Harbrook & Vance
A woman in a winter coat sits at a long table by a window over the Chicago River, holding a coffee, late afternoon light on her face.

Employment lawyers for workers · Chicago

What happened to you has a name in the law.

Fired after you complained. Harassed while HR looked away. Pushed out after medical leave. Paid for forty hours when you worked fifty-five. We represent employees, never companies, and we'll tell you plainly whether you have a case.

Tell us what happened How it works

Free and confidential. About five minutes. You pick a time for us to call.

  • We only represent workers
  • No fee unless we recover for you
  • Serving Illinois since 2007

The record

Companies know us. That's useful to you.

For nineteen years we've sat across the table from Chicago's employers, their insurers, and the large defense firms they hire. They know we prepare every case as if it will be tried in front of a jury, because sometimes it is. That preparation is usually why they settle.

  • $214 millionrecovered for our clients
  • 2,600+workers represented
  • 19 yearsrepresenting employees only
  • 0companies ever represented

A few of the people we've stood beside

$4.2 millionJury verdict

A warehouse supervisor in Joliet reported forklift injuries his managers were hiding from OSHA. He was fired eleven days later. A Cook County jury found the firing was retaliation.

$1.85 millionSettlement

Fourteen nurses at a suburban hospital system were told to clock out for meal breaks they never got to take. We recovered three years of unpaid overtime for the whole unit, plus penalties.

$960,000Settlement

A regional sales director was let go two weeks after telling her manager she was pregnant. The company called it a restructuring. Her performance reviews, and his text messages, said otherwise.

$612,000Settlement

A logistics analyst took twelve weeks of family leave to care for his father. When he came back, his job had been "eliminated" and reposted under a new title. That is what the Family and Medical Leave Act forbids.

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case turns on its own facts.

"They were the first people who didn't make me feel like I was overreacting."

Former client, discrimination case, 2024

What we handle

If it happened at work, start here.

Most people don't come to us knowing what their claim is called. They come knowing something was wrong. These are the situations we see most.

Wrongful termination

Fired right after you complained, got hurt, filed a claim, or refused to break a rule. Illinois lets employers fire for many reasons, but not for an illegal one, and the timing often tells the story.

The law: Illinois retaliatory discharge, Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Illinois Human Rights Act

Harassment & discrimination

Treated worse, passed over, or driven out because of your race, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. That includes harassment HR heard about and did nothing to stop.

The law: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Unpaid wages & overtime

Working through lunch off the clock, being called "salaried" so you're never paid overtime, tips taken, or a final paycheck that never came. Wage claims often reach back years, and they can be brought for a whole group of coworkers.

The law: the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act

Retaliation & whistleblowing

Punished for reporting fraud, safety violations, harassment, or unpaid wages, or for refusing to go along. A demotion, a cut schedule, or a sudden string of write-ups can be retaliation, even if you weren't fired.

The law: the Illinois Whistleblower Act, federal whistleblower protections, and the anti-retaliation rules inside nearly every employment law

Medical & family leave

Denied leave you were owed, or pushed out after you took it for a new baby, your own surgery, or a parent's illness. If your job vanished while you were gone, that deserves a hard look.

The law: the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act

Not sure which of these fits? That's normal. Describe it in your own words and we'll sort out the law.

Tell us what happened
A man in a work jacket explains his situation across a table to an attorney taking notes.

How it works

From your first message to a real answer, usually within two business days.

  1. 1. Tell us what happened

    A few questions and space to write it in your own words. Rough is fine. You don't need documents yet.

  2. 2. Pick a time for a call

    Choose a 30-minute slot that works for you, including early mornings and evenings. Phone or video, your choice.

  3. 3. An attorney reviews it first

    Before we call, an attorney reads what you sent. You won't have to tell your story from the beginning to a stranger with a script.

  4. 4. You get a straight answer

    On the call we'll tell you whether we think you have a case, what it might be worth, and the deadlines that apply to you. If we're not the right firm, we'll say so and try to point you to one that is.

The first call is free. If we take your case, we're paid only if we recover money for you.

Don't wait too long. Some employment claims must be filed within 300 days, and a few within 30.

Who you'll talk to

Lawyers who have only ever been on one side.

Ruth Harbrook

Founding Partner

Ruth has tried more than forty employment cases to verdict, most of them retaliation and discrimination claims against employers with far bigger legal budgets. Before founding the firm in 2007, she spent eight years representing union members in grievance and arbitration work. She still reads every new inquiry that comes in on a Monday.

Marcus Vance

Founding Partner

Marcus leads the firm's wage and overtime practice, including collective actions that have recovered back pay for hospital staff, delivery drivers, warehouse crews, and call-center workers across northern Illinois. He began his career as a public-interest lawyer representing low-wage workers on the West Side.

Priya Raman

Partner

Priya handles discrimination, pregnancy, and medical-leave cases, and she is the attorney most of our FMLA clients first speak with. She joined Harbrook & Vance in 2014 and became a partner in 2021. She sits on the Chicago committee of a statewide association of plaintiff-side employment lawyers.

Our team includes eleven attorneys and a dedicated intake staff. Every new matter is reviewed by an attorney, never only by a call center.

Questions people ask before they call

What does this cost?

The first call costs nothing. If we take your case, we usually work on contingency, which means we're paid a share of what we recover. If we don't recover, you don't pay us.

Will my employer find out I contacted you?

No. What you share is confidential, and we never contact your employer without your permission.

I still work there. Can I still talk to you?

Yes, and it's often the best time. It's illegal for an employer to retaliate against you for consulting a lawyer.

I signed something when I left. Is it too late?

Not necessarily. Some agreements don't cover every claim, and some aren't enforceable. Bring it to the call and we'll read it.

What if I don't have proof?

Most people don't have a file ready. Your own account is evidence, and much of what proves a case comes out later, from the company's own records.

Free case review

Tell us what happened.

Take your time. There are no wrong answers here, and nothing you share is sent to your employer.

A legal pad of handwritten notes, a fountain pen, a folded pay stub and a cup of coffee on a wooden table.

Step 1 of 5

Which of these sounds closest to what happened?

Choose any that apply. Many situations involve more than one.

Pick whichever feels closest. You can explain the rest on the next step.

If you can, use your own phone or computer, not a work device.

Private and confidential. Only our attorneys and intake staff read this.

You don't have to figure this out alone.

Book a free call