Jake combines more than 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer with a background of high-level human resources leadership experience to provide unique versatility in counseling and representing clients in all aspects of labor and employment law and human resources practices. Jake’s litigation work includes, employment discrimination, traditional labor, and wage and hour cases. Jake also counsels clients on labor and employment law compliance and policy design and also advises human resources professionals on imaginative solutions to difficult workplace problems. Jake's practice also includes negotiating collective bargaining agreements, conducting workplace investigations, representing clients in business disputes, and representing social media companies in litigation over site content. Jake also advises and represents individual clients, including negotiating executive employment agreements.
Jake honed his trial skills over the course of 26 jury trials in both state and federal courts, more than 100 bench trials and contested motions, and over 75 labor arbitrations across the United States. Jake has also represented clients and conducted hearings before administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and multiple state agencies.
Before joining Cozen O'Connor in 2017, Jake served as the executive director of employee and labor relations for the University of Chicago, where he led a six-person team responsible for advising university human resources professionals, faculty, and administrators on the full range of labor and employment issues for union and non-union employees. In this role, Jake also served as the university's chief labor strategist and negotiator. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Jake was in private practice at Meckler Bulger Tilson.
Jake began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Justice John J. Bowman of the Illinois Appellate Court. He also served as a Cook County (Illinois) assistant state's attorney for nine years, assigned first to the Civil Bureau’s Labor and Employment Unit and later to the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau, where he rotated between courtroom and non-courtroom assignments, focusing on the prosecution of violent crimes, including homicides and sex offenses.