Laura A. White is a partner with Smith O'Callaghan White and has extensive experience advising corporations in employment-related litigation. She has in-depth knowledge of the employment discrimination laws, employer compliance and federal and state court litigation in the employment law arena.
Ms. White holds the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for ethics and legal ability. Ms. White was selected by her peers and recognized as an Illinois Rising Star in Labor and Employment Law in 2008 and 2009, and an Illinois Super Lawyer for 11 consecutive years from 2010 to 2020, and again in 2023 and 2024. www.superlawyers.com In addition, she is a Leading Lawyer in Illinois, named by her peers as a top lawyer in the category of Employment Law: Management. www.leadinglawyers.com
Ms. White has been a partner with Smith O'Callaghan White since its formation, and was previously an associate with Kessler Smith Powen. Prior to her years in private practice, Ms. White gained legal experience with the University of Dayton Office of Legal Affairs and was an attorney with Loyola University of Chicago's Office of the General Counsel.
Ms. White represents employers in numerous federal court and administrative agency proceedings, involving allegations of race discrimination, sex discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, age discrimination, disability discrimination and state handicap discrimination, to name a few. She consistently obtains favorable resolutions to discrimination and harassment charges and complaints filed with various federal, state and local fair employment practices agencies, including the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the City of Chicago Commission on Human Rights, the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, and the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, among others. Ms. White was a member of the defense team representing one of the first corporations to be sued under the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"), a case that resulted in the first matter to be heard by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals interpreting the FMLA. She also recently obtained the dismissal of FMLA and retaliatory discharge claims in a matter involving novel interpretation of judicial estoppel arguments.
Ms. White actively counsels employers on navigating the requirements of the ADA to ensure statutory compliance in dealing with employees with alleged disabilities and requests for reasonable accommodation. Ms. White's record of success in obtaining dismissal or summary judgment on ADA and other discrimination claims is a direct result of her expertise in the area of employment discrimination law and her impassioned result-oriented approach to representing her clients. Most recently, Ms. White has secured victory for her clients in contentious litigation involving alleged pattern and practice claims of age and disability discrimination in federal court, as well as numerous EEOC investigations.
Ms. White also represents employers in breach of employment contract litigation, wrongful discharge claims, wage and hour claims, including the recent vindication of an employer in a wage claim in which the employee abused the judicial process, and employment-related torts, such as employee theft and wrongdoing and workplace defamation. She frequently provides critical counseling to her clients on problematic discipline and termination decisions in order to limit potential exposure and liability.
