Terese M. Connolly is an associate in both the International and Domestic Labor and Employment Practice Groups in the firm's Chicago office.

Areas of Practice

Ms. Connolly regularly assists multinational companies in navigating the wide range of employment related issues that arise when managing a global workforce. Additionally, she advises companies on employment related issues that arise in cross border transactions.

Ms. Connolly specializes in providing advice and counseling on domestic and cross border issues involved in mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, outsourcing, and privacy transactions, as well as post-acquisition integration, global audits, and global codes of conduct.

Ms. Connolly regularly represents clients in simple and complex litigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the WARN Act, ERISA, ADA, ADEA, USERRA, FMLA, FLSA, and various state wage and hour, and discrimination laws. She routinely defends and advises clients on "best practices" involving hiring processes, discipline and dismissals, reductions in force and other cost-cutting measures, disabilities, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, employee privacy, drug testing and employee searches. Ms. Connolly also assists clients with employee applications, offer letters, employment and executive contracts, handbooks and policies, at-will agreements, non-compete agreements, confidentiality and proprietary information agreements, separation and release agreements, secondment agreements, key employee retention agreements, services agreements, and other employment related documents.

Experience

Representative Matters

· Mergers and Acquisitions:

- Provided labor and employment advice to Bemis Company Inc. in connection with USD1.2 billion acquisition of Alcan Packaging Food Americas. (2009- 2010).

- Advised Bennis Company Inc. on labor and employment issues related to the divestment of two newly acquired companies; the net sales associated with the facilities to be sold was approximately USD100 million (2010).

- Assisted a global supplier of telecommunications networking equipment, software and services with employment issues associated with the transfer of employees to several countries in connection with the client's USD770 million asset purchase of an ethernet network provider (2009-2010).

· Counseling

- Advised a Fortune 100 Company on a 50-country global audit.

· Litigation

- Successfully defended appeal of Title VII action claiming reverse race discrimination in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

- Obtained jury verdict of USD 2.3 million in defamation trial (Third Chair).

Memberships

· American Bar Association

· Chicago Bar Association

· Illinois State Bar Association

Articles

· "The Amended Mexican Federal Labor Law: Five Changes Employers Should Consider Now," Bloomberg BNA, April 25, 2013

· "The ADA Amendments Act of 2008," The Global Employer, January 2009

· Contributing Author of the 2010, 2011, and 2012 Midwinter Meeting Report of the Fair Labor Standards Act Subcommittee to the ABA Committee on Federal Labor Standards Legislation

· Chapter Editor of the ABA Section of Labor and Emmployment Age Discrimination in Employment Law 2011 Cumulative Supplement

· Contributing Author of Wolters Kluwer International Labour and Employment Compliance Handbook

Labor & Employment Law Blog Articles

· "China Enacts New Employment Law Affecting Employers Who Do Not Directly Employ Their Workers," May 29, 2013

· "Mexican Federal Labor Law Reform: What Companies Doing Business in Mexico Need to Know," May 15, 2013

Speeches

· Speaker, "Four More Years: Are you ready for President Obama's second term?" January 10, 2013

· Speaker, "Do's and Don'ts of Hiring in the U.S.," November 28, 2012

· Presenter, "Social Media: Risks and Rewards," Japan In-House Counsel Network in Tokyo, October 11, 2012

· Speaker, "Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions," 2012

· Speaker, "Domestic and International Do's and Don'ts of Employment Agreements and Offer Letters," June 7, 2012

· Presenter, "Social Media and the Workplace: Employer Challenges with Networking Sites and Privacy," Foreign Women Lawyers' Association in Tokyo, April 2, 2012

· Speaker, "Doing Business Globally: Labor and Employment Issues in Cross-Border M&A Transactions," November 17, 2011

· Speaker, "The Hiring Process: What Every Employer Needs to Know," November 15, 2011

· Presenter, "Effectively Managing Employee Absence, Illness, Injuries and Time Off," Health Care Reform and Other New Realities Facing Healthcare Industry Employers seminar, June 25, 2010

Events

· Live Webcast: Hiring and Firing a Global Workforce: What Keeps Every Employer Up at Night?, July 16, 2013