Prominent Employment Litigator Joins Proskauer

August 1, 2012 (Chicago) – Proskauer has expanded its labor and employment capabilities with the addition of employment litigator Steven J. Pearlman as a Partner in the firm’s Chicago office. A former partner and co-chair of Seyfarth Shaw’s national Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower team, Mr. Pearlman joins Proskauer’s Labor & Employment Law Department as co-head of its newly launched Whistleblowing and Retaliation Practice Group.

“Steve is one of the country’s foremost whistleblower defense and employment litigators,” said Elise Bloom, co-Chair of Proskauer’s Labor & Employment Law Department and co-head of the firm’s Class/Collective Action Group. “We’re delighted to have him join our team.”

Mr. Pearlman has broad experience and is at the forefront of defending management against whistleblower claims arising under federal laws, state statutes and common law. He also counsels clients on strategies to avoid litigation, in addition to defending employers of all sizes against class action and single-plaintiff claims of discrimination, harassment and violations of wage-and-hour laws.

Mr. Pearlman has been recognized by Law360 as a “Rising Star Under 40," only one in five employment lawyers nationally to have earned this distinction, in addition to being selected as one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch” by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company. He has also been named an Illinois “Rising Star” in employment litigation defense on multiple occasions by Super Lawyers.

Proskauer Partner and Chicago office head Steven Gilford added: “Steve’s addition continues our strategy of hiring the best legal talent in every market where we practice.”

“Our Chicago office is a key component of the ongoing expansion of our employment capabilities and ability to serve clients throughout the Midwest and nationally,” said Nigel Telman, Proskauer Partner who leads the employment practice in the Chicago office and is co-head of its Employment Litigation & Arbitration Group.

Mr. Pearlman is the latest in a series of leading lawyers who have recently joined Proskauer’s Labor & Employment Law Department. In April, the firm added Los Angeles Partner Kenneth Sulzer as co-head of its California Labor & Employment Law and Class/Collective Action Groups, and in June, it added Cédric Jacquelet as International Counsel in Paris.

Proskauer’s Labor & Employment Law Department is one of the strongest practices in the world, with more than 160 lawyers globally. The firm was recently honored with the prestigious 2012 Chambers USA “Award for Excellence in Labor & Employment.” It was also ranked by Legal 500 United States 2012 as a tier-one firm in labor and employment across five practices, the most tier-one labor rankings of any U.S. firm, and had the most lawyers named to "The Nation's Most Powerful Employment Attorneys 2012" by Human Resource Executive and Lawdragon magazines, the third consecutive year that Proskauer has led the list. In addition, Proskauer was singled out as one of the top three firms in the United States for Labor & Employment Litigation by The American Lawyer, which noted that clients retain Proskauer when "the company's reputation is on the line.”

About Proskauer

Founded in 1875, Proskauer is a global law firm widely recognized for its leadership in a variety of legal services provided to clients worldwide from offices in Beijing, Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Pariso Paulo and, Sa Washington, DC. Additional information about the firm, which has extensive experience in all areas of practice important to businesses, not-for-profit institutions and individuals, can be found at www.proskauer.com.