Achieving business solutions for clients in labor and employment

William Walden helps clients achieve business objectives, manage employment compliance risks and enhance litigation outcomes. In addition to his litigation experience in federal and state court, William regularly defends clients in government agency investigations and leads internal investigations into human resources complaints. William also advises his clients on the full range of HR, talent and people issues, such as:

• Trade secret protection and the enforcement of noncompete agreements
• Leave management and disability accommodation procedures
• Health and safety matters
• Wage and hour compliance
• Employee performance management, discipline and policy design

William's litigation, investigation and HR counseling practices span several industries, including logistics, transportation, food solutions, nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, energy, technology, health care and emerging startups.

Bar Admissions

• Illinois

Education

• Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2012)
  • Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, senior articles editor (2011-2012)

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (B.A., cum laude, 2005)

• "Complex ADA Issues in the Workplace"
• "Don't Smile: Cameras in Long Term Care are Trouble"
• "Green Illinois: One Midwestern State Charts its Own Course on Recreational and Medical Cannabis"
• "Supreme Court Decides When Clock Stops for State Claims"
• "The Keys Are Under the Mat: Closing a Medicare Certified Skilled Nursing Facility"
• 2017 Compliance Deadlines Approach for Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago Sick Leave Laws
• Business Law Training: What’s Around the Corner? Eight Things We’re Watching in Employment Law for 2020
• EEO-1's Are Due. Is Yours Ready?
• EEOC Proposes Compensation Report to Accompany EEO-1 Report
• Employers Take Note: Illinois Minimum Wage Set to Increase in 2020
• Illinois Bill Will Require Employers to Accommodate Pregnant Employees
• Illinois Right to Privacy Act Expanded and Clarified for Employers
• Illinois Supreme Court Confirms BIPA Floodgates Are Open
• Illinois’ New Medical Marijuana Law: Strategies for the Coming Months
• Increasing Awareness of OSHA's Updated COVID-19 Guidance Important for Employers
• Large Fines Assessed Under Chicago and Cook County Paid Sick Leave Ordinances
• New Cook County Ordinance Requires Vaccination Pay for Employees
• New Illinois Bill Would Restrict Use of Criminal Background Checks
• OSHA Online Retaliation Complaint Form is Live and Freely Available
• OSHA Updates its COVID-19 Guidance for Non-Healthcare Industries
• OSHA’s COVID-19 Recording and Reporting Requirements
• Proposed Rules for the Illinois Equal Pay Act Create More Obligations and Confusion for Employers
• Seventh Circuit Settles Open Issue: Can't Contract Around Successor Liability for Federal Wage Claims
• Seventh Circuit: Contradictory Evidence Cannot Be “Admitted” as a “Gotcha” on Summary Judgment
• Supreme Court Charts When Foreign Companies May Be Sued in Illinois: Is the Stream of Commerce Overflowing?
• Time Off From Work For Voting Under Illinois Law
• What Should An Employer Do When It Learns Employees Are Unhappy
• Who Let the Dogs (Cats, Miniature Horses, and Mallard Ducks) In: Navigating Service and Emotional Support Animal Accommodations
• Workplace Transparency Act Creates 2020 To-do List for Illinois Employers
• “Perspectives on Practice”

Seminar

• 2020 Virtual Legal Ethics Seminar
• Attention Government Contractors…2016 OFCCP Compliance Update
• Business Law Training: What's Around the Corner? The Top Eight Things We're Watching in Employment Law for 2020
• Complex ADA Issues in the Workplace
• Complex Legal Issues - Recreational & Medical Cannabis
• IAHA 2019 Annual Health Law Symposium
• Pathways to Success: Corporate Counsel Partner with Chicago Law Firms on Law Diversity
• Video Replay | 2020 Annual Legal Ethics Seminar
• Video Replay | 2020 Annual Legal Ethics Seminar
• What Every GC, Board, and Corporation Needs to Know About Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Part Two: A Call To Action
• Who Let the Dogs (Cats, Miniature Horses, and Mallard Ducks) In: Navigating Service and Emotional Support Animal Accommodations