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Joel W. Rice

Partner


Chicago

t:312.580.7810

f:312.346.3179

Email

Service Focus

  • Class and Collective Actions
  • Employee Defection and Trade Secrets
  • Employment Discrimination and Harassment
  • Litigation and Trials
  • Wage and Hour

Industry Focus

  • Education
  • Energy
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Overview
Credentials
Recognitions
Affiliations
Insights

Overview

Joel Rice is a partner in the Chicago office, with nearly 25 years of experience representing employers. Over the course of his career, Joel has handled the defense of hundreds of employment-related matters before federal/state courts and numerous agencies.

Joel has successfully argued multiple appeals in federal and state courts. He has extensive experience representing employers in complex litigation, including collective and class actions under federal and state wage and hour laws.

Joel has also obtained injunctive relief for employers enforcing restrictive covenant agreements in multiple jurisdictions. 

In addition, Joel counsels employers on all facets of employment law, including leave issues, harassment claims, and pay practices. Joel has assisted businesses in successfully navigating wage and hour investigations brought by federal and state Departments of Labor (DOL).

Joel was credited as an author on an E-Discovery Chapter in Workplace Data: Law and Litigation. The book provides an overview of legal issues associated with employment-related electronically stored information, focusing on discovery issues in particular.

Credentials

Education

  • J.D., 1983, University of Chicago Law School
  • B.A., 1979, Phi Beta Kappa, Wabash College

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Ohio

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Recognitions

  • “AV” Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Award Methodology

Affiliations

Professional Activities

Joel is a member of the Chicago and American Bar Associations (ABA). Joel has authored numerous articles for the Defense Research Institute, ABA publications and for various print and electronic Human Resources publications.  He is a Chapter author for the Thomson-Reuters series “Inside the Minds: Strategies for Appellate Litigation.” Joel is active in the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and has given numerous presentations for the Chamber as well as other business groups on a wide range of employment-related issues.

Joel has also given interviews on a variety of employment-related issues for media outlets ranging from the National Law Journal, New York Times Online, Chicago Tribune, CNN Money, Forbes.com, Workforce Management, Employee Benefits News, Human Resources Executive, Inside Counsel, Human Resources Magazine, and SHRM Online.

Insights

  • Podcasts

    05/31/23

    Podcast – The Fair Labor Standards Act: Administrative White Collar Exemption

    J. Hagood Tighe, Joel W. Rice, Scott Fanning

    Read more 

  • Event

    05/10/23

    Wage and Hour Wednesday – The Fair Labor Standards Act: Administrative White Collar Exemption

    Joel W. Rice, Scott Fanning

    Read more 

  • Insights

    03/03/23

    Top Workplace Law Stories You May Have Missed from February 2023

    Davis C. Bae, Phillip C. Bauknight, Steven M. Bernstein, Michael E. Bonner, Tatiana S. Chiu, Jocelyn Campanaro, Patrick M. Dalin, Anet Drapalski, Michael P. Elkon, Todd Alan Ewan, Benjamin M. Ebbink, Darcey M. Groden, Marty Heller, Corina Johnson, Usama Kahf, Seth D. Kaufman, Todd A. Lyon, Radhika Mehta, Brett P. Owens, Kayla M. Panek, Deniz Uzel Reilly, Joel W. Rice, Craig P. Siegenthaler, Hannah Sweiss, Henry Thomson-Smith, J. Hagood Tighe, Sarah Wieselthier, Megan C. Winter, Franklin Z. Wolf, Jeremy F. Wood

    Read more 

  • Insights

    02/17/23

    Illinois Supreme Court Opens Door for Massive Damage Awards in Biometric Cases: 5 Things Employers Need to Know

    Joel W. Rice, Franklin Z. Wolf

    Read more 

  • Event

    08/10/22

    Wage and Hour Wednesday – Getting Back to (W&H) Basics

    Joel W. Rice, Franklin Z. Wolf

    Read more 

  • Insights

    09/07/21

    The Top 18 Workplace Law Stories from August 2021

    Richard R. Meneghello, Samantha J. Monsees, A. Kevin Troutman, Melissa Camire, Aymara Ledezma, Hannah Sweiss, Lonnie D. Giamela, Jason A. Geller, Brandon Kahoush, Patrick W. Dennison, Amanda M. Blair, Daniel E. Farrington, Alexa Greenbaum, Phillip C. Bauknight, Joshua D. Nadreau, Catharine Morisset, Robert M. Robenalt, James M. Hux Jr., Joel W. Rice, Zinnia Khan

    Read more 

  • Insights

    08/27/21

    7 Key Takeaways for Employers as Illinois Passes Groundbreaking Restrictive Covenant Agreement Law

    James M. Hux Jr., Joel W. Rice

    Read more 

  • Insights

    01/25/21

    Proposed Illinois Law Signals Potential Change On The Horizon For Employers Relying On Restrictive Covenant Agreements

    James M. Hux Jr., Joel W. Rice

    Read more 

  • Insights

    09/17/20

    The Illinois Biometric Landscape Gets Even Tougher For Employers

    Joel W. Rice, Franklin Z. Wolf

    Read more 

  • Publication

    01/10/19

    Chicago Attorneys Tackle Tip Pooling Regulation

    Joel W. Rice

    Read more 

View All 

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