Laura Friedel, ’98 named one of Illinois’ “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch”

Levenfeld Pearlstein LLC is pleased to announce that Laura B. Friedel, a partner in its Labor & Employment Practice Group, has been named one of Illinois’ “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch” for 2011 by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, publishers of Chicago Lawyer magazine and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Ms. Friedel, 37, is featured along with other recognized attorneys in a special supplement to the publication that is currently available.

“Laura is simply an exceptional attorney and business advisor to her clients, with a level of skill and savvy that belies her relatively young age,” said Bryan I. Schwartz, Levenfeld Pearlstein’s chairman. “While many of her clients routinely tell us how valuable she is to their organizations, it is gratifying to see them go out of their way to nominate her for a such a prestigious honor.”

Celebrating its 11th Anniversary in 2011, Law Bulletin Publishing’s “40 Under 40” is an annual survey conducted to determine who Illinois attorneys believe are the “up and comers” of law in Illinois. To maintain objectivity, attorneys cannot nominate themselves or attorneys from their own law firm, corporation or public entity. The strength of each nomination is evaluated based on a number of criteria, including the reputation of the nominator, the professional relationship between the nominator and the nominee, and the nominator’s first-hand knowledge of the nominee’s experience, skill, and character.

In selecting Ms. Friedel for its list, Law Bulletin Publishing notes, “clients value Ms. Friedel because she does not waste time and she approaches each problem with a business-oriented mind.”

“Laura’s technical skills are superior and she has assisted us with the satisfactory resolution of numerous matters,” says Jason Romick, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Hub International, who often calls on Ms. Friedel for advice in running his organization. “What most impresses me about Laura and differentiates her from her peers, however, is her ability to articulate a legal issue succinctly and propose practical, business-oriented solutions. In my experience, many outside counsel, while adept at identifying legal issues, are unable to resolve them in a timely, efficient manner.”

Ms. Friedel provides business-focused, practical advice across a full spectrum of labor and employment issues – including union/management relations, reductions in force, wage and hour compliance, whistleblower issues, discrimination, employment-related agreements, restrictive covenants and temporary-staffing relationships. She works with clients to develop and implement employment policies and practices in order to avoid disputes, and represents companies before state and federal courts and government agencies.