Labor and Employment Law

Mr. Theobald has represented hundreds of clients on a wide variety of labor and employment litigation.   As the attorney for the Chicago Cook County Sheriff, he advised the Sheriff on many labor and employment issues such as the Shakman decree, established the first mandatory drug testing program for law enforcement officers in Chicago’s Cook County, and negotiated original collective bargaining agreements with the Sheriff’s Police and Court Services Departments.

Additionally, he has handled numerous other employment and labor issues including breach of employment contract, disciplinary hearings, administrative review, sex harassment, sex discrimination, age discrimination, race discrimination, national origin discrimination, and disability discrimination.

Notable Achievements:

The first successful challenge to the Chicago Police Department’s mandatory retirement age.

The first successful political employment discrimination case brought by a public employee exempt from protections of the Shakman decree.

The successful challenge to the discriminatory promotion practices by the Chief of the Chicago Police Department in the command ranks.

The successful challenge to the Chicago Board of Education’s alleged reform policy to “remediate” teachers of the Chicago Public schools in order to “re-culture” their staffs.

The successful representation of a female plaintiff against her former employer for sexual discrimination, battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Victory in the Supreme Court:  Madigan v. Levin, 12-872.  We argued before the United States Supreme Court that the Court affirm the 7th Circuit decision in our client’s favor in Levin v. Madigan, 692 F. 3d 607 (7th Circuit).  The Supreme Court dismissed Madigan’s petition as improvidently granted which left the 7th Circuit’s decision intact, and returned the case for trial in the district court.