312.332.7760 (tel.)
312.332.7768 (fax)
rriley@rsnlt.com

Practice Areas: The Workplace, Education

Robert Riley's practice is concentrated in advising and representing units of local governments (including school districts, community colleges and municipalities), corporations and insurers in labor and employment matters. Bob has litigated civil rights cases, complex commercial cases, and defended personal injury and property claims. He has represented numerous public employers in collective bargaining negotiations, grievance arbitrations, and unfair labor practice cases.

Bob joined Robbins, Schwartz in 1989. He began his legal career in labor and employment law in 1980 representing public sector employees, including PATCO (air traffic controllers) employees terminated as a result of a national job action. He also represented numerous individual employees in discrimination and First Amendment cases. From 1984 to late 1989, he litigated large, complicated commercial and insurance fraud and arson cases throughout the Midwest including cases in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Bob is a member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers' State and Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee and of the Illinois State Bar Association.

Education

• J.D., DePaul University College of Law, 1980
• B.A., Political Science, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, 1977

Admitted to Practice

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• Supreme Court of Illinois

Recent Publications

• Contributing author, Labor Relations: Contract Administration Including ULPs, ILLINOIS SCHOOL LAW (Ill. Inst. for CLE, 2005).
• Contributing author, Labor Relations, ILLINOIS SCHOOL LAW (Ill. Inst. for CLE, 1996, 1999, Supp. 2001).

Recent Presentations

• Board Governance Update, Breakfast Briefing for Board Members and Superintendents, Oak Brook, IL (Oct. 2007).
• Legislative & Board Governance Update, Fall 2007 School Administrators' Conference, Oak Brook, IL (Sept. 2007).
• TRS Employee Penalty for End-of-Career Salary Increases More Than 6%, Legislative Education Network of DuPage, (Feb. 2006).
• Collective Bargaining Workshop, North Cook Intermediate Service Center (Feb. 2006).
• Avoiding a Failure to Properly Follow the Medical Certification and Recertification Process, 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).
• Collective Bargaining Workshop, North Cook Intermediate Service Center, Des Plaines, IL (Oct. 2004).
• Examining New Court Decisions that Further Define Employer Rights and Responsibilities Under the ADA, Council for Education in Management, Advanced Employment Law, Certificate Forum for HR Professionals, Chicago, IL (June 2004).
• Training Managers to Navigate the Treacherous Waters Surrounding the ADA: Update on Reasonable Accommodations and Other Perplexing ADA Issues, Council Education in Management Public Sector Employment Law Conference, Chicago, IL (Jan. 2004).
• Collective Bargaining Tactics and Techniques, IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference, Chicago, IL (Nov. 2003).
• Collective Bargaining Workshop, North Cook Intermediate Service Center (Sept. 2003).
• New Teachers and Administrators Qualification Requirements Under NCLB and State Law, Western Illinois University, School Law Conference (March 2003).
• Teacher Evaluation In-Service, Northbrook School District 28 (Jan. 2003).
• Employee Evaluation In-Service, Villa Park/Lombard School District 45 (Oct. 2002).
• Collective Bargaining Workshop, North Cook Intermediate Service Center (Sept. 2002).
• Administrators' Workshop - Evaluation of Teacher Performance, Employee Misconduct and Discipline, Investigating Sexual Harassment Claims, Employer Consequences of "No Child Left Behind" and Administrator Recertification Legislation, Edwardsville Community Unit School District No. 7 (Aug. 2002).
• Collective Bargaining, Western Illinois University, 13th Annual School Law Conference (March 2002).
• Teacher Evaluation - "Do's and Don'ts", Sexual Harassment, and Employee Discipline, North Cook Intermediate Service Center, Administrator Academy (April 2001).
• Teacher Certification Regulations, Procedures, and Bargaining Obligations, North Cook Intermediate Service Center, Administrator Academy (April 2001).
• Districts' Right to Control Employee Use of District Computers, E-Mail and Internet, South Cook Intermediate Service Center, Administrator Academy (April 2001).
• Teacher Certification Regulations, Procedures, and Bargaining Obligations, North Cook Intermediate Service Center, Administrator Academy (Nov. 2000).
• Evaluating Employee Performance, Corey Steel Company (Aug. 2000).
• The Illinois Gift Ban Act, Illinois Community College Business Managers Association (1999).
• The Unblinking Eye: Use of Electronic Surveillance Devices in the Workplace, Illinois Community College, Chief Financial Officers' Meeting (Oct. 1999).
• Collective Bargaining Workshop: Recent Legal and Process Developments, Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators, Illinois Association of School Business Officials (Nov. 1998).