Erinn L. Rigney

Erinn Rigney is a partner in the Chicago office, focusing her practice on Labor, Employment, and Workplace Safety.

Prior to joining K&L Gates, Erinn was an associate in the employment and labor practice group in the Chicago office of another global law firm and taught high school government in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Her counseling experience includes advising clients on compliance with federal, state, and local antidiscrimination laws in conjunction with various employment actions; the provision of reasonable accommodations; compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hours laws; and implementation of workplace policies and employee handbooks for both unionized and nonunionized employers, in addition to developing and leading anti-harassment training sessions for clients' workforces. As part of her practice, Erinn has experience in drafting pleadings, motions, and legal memoranda for federal lawsuits involving claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; representing clients in federal court and at mediations before local and federal anti-discrimination boards, and organizing various aspects of the discovery process for both large scale class actions and single-plaintiff lawsuits. In addition to her counseling and litigation experience, Erinn regularly works with the firm’s corporate group to conduct employment and labor due diligence, analyze collective bargaining and other labor agreements, and advise clients on integration issues in conjunction with corporate mergers and acquisitions.

Erinn has significant experience addressing the various employment issues that arise in the health care space, including the interpretation and application of employment laws in conjunction with health care regulations; drafting master services agreements for large and small health care systems; implementing policies on the protection of proprietary information and trade secrets; and advising on employment compliance issues arising in mergers and acquisitions for hospitals and biotechnology companies. Over the past year, Erinn has devoted a substantial part of her practice to advising both unionized and nonunionized clients across industries on compliance with federal, state, and local health and safety guidelines to address the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace.

Erinn has been named an Illinois “Rising Star” for Employment & Labor Law by SuperLawyers magazine since 2019.