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Naureen Amjad is the Chair of the firm’s Employment, Labor & Benefits group. She is an experienced employment attorney representing clients of all sizes across a wide variety of industries. She focuses her practice on employment counseling and litigation, representing companies in all aspects of employment law.

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Naureen’s employment law expertise includes defending employers in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies in matters that involve claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge and violations of wage and hour statutes. She regularly counsels companies of all sizes on employee relations, employment agreements for non-supervisory employees up to C-suite executives, consultant agreements, vendor agreements, severance agreements, reductions in force, employee handbooks, employee benefit plans, various types of employment policies, occupational safety policies, COVID-19 policies, restrictive covenants and preventative litigation measures. Naureen is highly experienced with conducting workplace investigations and trainings on a variety of employment law topics including sexual harassment, accommodations and best practices. She is also a frequent author on federal, state and local employment law developments affecting businesses in a variety of industries.

Naureen has practiced in the labor and employment space for close to 20 years at large and mid-sized firms in Chicago. Immediately prior to joining Masuda Funai, she served as chair of the employment law practice group at another Chicago law firm.

Naureen also has experience representing business clients in commercial litigation and trademark matters.

During law school, Naureen served as a judicial extern to Magistrate Judge David G. Bernthal of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois and Judge Holly F. Clemons of the Sixth Judicial Circuit.

Practice Areas

Education

  • University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., Cum Laude, 2008
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.A., 2005

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio

Languages

  • Urdu / Hindi
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Experience

Experience

Successfully represented numerous employers against claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation by current and former employees in federal and state courts.

Represented a Fortune 500 company against a former employee in arbitration before the AAA involving claims of disability discrimination and failure to accommodate, resulting in a favorable decision for the company.

Successfully represented a landscaping company in a federal lawsuit involving breach of restrictive covenant claims, resulting in a withdrawal of the complaint.

Represented a national restaurant chain in federal court against wage and hour violations of failure to pay overtime and record-keeping brought by the U.S. Department of Labor and assisted with negotiating a favorable settlement for the restaurant chain.

Obtained complete dismissal of an Illinois Consumer Fraud Act claim in a multi-party lawsuit before the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.

Successfully represented Chicago manufacturer against unfair labor practices charges by former employees before the National Labor Relations Board, resulting in a withdrawal of all charges.

Conducted countless workplace investigations into complaints of discrimination, harassment and retaliation and prepared associated reports with factual findings and recommendations.

Successfully represented countless employers against charges alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation before federal and state administrative agencies by obtaining complete dismissal of such claims.

Negotiated countless severance and release agreements for managerial and executive-level employees and assisted the employers in avoiding litigation.

Successfully mediated charges alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation before various tribunals.

Prepared countless employee handbooks, manuals, policies, employment agreements, offer letters and restrictive covenant agreements for use by clients nationwide.

Regularly counsel and train employers of all sizes on employee relations, compensation, leaves of absence, requests for accommodation, internal complaints, discipline, performance improvement plans, terminations, reductions in force, plant shutdowns, occupational safety policies, sexual harassment and general preventative litigation measures.

Obtained registration of and defended numerous trademarks before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Memberships

Memberships

American Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Professional Activities
Legal Updates/Client Advisories
Considerations for Parent Companies and Subsidiaries Under the NLRB's Proposed Joint Employer Rule
Executive Summary The National Labor Relations Board's ("NLRB") Proposed October 2023 Joint Employer Rule would make it easier for two…
Federal Court Strikes Down FTC's Non-Compete Ban Nationwide
Executive Summary On August 20, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction barring…
Federal Litigation Enjoins FTC's Final Rule Banning Non-Competes
UPDATE: On July 3, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (the “Court”) in Ryan LLC v. Federal Trade Commission…
DOL Final Rule Significantly Increases Salary Thresholds for Overtime Exempt Employees
Executive Summary On April 23, 2024, the United States Department of Labor released its final rule to increase the minimum salary…
FTC Issues Final Rule Banning Non-Competes
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to adopt a broad final rule banning the use of non-compete agreements…
UPDATE: New Chicago Ordinance Significantly Increases Paid Leave for Employees
Executive Summary On November 9, 2023, the Chicago City Council passed the new Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (the…
DOL Proposes Significant Salary Level Increase for FLSA's White Collar Exemptions
Executive Summary On August 30, 2023, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to increase…
New Chicago Ordinance Significantly Increases Paid Leave for Employees
Executive Summary On November 9, 2023, the Chicago City Council passed the new Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (the…
U.S. Supreme Court Raises the Bar: Rejecting Religious Accommodations Likely Unlawful Absent Substantial Increased Cost
Executive Summary On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that the undue hardship defense to granting an employee’s…
Illinois Mandates Pay Transparency Effective 2025
Executive Summary On August 11, 2023, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a new law that amends the Illinois Equal Pay Act…
NLRB Bans Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Clauses in Severance Agreements
Executive Summary On February 21, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued a decision (McLaren Macomb, 372 NLRB No. 58…
New York Soon to Ban Non-Compete Agreements
Executive Summary On June 20, 2023, the New York State Assembly passed A1278B (the “Bill”), which would prohibit employers from…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash: DHS/ICE End I-9 Inspection Flexibility and Mandate Physical Inspection Retroactively
On May 4, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) announced that…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash: EEOC Issues Guidance on Using Artificial Intelligence for Employment Decisions
On May 18, 2023, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued guidance on employers’ use of Artificial Intelligence…
New Year, New Data Privacy Regulations: California Consumer Privacy Act Now Regulates HR Data
Executive Summary On January 1, 2023, substantive amendments to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) took effect and the…
Update to Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash: Illinois Passes Paid Leave for All Workers Act
UPDATE: On March 13, 2023, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (“PLFAW Act”), which will…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash: NLRB Bans Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Clauses in Severance Agreements
On February 21, 2023, The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued a decision (McLaren Macomb, 372 NLRB No. 58 (2023)), in which it…
New OSHA Enforcement Guidance Imposes More Stringent Penalties Against Employers
Executive Summary On January 26, 2023, The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced new enforcement guidance changes that will…
UPDATE Department of Labor Proposes "New" Rule on Determining Independent Contractor Status
Executive Summary UPDATE: On October 25, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor extended the original 45 day comment period for this proposed…
Department of Labor Proposes "New" Rule on Determining Independent Contractor Status
Executive Summary On October 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a proposed rule to revise the current test for…
Illinois CROWN Act Prohibits Hair Discrimination
Executive Summary On June 29, 2022, Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 316, the “Create a Respectful and Open…
Notice To Employers: CDC Relaxes Quarantining and Isolation Recommendations
Executive Summary On August 11, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new COVID-19 guidance which impacted…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash – Effective Date of New York City's Pay Transparency Law Delayed Until November 2022
New York City’s pay transparency law was originally set to take effect on May 15, 2022; however, it will now be delayed until November 1…
Florida Employers Must Review Workplace DEI Trainings Under New Law
Executive Summary On April 22, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the “Stop WOKE” Act (HB 7) (the “Act”), which…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash - What Employers Should Know About the EEOC's Updates to Religious Accommodation and Vaccine Mandate Guidance
On March 1, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) updated its guidance on religious accommodations and COVID-19…
Employees May Now Bypass Pre-Dispute Arbitration and File Their #MeToo Claims in Court
UPDATE On March 3, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of…
California Requires COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave In 2022
Executive Summary On February 9, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law, Senate Bill 114, the 2022 California COVID-19…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash - NYC Employers May Soon Be Forced to Disclose Salary Ranges in Job Postings
New York City may soon join a growing number of states and localities which require employers to include salary ranges within job postings…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash - President Biden Imposes COVID-19 Vaccinations or Weekly Testing for Millions of Workplaces
On September 9, 2021, President Biden introduced a COVID-19 Action Plan (“Plan”) which mandates the COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing…
Masuda Funai Employment Newsflash - Governor J.B. Pritzker Signed Amendments Affecting Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreements
On August 13, 2021, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed amendments to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act (“IFWA”) requiring all Illinois…
Illinois Imposes New Restrictions on Employers Utilizing Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreements
Co-Author: Reika Nakayama (Summer Associate) Executive Summary The Illinois General Assembly recently passed amendments to the…
Events
Masuda Funai 2021 Virtual Employment Seminar Series: Illinois Employers Must Comply With New Requirements When Using Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements
10.14.21
Illinois employers will be required to comply with drastically different requirements for non-compete and non-solicitation agreements…
News
Masuda Funai Hosted the 2024 Employment Seminar
Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd. hosted its annual Employment Seminar on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at the DoubleTree Hotel in…
Masuda Funai Hosted the 2023 Employment Seminar
On September 21, 2023, Masuda Funai held its Annual Employment Seminar at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Arlington Heights, IL. This…
Publications
"Illinois Imposes New Restrictions on Employers Utilizing Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreements" - BizBuddy, August 2021
Distinctions