Prevent a Workers' Compensation Case from Becoming a Discrimination Case, Ninth Annual Workers' Compensation and Occupational Medicine Seminar, San Diego, CA (Mar. 2000).