The Employment Law & HR Summit: Chicago

April 23, 2026
Chicago

The Employment Law & HR Summit
Chicago | April 23, 2026

 

The Midwest has emerged as one of the most dynamic and closely scrutinized regions in U.S. HR and employment law, driven by rising litigation trends, evolving state-specific mandates, and stepped-up enforcement across key regulatory areas. The Employment Law & HR Summit in Chicago convenes senior in-house legal and HR leaders from across the Midwest for intensive strategic planning, cutting-edge legal analysis, and practical implementation frameworks for HR and Legal leaders designed to navigate the region’s complex and evolving compliance landscape.

Employers must balance multi-state compliance obligations while anticipating federal regulatory shifts. This summit empowers organizations to strengthen compliance infrastructure, optimize risk management strategies, and lead confidently into 2026.

The agenda addresses the Midwest’s most urgent legal, HR, and operational priorities, from navigating pay equity compliance and emerging pay transparency mandates to developing adaptive policies for AI-driven recruitment and evolving biometric data governance. Participants will build strategies for coordinating multi-jurisdictional leave administration, strengthening discrimination prevention frameworks, and preparing for heightened enforcement from state labor departments and the EEOC.

Exclusively designed for General Counsel, Chief Human Resources Officers, Employment Litigation Counsel, Corporate Legal Executives, and Senior HR leaders, this summit offers privileged access to regional legal intelligence, strategic peer benchmarking, and forward-looking compliance models. It is a critical opportunity to anticipate regulatory shifts, reduce litigation exposure, and architect workforce strategies that are legally sound, culturally inclusive, and future-ready.

* 5 Hrs IL State CLE

Key Topics
  • Performance Management Evolution: Trends Shaping the Workplace
  • Discrimination and Harassment Claims: What Every Employer Needs to Know
  • Litigation-Proofing the Workplace: Audits, Claims & Compliance Risk
  • Pay Transparency & Equity: What’s Coming and How to Prepare
  • Wrongful Termination: Reducing Risks and Legal Pitfalls
  • Training Mandates & Best Practices in Workplace Education
Attendees
  • Chief Legal Officer
  • CHRO
  • C-Suite Executives
  • SVP Human Resources + Legal
  • General Counsel
  • Associate + Assistant General Counsel
  • VP, Human Resources + Legal
  • HR Director
  • Senior Employment Counsel
  • Corporate Counsel
  • Counsel

Agenda

7:50 am
Registration Opens + Breakfast + One-to-One Meetings

One-to-One Meetings begin. If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com

8:50 am
Opening Comments
9:00 am
Discrimination and Harassment Claims: What Every Employer Needs to Know

Midwest employers operate in an increasingly complex regulatory environment, with expanding state-level protections, active enforcement agencies, and rising plaintiff-side litigation across the region. With evolving mandates around harassment prevention training, expanded whistleblower protections, and heightened expectations for DEI accountability, even minor missteps can create significant liability exposure. This panel will equip legal and HR leaders with the strategies needed to navigate multi-state compliance challenges, ensure policy alignment across jurisdictions, and protect their organizations through proactive prevention and response.

This Panel Will Discuss:

  • Key updates across Midwest state human rights and civil rights laws

  • Required harassment prevention training mandates and retaliation protections

  • Navigating investigations with legal precision across multiple jurisdictions

  • Risk factors in hybrid workplaces, including digital harassment and oversight challenges

  • Lessons from recent Midwest case law and practical approaches to conflict resolution and defense

Judith Dever
Director - Legal Counsel, Litigation and Employment
JLL
Aneta Turek
Human Resources Director
E80 Group
9:45 am
Litigation-Proofing the Workplace: Audits, Claims & Compliance Risk

Employers across the Midwest face an evolving patchwork of labor laws and enforcement priorities. From wage and hour developments and pay equity enforcement to biometric privacy litigation and class-action risk, the cost of non-compliance can be substantial. This panel will provide regional legal and HR leaders with actionable tools to identify and correct compliance gaps, strengthen internal controls, and build defensible frameworks that withstand scrutiny across multiple states.

This Panel Will Explore:

  • Top risk areas for Midwest employers, including pay equity, misclassification, biometric privacy, and retaliation claims

  • Conducting internal audits aligned with both state labor departments and federal enforcement priorities

  • Documentation practices that support consistent enforcement and mitigate liability

  • Leveraging training and policy clarity to create a litigation-resistant workplace culture

Laura Platt
Employment & Litigation Counsel
Univar Solutions
Chelsea Smialek
Corporate Counsel II, Labor and Employment
HARMAN International
Elliot Molk
Vice President of Corporate Development, General Counsel
Mizkan America
10:30 am
Networking Break + One-to-One Meetings

If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com

11:10 am
Pay Transparency & Equity: What’s Coming and How to Prepare

Pay transparency and equity requirements continue to expand across the Midwest and nationally. While some states are adopting proactive reporting and disclosure mandates, others are strengthening enforcement through litigation and administrative review. Employers operating across state lines must ensure their compensation practices are equitable, defensible, and adaptable to evolving legal standards.

This panel will guide HR and legal leaders through building audit-ready systems, meeting multi-state obligations, and implementing transparent pay practices that align with both compliance and employee trust.

This Panel Will Discuss:

  • Emerging pay transparency legislation and enforcement trends across Midwest states

  • Structuring defensible pay equity audits that identify and remediate disparities

  • Designing equitable compensation frameworks that withstand regulatory scrutiny

  • Communicating pay ranges and compensation philosophy across jurisdictions

  • Managing legal risk tied to discrimination claims and intersectional pay equity challenges

Kathleen Flaherty
Director – Legal Counsel, Employment
JLL
Trisha Cole
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Medtelligent
Youmna El
Region Director - Midwest, HRBP
Sysco
11:55 am
Wrongful Termination: Reducing Risks and Legal Pitfalls

Employers across the Midwest face heightened exposure to wrongful termination and retaliation claims due to expanding employee protections, whistleblower statutes, and active enforcement at both state and federal levels. Even in at-will employment states, inconsistencies in documentation or communication can lead to costly disputes.

This panel will help HR and legal professionals strengthen termination protocols, from compliance and documentation to employee communication and policy development—ensuring employment decisions are consistent, defensible, and aligned with evolving regional mandates.

This Panel Will Discuss:

  • State-specific retaliation risks, leave laws, whistleblower protections, and discrimination statutes

  • Documentation protocols that support fair and consistent decision-making

  • Conducting separation conversations to minimize bias-related claims

  • Building standardized internal procedures for multi-state operations

Nick Cholis
Associate General Counsel - Labor and Employment
Invenergy
Ashley Reiner
VP, Human Resources Business Partner
ABN AMRO Clearing USA
Sunghee Sohn
Assistant General Counsel
Griffith Foods
12:40 pm
Lunch + Networking + One-to-One Meetings

If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com

1:30 pm
Immigration Fireside Chat with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Staci M. Jenkins
Partner
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
2:05 pm
Performance Management Evolution: Trends Shaping the Workplace

As Midwest employers adapt to expanding worker protections and increased scrutiny around fairness and transparency, traditional performance reviews are no longer sufficient. Organizations operating across multiple states must ensure their performance systems align with anti-discrimination laws, pay equity standards, and emerging AI governance considerations.

This panel will explore how regional employers are implementing continuous feedback models, leveraging AI tools responsibly, and aligning performance tracking with compliance obligations and broader workforce strategies.

This Panel Will Discuss:

  • Moving beyond annual reviews to structured, equitable feedback systems

  • Integrating digital tools and AI while mitigating algorithmic bias

  • Connecting performance data to compensation, promotion, and pay equity initiatives

  • Creating transparent review processes that build trust across multi-state teams

Jemelle Cunningham
EWR Director, US Commercial
AbbVie
Iloma Simmons
Senior Manger, HR Field Operations
Kemper
Barbara Dunlap
Chief Employment Counsel
Accertify
2:50 pm
Training Mandates & Best Practices in Workplace Education

Training requirements vary across Midwest states, with some mandating harassment prevention education and others imposing industry-specific compliance obligations. With increasing scrutiny on workplace culture and documentation practices, employers must ensure their training programs are both legally compliant and strategically impactful.

This session will provide practical guidance for meeting diverse state mandates while building training programs that reinforce culture, reduce risk, and support defensible compliance.

This Panel Will Discuss:

  • Comparing harassment prevention and compliance training mandates across Midwest jurisdictions

  • Using technology and LMS systems to manage multi-state training requirements

  • Designing culturally aware, interactive, and legally aligned training programs

  • Documentation and recordkeeping practices that withstand audits and litigation

Kiran Advani
General Counsel
SQN Associates
Dawn Blume
Sr. Director, Associate General Counsel, Labor Relations and Employment Litigation
Woodward, Inc.
Christopher Owoyemi
Director of Labor Relations
United Airlines
3:35 pm
Fireside Chat with Seyfarth Shaw LLP: A Guide to Employer’s Managing Cultural Flashpoints
Sam M. Schwartz-Fenwick
Partner, Labor & Employment
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
4:10 pm
Networking Break + One-on-One Meetings

If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com

4:20 pm
Cocktail Roundtables

Rotating, 20-minute discussions hosted by a topic expert.

RT 1: Wage & Hour Watchouts: Avoiding Costly Compliance Mistakes

RT 2: Immigration Insights: Navigating Today’s Challenges

RT 3: Non-Competes Under Fire: What You Need to Know

RT 4: Litigation Landmines: How to Stay Out of the Courtroom

5:40 pm
Closing Comments

Speakers

Christopher Owoyemi
Director of Labor Relations
United Airlines
Jemelle Cunningham
EWR Director, US Commercial
AbbVie
Judith Dever
Director - Legal Counsel, Litigation and Employment
JLL
Kathleen Flaherty
Director – Legal Counsel, Employment
JLL
Trisha Cole
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Medtelligent
Nick Cholis
Associate General Counsel - Labor and Employment
Invenergy
Laura Platt
Employment & Litigation Counsel
Univar Solutions
Kiran Advani
General Counsel
SQN Associates
Chelsea Smialek
Corporate Counsel II, Labor and Employment
HARMAN International
Aneta Turek
Human Resources Director
E80 Group
Staci M. Jenkins
Partner
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Iloma Simmons
Senior Manger, HR Field Operations
Kemper
Barbara Dunlap
Chief Employment Counsel
Accertify
Elliot Molk
Vice President of Corporate Development, General Counsel
Mizkan America
Dawn Blume
Sr. Director, Associate General Counsel, Labor Relations and Employment Litigation
Woodward, Inc.
Youmna El
Region Director - Midwest, HRBP
Sysco
Ashley Reiner
VP, Human Resources Business Partner
ABN AMRO Clearing USA
Sunghee Sohn
Assistant General Counsel
Griffith Foods
Sam M. Schwartz-Fenwick
Partner, Labor & Employment
Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Sponsors

Venue

Voco Chicago Downtown

350 West Wolf Point Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654

Pricing

Register By In House Counsel Law Firms & Vendors
April 23, 2026 $395.00 Please contact info@centerforceusa.com
Term and Conditions / Payment Policy
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