Employment law for employers
Advice before a decision, and a defense when a claim arrives. We represent Illinois employers with 10 to 500 employees. We don’t represent individual employees against their employers.
What we handle
Manufacturers, distributors, restaurant groups, clinics and professional firms in Chicagoland.
- Handbooks and policies
- Written for Illinois and Chicago rules, reviewed every year, and short enough that supervisors read them.
- Hiring and terminations
- We review the file before you act: performance records, leave status, timing and the paperwork you hand over.
- Restrictive covenants
- Non-compete and non-solicitation agreements written to meet the Illinois Freedom to Work Act.
- Workplace investigations
- Harassment and discrimination complaints, investigated promptly and written up so the report holds up later.
- Charges and lawsuits
- Position statements before the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the EEOC, mediation and defense in court.
- Pay practices
- Overtime, exempt classification, final pay and deductions, audited before an employee or an agency raises them.
- Training
- Annual harassment prevention training for employees and supervisors, on site or by video.
Illinois rules we check first
Three requirements we see employers miss, summarized from the Illinois Compiled Statutes and checked on October 16, 2026.
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Earnings thresholds for restrictive covenants
An Illinois employer may not enter into a non-compete with an employee whose actual or expected annual earnings are $75,000 or less, or a non-solicitation agreement with an employee earning $45,000 or less. The thresholds rise to $80,000 and $47,500 on January 1, 2027.
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Fourteen days and a lawyer
Either covenant is void unless the employer advises the employee in writing to consult a lawyer, and gives the employee the covenant at least 14 calendar days before employment starts or at least 14 calendar days to review it.
Source: 820 ILCS 90/20
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Harassment training every year
Every employer with employees working in Illinois must provide sexual harassment prevention training to all employees at least once a year.
- Handbook review with a redline and a memo: $3,800. A new Illinois handbook: $7,500 to $12,000.
- Non-compete and non-solicitation templates: $2,400. Harassment prevention training: $1,800 per session of up to 30 people.
- Position statement on an agency charge: $4,500 to $9,000. Lawsuits are billed hourly against a written budget.
- Counsel plan: $1,250 a month covers up to three hours of calls and email review with Adaora Okafor or Owen Ferris.
Who works on these matters
Adaora Okafor leads every matter in this field.
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Adaora Okafor
Partner · Employment law for employers
Adaora advises employers on hiring, discipline, leave, pay and terminations, and defends them before the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the EEOC and the courts. She co-founded the firm in 2012.
- Direct line
- (312) 555-0112
- aokafor@marloweokafor.com
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Owen Ferris
Associate · Commercial litigation, employment law
Owen works on commercial and employment cases with Thomas Marlowe and Adaora Okafor: research, motions, discovery and depositions. He joined the firm in 2021.
- Direct line
- (312) 555-0114
- oferris@marloweokafor.com
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Lena Sato
Associate · Commercial real estate, employment law
Lena works on leases, purchases and closings with Ruth Zielinski, and on handbooks and agreements with Adaora Okafor. She joined the firm in 2022.
- Direct line
- (312) 555-0115
- lsato@marloweokafor.com
Questions we hear first
Something else? Call (312) 555-0110 or send a confidential inquiry.
Can we let go of an employee who is on leave?
Sometimes, but timing is where many retaliation claims start. Call before you act. We review the file and the leave records with you, usually the same day.
Do our existing non-competes still work?
It depends on when they were signed, what the employee earns and how the agreement was presented. Send them over and we’ll tell you which ones we would rely on, and which ones to replace.
An employee filed a charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights. What now?
Send us the charge and the date you received it. The agency sets a deadline for your response, and the position statement often shapes the rest of the case.
Do you represent employees?
No. We represent employers only, which keeps us free of conflicts with our clients.
Talk to Adaora Okafor
Describe the matter in a few sentences. It is encrypted in your browser, and Adaora or a colleague replies within one business day.