Miriam Petrillo

Miriam has extensive experience representing employers and management in all facets of the employment relationship. Miriam works with a broad array of clients, from early-stage startup founders to large multinational public companies, spanning a variety of industries, including life sciences, technology, venture capital and insurance. Her practice focuses on assisting clients with their comprehensive employment needs, including crisis and routine counseling, litigation and transactional needs.

In the counseling context, Miriam routinely advises clients on employee hiring, onboarding, employment policies, FLSA and state wage and hour compliance, employee leave compliance, EEO compliance, ADA accommodation issues, misclassification analysis, implementation of restrictive covenants, disciplinary actions and investigations, reductions in force and other employee terminations. She also specializes in the nuances associated with public company obligations in relation to succession planning, investigations and key executive decisions.

Miriam has substantial experience in the negotiation of executive employment contracts, restrictive covenant agreements, employee retention agreements and employee separation agreements. She provides practical guidance around the complex considerations involved with restrictive covenant enforcement and defense strategy.

Miriam has also led several highly sensitive investigations involving allegations of executive misconduct and regularly counsels clients regarding the fallout of misconduct findings and defense of associated claims.

Miriam has broad litigation experience in complex class and collective employment litigation, single plaintiff litigation, injunction proceedings, arbitration and mediation. She routinely defends employers in discrimination, harassment, wage payment and breach of contract lawsuits. She has also pursued and litigated several trade secret misappropriation claims on behalf of her clients. Miriam successfully litigated two ERISA retiree healthcare benefit class actions through trial and appeal.

Miriam currently serves as a Chicago office representative of the Firm’s Women’s Initiative.