David B. Ritter

A direct communicator, David is valued by clients and colleagues alike for providing practical and on-point legal advice, clear answers to complex questions, and workable business solutions. With more than 30 years of experience representing public and private companies, as well as nonprofit entities, David has counseled clients in service and manufacturing industries, ranging from hospitality to healthcare to logistics, financial services and auto.

David defends employers faced with state or federal claims under a wide range of employment laws, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, restrictive covenants, breach of contract and employment torts. David routinely represents clients before governmental agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and similar state agencies. David has handled matters in most of the 50 United States.

David counsels and advises high-level executives on issues related to employment agreements, separation agreements and restrictive covenants. In addition, he handles affirmative action plans and employment issues related to corporate transactions. He counsels employers on day-to-day employment issues, as well as assists in employee training related to employment issues. David is experienced at resolving complicated legal issues and disputes in a timely and efficient manner.

With an undergraduate degree in human resources from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, David worked as an employee relations assistant at Exxon Mobil (f/k/a Mobil Oil Corporation) prior to his legal career. This experience provides David credibility with human resources and other in-house professionals because he understands, from hands-on experience, the challenges that managing a workforce presents.

In addition, David co-chairs the firm’s national Logistics and Transportation practice group. David is a regular contributor to presentations and publications, providing thought leadership on a wide range of employment law topics. He is a frequent writer and lecturer for the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the International Personnel Management Association-Human Resources, LexisNexis and many other organizations.