Shareholder
During her 25+ years as an employment attorney, Ms. Deem has represented senior executives and individuals in a wide variety of employment matters, including severance and employment agreement negotiations, employment discrimination claims and retaliatory discharge cases. Her practice includes handling all types of discrimination and harassment claims, including representing individuals who have been subjected to age, race, gender, disability, national origin, pregnancy and sexual orientation discrimination. Ms. Deem regularly represents clients in all types of employment law forums, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), arbitration, mediation and in federal and state courts.
Ms. Deem has extensive experience representing C-suite and senior executives in job transition and change-of-control situations with drafting and negotiating severance and employment agreements, as well as non-competition agreements, and advising on related executive matters such as shareholder and partnership agreements. She regularly advises C-suite and senior executive clients on equity and compensation issues involving long-term and short-term incentive plans, stock options, restricted stock unit agreements, profit interest units and other equity arrangements.
Ms. Deem currently serves as an Employee Council Member of the American Bar Association Labor & Employment Law (LEL) Section, the Council Liaison to the Railway and Airline Committee of the LEL Section, and the Council Liaison to the Outreach to New and Young Lawyers Committee of the LEL Section. She is a past Employee Co-Chair and current member of the Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee (ERR) of the American Bar Association LEL Section. Ms. Deem is also a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), the Illinois State Bar Association(ISBA), and the Chicago Bar Association (CBA).
In November 2025, Ms. Deem was inducted as a Fellow in The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers (“the College”), a prestigious peer-reviewed law society for labor and employment lawyers from all constituencies. The College was founded in 1995 on the 60th anniversary of the National Labor Relations Board and the 30th anniversary of Title VII and Executive Order 11246, and is a non -profit professional association honoring the leading lawyers nationwide in the practice of Labor and Employment Law.
Since 2012, Ms. Deem has been recognized each year as a top employment attorney by Illinois Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyers. Only the top 5% of lawyers in Illinois are selected as Super Lawyers, using a multi-step evaluation process involving a statewide survey of lawyers, independent panel research and in-depth evaluation of background and experience by practice area. Since 2022, she has been recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers as one of the Top 50 Women Attorneys in Illinois. Since 2025, she has been recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Attorneys in Illinois (across all practice areas).
Ms. Deem is also a frequent presenter and speaker (both in the U.S. and in the U.K.) on a variety of employment law topics.
.png)
Executive Compensation Plan
Lori Deem is an outstanding attorney. I have worked with her on two different situations (negotiating an exit package from my former employer and reviewing an executive compensation package for a new CEO role). She is extremely knowledgeable and responsive and I have already referred her to 3 other people in similar situations in the last month. I would strongly recommend Lori Deem.
Workplace harassment and sexual discrimination
Lori took my call when her schedule was packed. Not only did she initially speak to me on a non-billable basis, but despite her busy schedule, she listened wholeheartedly. I felt heard and supported throughout months of discourse and negotiation. More than anything, Lori was tenacious in defending my interests, and she encouraged me to continue when I doubted that my experiences warranted legal recourse. She had the utmost patience and grace from the beginning of our process until the end. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I was elated to have such a strong, brilliant woman representing me in my time of need. Lori is irreplaceable. Although I do not wish for anyone to encounter the obstacles I have, it is my hope that whomever is in need has Lori on his/ her side. I am certain that if they do, Lori will treat them with the dignity, respect, and compassion that has led me to trust her with my livelihood.
Severance Agreement Negotiation
Lori is the best. She really listened to me when I presented her with my situation, quickly discerned the legally significant events, and ultimately secured a more generous and fair severance package. Lori is incredibly knowledgeable about the legal options that are available and perhaps more importantly, she has expert instincts about how to approach opposing counsel. She achieved a positive outcome without unnecessary escalation and that was really important to me. I felt well-represented and recommend her without reservation. On a personal note, Lori really cares and our conversations were very affirming which helped me process and catalog this experience in a healthy way.
Assessing if any legal action was required as I exited my previous employer in March of 2023.
Lori was very thorough and spent the necessary time to help me assess all my legal rights and options as I left my previous company. She took the time to listen to my side of the story, while educating me on what a realistic outcome would/could be that was in my best interest.
I would definitely utilize Lori for future issues or concerns.
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Juris Doctor (1998) ; Loyola University Chicago Law Journal: Member (1997), Student Articles Editor (1998)
Xavier University, Bachelor of Arts (1995), Summa Cum Laude – Major: Organizational Communication
Illinois Supreme Court (1998)
Northern District of Illinois
Included on the Illinois Super Lawyers® list (2012-2024)
Recognized as a Leading Lawyer by Leading Lawyers Network (2012 - present)
Selected by Lawdragon 500 as Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyer (2018-2026) and Civil Rights Lawyer (2021-2026)
Best Lawyers® – Recognized in Employment Law - Individuals (2024)
Recognized as Top 50 Women Illinois Super Lawyers® (2024)
Member, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
Member, Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
Member, Chicago Bar Association (CBA)
Employee Co-Chair, Trial Institute and Membership Development Committees of the American Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section
Past Employee Co-Chair and Member, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee (ERR) of the American Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section
“#MeToo in the Law: A panel discussion on sexual harassment in the legal workplace,” CLE Seminar (2019)
“A View from the Other Side: Employee Relations and Investigations Mistakes and Best Practices from the Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Webinar (2018)
“Issues in Employment Law: Harassment,” Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (2018)
“Sexual Harassment in the Workplace,” Gender and the Law Symposium (2018)
“Strong Foundations Build Strong Cases: Covenants Not to Compete and Trade Secrets,” Employment Rights and Responsibilities Midwinter Meeting (2018)
“2018 Legal Trends from a Plaintiff Attorney’s Perspective,” Employee Relations Roundtable (2018)
“How to Minimize Risks Associated with Internal Investigations,” Annual Conference (2018)
“The Changing World of Harassment and Discrimination,” American Bar Association, Section of Labor & Employment, Annual Meeting (2018)
“Litigating Executive Departures: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” 12th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference (2018)
“What Every In-House Counsel Needs to Know About Internal Investigations,” Webinar (2017)
“Investigations & HR: What You Need to Know,” Northern Illinois Chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (NISHRM) (2017)
“Legal Update – Plaintiff’s Employment Attorney Perspective,” Employee Relations Roundtable (2017)
“Legal Update,” Employee Relations Roundtable (2017)
“Investigations Best Practices,” Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (2016)
“Pay No Attention to the (Wo)man Behind the Curtain: A Frank Discussion Regarding Investigation Advice from the Defense and Plaintiff’s Perspectives,” Annual Conference (2016)
“Confidentiality, Waivers and Similar Settlement Agreement Provisions Under Scrutiny: Tell Me About Your Settlement Agreement,” 10th Annual Labor & Employment CLE Conference (2016)
English
