Pedersen & Weinstein
Your Rights. Our Passion.
Pedersen & Weinstein
Your Rights. Our Passion.
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
After several years representing clients in employment disputes, we started our firm in 2004 with a commitment to providing excellent legal representation and counseling to employees. Whether you are a CEO or part-time employee trying to make ends meet, you have rights. We are dedicated to helping employees from all walks of life understand those rights and their options if their rights are violated. Our focus is counseling our clients and giving sound practical advice on a wide range of questions from "do I have a case" to "is this severance fair" to "will I be able to collect unemployment benefits." When litigation is unavoidable, we take an aggressive but principled approach to representing our clients. We understand that you have not been through this before but we have. With our experience and expertise, we can help find solutions that work for you.
Our Practice
Pedersen & Weinstein offers consultation and legal services to clients on a wide variety of employment issues, including cases arising under federal, state and local anti-discrimination laws. The firm specializes in matters of gender, pregnancy, race, national origin, age, disability, and sexual orientation discrimination, as well as sexual and racial harassment and retaliation. We also litigate cases arising under the Equal Pay Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as cases involving employment-related torts and retaliatory discharge. Additionally, we are skilled at negotiating severance packages, employment contracts, and executive compensation agreements.
Main Office
55 East Jackson Boulevard, Suite 510
Chicago, IL 60604
312-322-0710
Employment Discrimination
There are several federal, state and local laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants and employees on certain grounds. Some of these laws are as follows:
Title VII. Title VII prohibits discrimination on account of race, color, religion, national origin, or gender. Title VII also makes it illegal to discriminate against female employees because of pregnancy, childbirth or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth.
Section 1981. Section 1981 prohibits discrimination on account of race, ancestry, or ethnic characteristics in the performance, modification, and termination of contracts, and the enjoyment of all benefits, privileges, terms, and conditions of the contractual relationship.
EPA. The Equal Pay Act makes it unlawful to pay different wages to men and women if they perform equal work in the same workplace.
ADA. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against a qualified individual on account of disability. This law also requires employers in certain situations to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with physical or mental disabilities.
ADEA. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits discrimination against workers over the age of 40.
IHRA. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on account of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, order of protection status, disability, military status, sexual orientation, or unfavorable discharge from military service.
Each of these laws also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who complain about job discrimination or assist with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit.
This is only a brief description of the laws prohibiting employment discrimination. If you believe you are a victim of unlawful discrimination, you should consult with an attorney.
Erika Pedersen has extensive litigation experience in a full range of employment discrimination matters, including Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, Section 1981, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, and various state laws and local ordinances. Her practice includes representing clients in all aspects of litigation, including state and federal administrative proceedings, trial, pre- and post-trial procedures, and appeals. She also has extensive experience representing clients in alternative dispute resolution procedures, including mediation and arbitration.
Ms. Pedersen has represented employees across the country in individual and group litigation, as well as in class action lawsuits. She has represented employees in a wide variety of industries, including the securities and financial industry, medical device and pharmaceutical sales, real estate, manufacturing, service, and retail. She has also litigated against local governments, including the City of Chicago.
Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Pedersen was a partner at Stowell & Friedman, Ltd. in Chicago.
Ms. Pedersen is AV peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She has also been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer for the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was named one of 2010's Illinois Rising Stars.
Practice Areas
Employment Discrimination; Employment Litigation and Counseling; Mediation and Arbitration; Sexual Harassment; Racial Harassment; Family and Medical Leave Act; Retaliatory Discharge; Employment Contracts; Executive Severance Contracts; Civil Rights
Admitted
1995, Illinois; 1996, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 2012 U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
Law School
DePaul University, J.D. With Honor; Order of the Coif; Law Review
Member
Chicago Bar Association; National Employment Lawyers Association; NELA/Illinois
Publications
Author: "You Only Get What You Can Pay For: Dziubak v. Mott and its Warning to the Indigent Defendant," 44 DePaul L. Rev. 499 (1995).
Speaking Engagements
Ms. Pedersen has spoken at American Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association events on topics in employment law.
Birthplace
Atlanta, Georgia
Erika Pedersen has extensive litigation experience in a full range of employment discrimination matters, including Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, Section 1981, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, and various state laws and local ordinances. Her practice includes representing clients in all aspects of litigation, including state and federal administrative proceedings, trial, pre- and post-trial procedures, and appeals. She also has extensive experience representing clients in alternative dispute resolution procedures, including mediation and arbitration.
Ms. Pedersen has represented employees across the country in individual and group litigation, as well as in class action lawsuits. She has represented employees in a wide variety of industries, including the securities and financial industry, medical device and pharmaceutical sales, real estate, manufacturing, service, and retail. She has also litigated against local governments, including the City of Chicago.
Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Pedersen was a partner at Stowell & Friedman, Ltd. in Chicago.
Ms. Pedersen is AV peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She has also been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer for the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was named one of 2010's Illinois Rising Stars.
Practice Areas
Employment Discrimination; Employment Litigation and Counseling; Mediation and Arbitration; Sexual Harassment; Racial Harassment; Family and Medical Leave Act; Retaliatory Discharge; Employment Contracts; Executive Severance Contracts; Civil Rights
Admitted
1995, Illinois; 1996, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 2012 U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
Law School
DePaul University, J.D. With Honor; Order of the Coif; Law Review
Member
Chicago Bar Association; National Employment Lawyers Association; NELA/Illinois
Publications
Author: "You Only Get What You Can Pay For: Dziubak v. Mott and its Warning to the Indigent Defendant," 44 DePaul L. Rev. 499 (1995).
Speaking Engagements
Ms. Pedersen has spoken at American Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association events on topics in employment law.
Birthplace
Atlanta, Georgia
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
After several years representing clients in employment disputes, we started our firm in 2004 with a commitment to providing excellent legal representation and counseling to employees. Whether you are a CEO or part-time employee trying to make ends meet, you have rights. We are dedicated to helping employees from all walks of life understand those rights and their options if their rights are violated. Our focus is counseling our clients and giving sound practical advice on a wide range of questions from "do I have a case" to "is this severance fair" to "will I be able to collect unemployment benefits." When litigation is unavoidable, we take an aggressive but principled approach to representing our clients. We understand that you have not been through this before but we have. With our experience and expertise, we can help find solutions that work for you.
Our Practice
Pedersen & Weinstein offers consultation and legal services to clients on a wide variety of employment issues, including cases arising under federal, state and local anti-discrimination laws. The firm specializes in matters of gender, pregnancy, race, national origin, age, disability, and sexual orientation discrimination, as well as sexual and racial harassment and retaliation. We also litigate cases arising under the Equal Pay Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as cases involving employment-related torts and retaliatory discharge. Additionally, we are skilled at negotiating severance packages, employment contracts, and executive compensation agreements.
Main Office
55 East Jackson Boulevard, Suite 510
Chicago, IL 60604
312-322-0710
Employment Discrimination
There are several federal, state and local laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants and employees on certain grounds. Some of these laws are as follows:
Title VII. Title VII prohibits discrimination on account of race, color, religion, national origin, or gender. Title VII also makes it illegal to discriminate against female employees because of pregnancy, childbirth or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth.
Section 1981. Section 1981 prohibits discrimination on account of race, ancestry, or ethnic characteristics in the performance, modification, and termination of contracts, and the enjoyment of all benefits, privileges, terms, and conditions of the contractual relationship.
EPA. The Equal Pay Act makes it unlawful to pay different wages to men and women if they perform equal work in the same workplace.
ADA. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against a qualified individual on account of disability. This law also requires employers in certain situations to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with physical or mental disabilities.
ADEA. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits discrimination against workers over the age of 40.
IHRA. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on account of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, order of protection status, disability, military status, sexual orientation, or unfavorable discharge from military service.
Each of these laws also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who complain about job discrimination or assist with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit.
This is only a brief description of the laws prohibiting employment discrimination. If you believe you are a victim of unlawful discrimination, you should consult with an attorney.
Erika Pedersen has extensive litigation experience in a full range of employment discrimination matters, including Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, Section 1981, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, and various state laws and local ordinances. Her practice includes representing clients in all aspects of litigation, including state and federal administrative proceedings, trial, pre- and post-trial procedures, and appeals. She also has extensive experience representing clients in alternative dispute resolution procedures, including mediation and arbitration.
Ms. Pedersen has represented employees across the country in individual and group litigation, as well as in class action lawsuits. She has represented employees in a wide variety of industries, including the securities and financial industry, medical device and pharmaceutical sales, real estate, manufacturing, service, and retail. She has also litigated against local governments, including the City of Chicago.
Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Pedersen was a partner at Stowell & Friedman, Ltd. in Chicago.
Ms. Pedersen is AV peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She has also been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer for the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was named one of 2010's Illinois Rising Stars.
Practice Areas
Employment Discrimination; Employment Litigation and Counseling; Mediation and Arbitration; Sexual Harassment; Racial Harassment; Family and Medical Leave Act; Retaliatory Discharge; Employment Contracts; Executive Severance Contracts; Civil Rights
Admitted
1995, Illinois; 1996, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 2012 U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
Law School
DePaul University, J.D. With Honor; Order of the Coif; Law Review
Member
Chicago Bar Association; National Employment Lawyers Association; NELA/Illinois
Publications
Author: "You Only Get What You Can Pay For: Dziubak v. Mott and its Warning to the Indigent Defendant," 44 DePaul L. Rev. 499 (1995).
Speaking Engagements
Ms. Pedersen has spoken at American Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association events on topics in employment law.
Birthplace
Atlanta, Georgia
Erika Pedersen has extensive litigation experience in a full range of employment discrimination matters, including Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, Section 1981, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, and various state laws and local ordinances. Her practice includes representing clients in all aspects of litigation, including state and federal administrative proceedings, trial, pre- and post-trial procedures, and appeals. She also has extensive experience representing clients in alternative dispute resolution procedures, including mediation and arbitration.
Ms. Pedersen has represented employees across the country in individual and group litigation, as well as in class action lawsuits. She has represented employees in a wide variety of industries, including the securities and financial industry, medical device and pharmaceutical sales, real estate, manufacturing, service, and retail. She has also litigated against local governments, including the City of Chicago.
Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Pedersen was a partner at Stowell & Friedman, Ltd. in Chicago.
Ms. Pedersen is AV peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She has also been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer for the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was named one of 2010's Illinois Rising Stars.
Practice Areas
Employment Discrimination; Employment Litigation and Counseling; Mediation and Arbitration; Sexual Harassment; Racial Harassment; Family and Medical Leave Act; Retaliatory Discharge; Employment Contracts; Executive Severance Contracts; Civil Rights
Admitted
1995, Illinois; 1996, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 2012 U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
Law School
DePaul University, J.D. With Honor; Order of the Coif; Law Review
Member
Chicago Bar Association; National Employment Lawyers Association; NELA/Illinois
Publications
Author: "You Only Get What You Can Pay For: Dziubak v. Mott and its Warning to the Indigent Defendant," 44 DePaul L. Rev. 499 (1995).
Speaking Engagements
Ms. Pedersen has spoken at American Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association events on topics in employment law.
Birthplace
Atlanta, Georgia
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