Legal Analysis
Employment Tip of the Month – May 2026
May 2026
Lisa Handler Ackerman is a dynamic litigator whose practice primarily involves representing management in employment-related matters, third-party discrimination claims, and the emerging area of data privacy, including lawsuits brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Lisa regularly litigates in state and federal courts, including representing clients in class and collective actions and multiparty litigation. She also represents clients before state and federal administrative agencies, including, inter alia, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the Department of Labor at both the state and federal levels, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
A significant portion of Lisa’s practice involves counseling employers on personnel issues and developing policies and agreements designed to protect their interests.
In addition to representing clients in a wide variety of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, Lisa has extensive experience litigating wage and hour lawsuits, suits brought under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act involving employment-related disputes and third-party allegations of barriers to access in places of public accommodation.
Lisa’s innate ability to communicate and connect with others has earned her the respect of clients and colleagues as well as judges and adversaries. She regularly publishes articles and presents on a variety of topics related to her practice and is the past chair of the Labor and Employment Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association.
Areas of Focus
Employment & Labor
On behalf of employers, Lisa has extensive experience defending cases brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act, the FMLA, the ADA and its 2008 amendment, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act, and state law fair employment statutes. She also handles tort, contract and whistleblower claims. In addition, Lisa has successfully defended employers in charges of discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U.S. Department of Labor, and various state agencies throughout the country.
Lisa also has extensive experience representing clients in claims brought under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), including counseling clients on BIPA compliance and defending such claims in state and federal court.
Lisa regularly advises employers on personnel issues such as hiring and firing, layoffs, disciplinary actions, compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws, harassment investigations, and covenants not to compete. She also works with clients to draft and implement employment policies designed to minimize the risk of employment litigation.
Insurance Coverage
As coverage counsel, Lisa monitors and evaluates the underlying litigation, advises clients on settlement strategies, and attends mediations on behalf of insurance companies. She has analyzed complex coverage issues arising under employment practices, commercial general liability, and products liability policies, as well as errors and omissions policies covering a broad range of professionals. Her experience includes umbrella and excess policies.
- Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 1999)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.S., 1996)
- Illinois
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- Chicago Bar Association, Chair of the Labor and Employment Committee, 2018-2019; Vice Chair of the Labor and Employment Committee, 2017-2018.