Chloé G. Pedersen
Chloé concentrates her practice on civil litigation and the representation of employers in a full range of labor and employment matters. She counsels and trains clients on labor and employment management issues including employee retention, discipline and separation (severance and termination), performance management, workplace investigations, policy development and enforcement, employment agreements, work place accommodations, FMLA, FLSA and wage and hour issues. Chloé represents employers in state and federal court in litigation involving claims of wrongful discharge, harassment and discrimination claims under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, National Labor Relations Act, Railway Labor Act (RLA), Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) Whistleblower law and other statutes. She also represents railroads in matters brought pursuant to the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA). In addition to litigation advocacy, she represents carriers in collective bargaining negotiations and arbitrations before the NRAB and various public law boards.
Prior to joining Fletcher & Sippel, Chloé was the Chief Legal & Labor Counsel for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. As the legal advisor to the Recorder she counseled on the development and enforcement of office policy, program execution, and public relations and legislative platforms. She represented management in collective bargaining and arbitrations, investigations of employee misconduct, and disciplinary actions. Chloé previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Illinois Attorney General’s Government Representation Division and provided legal representation for the state, state agencies, state officers and employees in civil litigation. Her primary focus was on civil rights and labor and employment issues including cases premised upon Title VII, 42 USC §1983, and 42 USC §1981.
Chloé concentrates her practice on civil litigation and the representation of employers in a full range of labor and employment matters. She counsels and trains clients on labor and employment management issues including employee retention, discipline and separation (severance and termination), performance management, workplace investigations, policy development and enforcement, employment agreements, work place accommodations, FMLA, FLSA and wage and hour issues. Chloé represents employers in state and federal court in litigation involving claims of wrongful discharge, harassment and discrimination claims under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, National Labor Relations Act, Railway Labor Act (RLA), Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) Whistleblower law and other statutes. She also represents railroads in matters brought pursuant to the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA). In addition to litigation advocacy, she represents carriers in collective bargaining negotiations and arbitrations before the NRAB and various public law boards.
Prior to joining Fletcher & Sippel, Chloé was the Chief Legal & Labor Counsel for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. As the legal advisor to the Recorder she counseled on the development and enforcement of office policy, program execution, and public relations and legislative platforms. She represented management in collective bargaining and arbitrations, investigations of employee misconduct, and disciplinary actions. Chloé previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Illinois Attorney General’s Government Representation Division and provided legal representation for the state, state agencies, state officers and employees in civil litigation. Her primary focus was on civil rights and labor and employment issues including cases premised upon Title VII, 42 USC §1983, and 42 USC §1981.
Education
- DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois; Juris Doctorate
- DePaul University College of Commerce, Chicago, Illinois; B.S. in Commerce
Bar Admissions
United States Supreme Court
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
U.S. District Court, Northern District & Southern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court, Northern District & Southern District of Indiana
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court, Eastern District & Western District of Wisconsin
State of Illinois
State of Wisconsin
Associations
Recording Secretary – American Short Line & Regional Railroad Assoc. – Human Resources Comm.
Commissioner – Proviso Township Mental Health Commission (2016 – 2018 retired)
Assembly – Illinois State Bar Association
Board of Directors – Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (2012-2016 retired)
Member – Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism – Mentor Expansion Committee
Member – Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago
Member – IHSA Competitive Dance Officials Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee
Presentations & Publications
Employment Law Update: Protecting Against Workplace Bullying and Violence, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 18 – April 2014
Discrimination in the Workplace: The Tightrope of Liability, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 19 – Fall 2014
OSHA Update: Medical Interference and Off-Duty Injuries: Another Look, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 19 – Fall 2014
OSHA Update: There May Be Hope for Carriers After All: BNSF Victory in 8th Circuit, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 19 – Fall 2014
OSHA Update: Congress Mandated Two Bites at the Apple — So … Is It Ever Too Late for Removal?, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 19 – Fall 2014
Minimizing FMLA Abuse—Use of “Intermittent Leave”, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 21 – Fall 2015
OSHA Update: Complainant’s 2nd Bite May Have a Shelf Life: A Review of Mullen v. Norfolk Southern Ry. Co. 2015 WL 3457493, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 21 – Fall 2015
FMLA: To Be Or Not To Be, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 20 – Spring 2015 (reprinted with permission by the Women’s Bar Association – Fall 2015; https://wbaillinois.org/2015/11/to-be-or-not-to-be-fmla/)
OSHA Update: Affirmative Defense: Plaintiff would have been disciplined regardless of the injury, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 20 – Spring 2015
What’s keeping you up at night? Top Legal Employment Issues in 2015 and Beyond, Panelist, 2015 ASLRRA General Counsel Symposium, Kansas City Missouri, November 2015
EEOC Federal Equal Pay Update, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 22 – Spring 2016
OSHA Update: When is a Claim Not so “Discreet”, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 22 – Spring 2016
Hiring & Managing Independent Contractors – Does Today’s Uberized Workforce Affect The Way You Use And Retain Contractors?, Panelist, ASLRRA Connections 2016 conference, National Harbor MD, April 2016
The A to Z of Recruitment, Hiring & Onboarding, Presenter, ASLRRA Connections 2016 conference, National Harbor MD, April 2016
Employment Law Update: The Tale of an Excessive Successive Leave: A Review of Whitacker v. Wisc. Dept. of Health Services, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 24 – Spring 2017
OSHA Update, Fletcher & Sippel Newsletter, Issue No. 24 – Spring 2017
Managing FMLA Including Suspected FMLA Abuse, Panelist, ASLRRA Connections 2017 Conference, Grapevine TX, April 2017
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a DRONE???, Panelist, ASLRRA Connections 2017 Conference, Grapevine TX, April 2017
What’s Keeping Your HR Professional Up at Night?, Panelist, 2018 ASLRRA Finance & Administration Seminar and General Counsel Symposium, San Diego CA, November 2018
Hot! Hot! Hot! Employment Litigation Topics, Panelist, 2018 ASLRRA Finance & Administration Seminar and General Counsel Symposium, San Diego CA, November 2018