Mr. Wilmes has obtained tens of millions of dollars on behalf of individuals whose rights were violated by their employer. For example, he represented 11 female paramedics who were denied jobs with the Chicago Fire Department due to discriminatory physical tests, and he helped settle the case for over $10 million. He also represented a class of African American temporary staffing workers who were denied jobs due to their race. After the Court certified the claims as a class action, the case settled for $11 million. Mr. Wilmes also has represented dozens of other clients who were fired from jobs because of their gender, race, or disability.
Mr. Wilmes is particularly knowledgeable about the rights of individuals who have been misclassified as independent contractors in the trucking and delivery driver industry. He has helped thousands of workers recover settlements after trucking or delivery companies stole their wages through unlawful deductions, refused to pay overtime wages, or denied them other benefits of the employment relationship. Mr. Wilmes has also successfully litigated and settled myriad of other unpaid wages cases, including overtime rate miscalculation cases, unpaid vacation pay cases, and illegal tip pool cases.
Mr. Wilmes also frequently represents clients in housing matters. He has represented public housing residents in housing conditions and rent overpayment cases, and he has litigated claims against landlords that systemically fail to address maintenance issues.
Mr. Wilmes has prevailed in a jury trial against the City of Chicago in an employment discrimination case and successfully argued cases in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the Illinois Appellate Court. In 2024, the EEOC appointed Mr. Wilmes to act as a consent decree monitor in the matter of EEOC v. SmartTalent, LLC (W.D. Wash.). Mr. Wilmes is also appointed to work as a Special Attorney General for the State of Illinois.
Prior to joining HSPRD, Mr. Wilmes clerked for two federal judges, the Honorable Matthew Kennelly of the Northern District of Illinois, and the Honorable Joel Flaum of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. After completing these two clerkships, Mr. Wilmes was awarded a prestigious Skadden Public Interest Fellowship and spent two years working for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, providing free civil legal services to underprivileged residents of Chicago.
