Prominent Labor and Employment Attorney Barry A. Hartstein Joins Littler Mendelson's Chicago Office

CHICAGO, IL (August 16, 2010) – Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, announced today that Barry A. Hartstein, an attorney widely respected for his work on behalf of employers, has joined the firm. Hartstein, former Managing Partner for the Chicago office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, will be a shareholder in Littler's Chicago office.

Hartstein has earned a national reputation for his work, a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of employment law matters. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers around the country in individual and class action claims, as well as wage and hour collective actions. Hartstein is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues.

"We are extremely fortunate to welcome an attorney as highly regarded and talented as Barry Hartstein to the Littler team," said Marko Mrkonich, president and managing director of the firm. "With over three decades of experience in employment law representation and litigation, he will be an invaluable resource for both his colleagues and our clients. Barry embodies the skills and motivation on which the firm is built."

Hartstein has served in a leadership role for many years in the American Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section, including his longstanding role as Co-Chair of the Liaison Committee with the EEOC in Chicago and previous position as Management Co-Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, one of the Section's largest committees. He also has served in a leadership role with Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations as a member of the Dean's Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Scheinman Institute for Dispute Resolution and Executive Committee for the ILR School's Alumni Association, recently completing his term as President of the Association.

"Barry is a valuable addition to our office," said Frederick Schwartz, office managing shareholder of Littler's Chicago office. "His outstanding reputation as an attorney, coupled with his market and employment law expertise, will strengthen our ability to service our clients in not only the Chicago area, but the Midwest region as well."

He has been honored based on his inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, and the Leading Lawyers Network. In June 2010 Hartstein also was honored as one of the "Top 100 Most Powerful Employment Attorneys" in Human Resource Executive and Lawdragon. In 1999, Hartstein was inducted into the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, which recognizes leaders in the field of labor and employment law.

"I am thrilled to be joining the country's largest labor and employment law firm with the ability to service clients virtually anywhere in the U.S, aside from what I expect to be an expanding practice around the globe," Hartstein said. "I also look forward to expanding my practice in the region and around the country and providing clients with the unique platform that distinguishes Littler."

Hartstein received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and California.

About Littler Mendelson

With more than 750 attorneys and 49 offices, Littler Mendelson is the largest U.S.-based law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in employment and labor law matters. As the only U.S. member of the Ius Laboris global alliance, Littler has extensive resources to address the needs of multi-national clients, from navigating international employment laws and labor relations issues to applying corporate policies worldwide. Established in 1942, the Firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record. For more information, visit littler.com.