Laura A. Balson

Laura is the managing partner of the firm’s Chicago office. She has broad experience counseling and advising employers across industries to help them manage and minimize risk. She conducts employment practice audits to identify unknown liabilities and assists in due diligence review during corporate transactions. Laura is also an experienced litigator who zealously represents employers in front of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Cook County Commission on Human Rights, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations and other state and local administrative agencies. She acts as lead trial counsel on litigation in both state and federal courts and has argued appellate cases before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Laura also has extensive experience defending class and individual claims under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”). Though BIPA became law in 2008, as biometric technology has become more and more common in the workplace, there has been a substantial rise in BIPA-related lawsuits, and Laura works with employers and insurers on compliance efforts, litigation defense and class settlement strategies.

Laura excels at translating complex legal concepts into practical recommendations that are actionable by business owners and executives. Her approach is rooted in a commitment to understanding how legal issues impact the client’s business.

Laura is a sought-after speaker and writer on new legal developments impacting employers. She also regularly conducts seminars and training sessions for client employees, including mandatory sexual harassment prevention training and diversity, equity and inclusion training.

• Emerging Lawyer, Leading Lawyers Magazine (2015-2020)
• Leading Lawyer, Leading Lawyers Magazine (2022)
• Illinois Super Lawyers^® Rising Star (2010-2020)
• Illinois Super Lawyers^® (2022-2024)
• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^® for Employment Law - Management (2024-2025)
• Chambers USA Guide^® (2024)

• American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
• Federal Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• Chicago Bar Association
• ProVisors - Chicago
• Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women (Downtown Chicago Chapter President, 2007-2008)
• Society of Human Resource Professionals (Chicago Diversity Committee Leadership Team, 2015)

Laura lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two children. She loves cooking for others and if she wasn’t a lawyer, she would have become a professional chef.

• "Breakdown of BIPA, GIPA, and More for Employers," Mountain Leverage's Heads Up Podcast, March 2024
• "When Confidentiality and Whistleblowing Collide," the American Bar Association's 17th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, November 2023
• “Can Employers Incentivize or Mandate Employee Vaccinations,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, April 2021
• “Employment Attorney Q&A: HR Considerations for Keeping Return to Office Compliant,” presented with LaSalle Network, June 2020
• “Salary Negotiation Seminar,” presented at Modern Capital Concepts, February 2020
• “Equal Pay and Minimum Wage Wars,” presented with Melissa Josephs of Women Employed at Women Empowering Women In Local Legislation Annual Conference, October 2018
• "New Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Laws," presented at Alper Services, May 2018
• "What You Need to Know About BIPA (Biometric Information Privacy Act)," presented at the Illinois Paralegal Association's Spring Education Conference, April 2018
• "Independent Contractor vs. Employee: Perspectives from an Employment Attorney," presented at the Illinois State Bar Association Federal Tax Update Conference, February 2015
• “The Gender Pay Gap and Why It Persists,” interview with Dean Reynolds on the CBS Evening News, April 2014
• "Social Media in the Workplace," presented at Bates College, June 2012
• "The Wage Gap: What We Can Do About It," presented at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Training Institute, August 2011