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WORKPLACE LAWYER: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Ronald Schwartz is an employment law lawyer. He concentrates his practice in workplace law. Schwartz provides legal services in the areas of retaliation, overtime
{see important notice about Illinois law}, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), unlawful Retaliatory Discharge, In September 2008, Ronald Schwartz attended the 8th Annual Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Conference (TAF) in Washington, D.C. This was the fourth time that he has attended the annual TAF conference. Mr. Schwartz is a member of TAF. It is a nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to combating fraud against the Federal Government through the promotion and use of the federal False Claims Act and its qui tam provisions. Schwartz has been appointed as a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Labor and Employment Section Council for 2008-09. Mr. Schwartz was a speaker at the National Employment Lawyers Association Conference in Puerto Rico in June 2007. In May 2007, Ron Schwartz appeared on the live Canadian Television Network CTV Newsnet program "The Verdict with Paula Todd" to discuss employment law issues under United States law. Schwartz is an attorney with the law firm of Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein, Johnson & Bareck, P.C. Katz Friedman concentrates its practice in Labor and Employment law, Workers' Compensation, and Personal Injury. See Schwartz's biography at the Katz Friedman website.
Ron Schwartz wrote a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief [PDF] in Desert Palace, Inc. v. Costa, decided in June 2003. Desert Palace is a landmark employment law decision unanimously decided in favor of employees. In May 2004, he spoke about Desert Palace in
Key West, Florida before the Florida Bar Association Labor and Employment Committee. In June 2004 he spoke on this subject in San
Antonio, Texas at the National Employment Lawyers Ass'n (NELA) annual convention. Schwartz was the moderater for another
panel on Desert Palace at the June 2005 NELA convention in Philadelphia. Schwartz also wrote a Supreme Court amicus brief [PDF] in the first Family and Medical Leave Act case before the Supreme Court. This case was decided in March 2002. Mr. Schwartz has practiced workplace law for more than 24 years. He was the 2003-04 Chair of the Labor
and Employment Practice Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. He is a proud and active member of the National Employment Lawyers Assn. and its Illinois affiliate. NELA founded Workplace
Fairness. From 1998-2001 and 2003-05, Schwartz served on the Board of Directors
of NELA/Illinois. He is a former Chair of the Chicago Bar Ass'n Civil Rights Committee. Schwartz, who concentrates his practice in employment law, has been
licensed to practice law in Illinois for more than 25 years, since October 29, 1980. In addition, he is admitted to the
federal trial
bar, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Seventh
Circuit Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court of the United States. Of Interest: (1) Paid leave may extend the
length of FMLA leave. (2) Suburban Cook County workers have greater protection under local disability discrimination law than under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) until January 1, 2009. After that date, the federal ADA will again provide substantial relief for a qualified employee or applicant with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform his or her job. We are always looking for cases with merit. We want to hear from you if you believe that you may have a legal claim against a former or current employer. If you are interested in making an appointment, we encourage you to call our law firm at (312)263-6330. Schwartz's usual consultation rate is $200 per hour. The hourly consultation rate may be more in special situations. We will briefly discuss whether a meeting should be scheduled in our office without charge to you. A referral may be made to another experienced attorney. We do not provide legal advice by email or by telephone call until we have established a confidential relationship or an attorney-client relationship. This email response does not establish a confidential relationship or an attorney-client relationship.
 Map for 77 W. Washington St., 20th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60602. NOTICE: An employee has a duty to mitigate damages (seek similar work at similar pay).
IMPORTANT WHISTLEBLOWER INFORMATIONThe Illinois Whistleblower Act provides employees with new and expanded protection against retaliation. Here's a summary of this new employee protection. The federal False Claims Act (FCA) is the most feared whistleblower law in the United States. Persons with personal knowledge of a fraud on the federal government can report it through the FCA’s procedures. If the government collects from the fraudulent contractor, the whistleblower shares in the proceeds. The law contains a qui tam provision which permits “original sources” (whistleblowers) to file suit under seal (secretly) on behalf of the U.S. to recover damages incurred by the federal government as a result of contractor fraud or other false claims. The whistleblower is entitled to a significant portion of the proceeds, if there is a recovery. The whistleblower must comply with the specific procedures of the FCA to be eligible for a monetary award. The FCA also contains an anti-retaliation provision prohibiting the discharge or harassment of a whistleblower who acts in furtherance of making protected disclosures or filing a qui tam suit. Section (h) permits the whistleblower to file a wrongful discharge suit for double back pay, other damages, and attorney's fees. Illinois has a similar False Claim Act. Also, Illinois law allows whistleblowers to bring lawsuits on behalf of private insurers and receive a percentage of the recovery. Chicago recently adopted its own false claim law. WorkplaceLawyer
is designed, coded and maintained by Ron Schwartz, a lawyer at Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein, Johnson & Bareck. Click the image for
information about Mr. Schwartz's experience using computers. Revised: 10/1/2008
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