Gregory P. Abrams

Gregory P. Abrams has more than two decades of experience helping companies navigate high-stakes litigation, manage employment-related risk, and address difficult personnel issues with practical, business-focused advice.

Greg focuses his litigation practice on defending employers in wage-and-hour class and collective actions, discrimination claims, and other complex employment disputes. He has managed matters involving thousands of potential class members nationwide, successfully defeating class certification, prevailing on the merits, and securing favorable resolutions. His experience includes managing more than 30 FLSA collective actions and state-law wage-and-hour class actions involving allegations of off-the-clock work, employee misclassification, and other wage-and-hour theories.

Greg also has substantial experience prosecuting and defending trade secret and restrictive covenant disputes. He represents companies and individuals in matters involving employee and business-partner departures, alleged misuse of confidential information, and competition-related claims. His work includes obtaining and opposing temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctive relief, as well as helping clients resolve disputes before they escalate into protracted litigation.

A significant component of Greg’s practice involves emerging privacy and technology-related risks. He has handled more than 20 class actions under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), representing employers and manufacturers in Illinois state and federal courts. His experience in this area, combined with his broader employment practice, allows him to help businesses navigate the intersection of workplace operations, employee data, and rapidly changing privacy laws.

Greg’s practice extends beyond litigation. He provides day-to-day, often time-sensitive counsel to companies of all sizes on the employment issues that affect their businesses and people. He advises clients on restrictive covenants, wage-and-hour compliance, employee discipline and termination, drug and alcohol testing, criminal background checks, employee privacy, and other workplace policies. He also prepares severance and arbitration agreements, employee handbooks, and other employment policies; manages internal investigations; and assists with employment-related due diligence in mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions. Greg works closely with clients to understand their objectives, assess risk, and determine the most effective path forward.

Greg is a frequent speaker and writer on labor, employment, privacy, and related business issues. His work has appeared in Reuters, Law360, and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and he has been quoted by Bloomberg Law, Fortune, the Chicago Tribune, and Crain’s Chicago Business, among other publications. He has served as a contributing author and editor of the American Bar Association’s annual FLSA Midwinter Report and regularly presents continuing legal education programs and other professional seminars. His recent thought leadership has addressed biometric privacy, artificial intelligence in the workplace, employee monitoring, restrictive covenants, and developments in wage-and-hour law.

Greg is ranked in Chambers USA in the area of Labor & Employment in Illinois. Actively involved in pro bono service, his work has included representing individuals in federal due process matters, an asylum applicant, a Chicago Public Schools student seeking an appropriately tailored educational curriculum, and an incarcerated individual alleging civil rights violations.

Greg lives in Deerfield, Illinois, where he enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his sons’ baseball teams, and chasing his dog Wrigley.

Education: The University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 2003); University of Pennsylvania (B.A. in Economics and Political Science, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 2000)

State Admissions: Illinois, 2003

Federal Admissions: United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas; United States District Court, District of Colorado; United States District Court, Central District of Illinois; United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois; United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois; United States District Court, Western District of Michigan; United States District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin; United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin

Certifications: Mediation Skills Training Certificate, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies (2021)

Service Areas: Labor & Employment; Trade Secret Litigation; Class Action Litigation; Business Litigation; Intellectual Property; Privacy, Data Security, and AI

Managed more than 30 FLSA collective action and state law wage-and-hour class actions involving alleged “off-the-clock” work, employment misclassification, and other theories in courts throughout the country
Represented companies in multiple industries, including finance, transportation logistics, manufacturing, and insurance, in pursuing and defending against claims involving alleged restrictive covenant violations and similar theories
Defended multiple companies in class actions alleging race discrimination, age discrimination, and invasion of privacy brought under multiple state and federal statutes, including Title VII, Section 1981, and other theories
Managed multiple class actions under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) in Illinois state and federal courts, on behalf of employers and manufacturers
Obtained complete jury verdict for the defense in multi-plaintiff race discrimination case in the Northern District of Illinois federal court brought by major retail chain customers and former employees
Supported multiple national employers in developing and revising employment policies for compliance in all states in which they operate
Led company defense in multiple union arbitrations

Publications

“Illinois Raises the Bar for Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements Starting January 1, 2027,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (October 2026)
“Illinois Codifies Unintentional or Disparate Impact Discrimination,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (August 2026)
“DOL Proposes New Rule on Worker Classification,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (March 2026)
“Coming Soon: New Illinois Employment Laws in 2026,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (December 2025)
“Return of Voluntary Self-Audits Under DOL’s PAID Program,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (August 2025)
“Coming Soon: Illinois Law Affecting Warehouse Distribution Centers,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (March 2025)
“Illinois Employers, Take Note: New Laws for 2025,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (January 2025)
“Coming January 1, 2025: Longer Statute of Limitations and New Protected Classes Under Illinois Human Rights Act,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (September 2024)
“Illinois Employers Take Note: New Law Passed on Artificial Intelligence Use,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (August 2024)
“Illinois Limits Potential Damages under the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (August 2024)
“Genetic Information and the Potential Next Wave of Privacy Class Actions in Illinois,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (November 2023)
“Are You Using Biometric Technology in Illinois? Tread Carefully!“, Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) St. Louis (October 2023)
“Illinois to Require Salary and Benefits Disclosures in Job Postings,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (August 2023)
“Federal Judge Vacates $228M Damages Award in BIPA Trial and Orders New Damages Trial,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (July 2023)
“6th Cir. FLSA Class Opt-In Ruling Levels Field for Employers,” Law360 (June 2023)
“Proposed Rule Banning Noncompetes: Taking Stock as Comments Flood the FTC,” Reuters Legal News (March 2023)
“Illinois Supreme Court Holds BIPA Claims Accrue with Each Alleged Scan,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (February 2023)
“Illinois Supreme Court Holds Five-Year Statute of Limitations Applies to All BIPA Claims,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (February 2023)
“2023 Omnibus Spending Bill Includes New Protections for Pregnant or Nursing Mothers,” Tucker Ellis Client Alert (January 2023)
“High-Tech, High-Risk: Potential Pitfalls From Remote Employee Monitoring,” Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today (December 2022)
“COVID-19 Employment Litigation: Taking Stock Two Years In,” Reuters (August 2022)
“Remote Work and Restrictive Covenant Agreements,” Reuters (May 2022)
“Employment Considerations in a Hot Talent Market – Don’t Get Burned,” Reuters (February 2022)
“To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate: Consideration for Employers,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (April 2021)
“EEOC Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Vaccinations,” The National Law Review (December 2020)
“Biometric Privacy Suits After Facebook Face-Scan Class Cert.,” Law360 (August 2019)
“Sekura Case Expands Scope of Illinois Biometric Privacy Law,” Law360 (November 2018)
“The ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ of Rounding – How Does Your Policy Measure Up?,” Employee Benefit Plan Review (March 2018)
“Biometric Info: What to Do and Not Do,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (October 2017)
“New Law Makes Some Noncompetes Illegal,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (January 2017)
“EEOC Gets Aggressive in New Rights Area,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (March 2016)
“The NLRB’s Babcock & Wilcox Decision and the Frustration of National Labor Policy,” ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law, Development of the Law Under the NLRA (February 2016)
“Appeals Court Revives Attorneys’ Lawsuit for Overtime Compensation,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (September 2015)
“Proposed Rule Issued on Revision Exemptions from FLSA Minimum Wage and Overtime Requirements,” The Labouring Oar, Federal Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section (Fall 2015)
“EEOC’s Updated Enforcement Guidance on the Use of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions: Developments in Year One,” Bloomberg Law BNA Daily Labor Report (November 2013)

Speaking Engagements

GC/CLO panel, Moderator, Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago Summit (September 2026)
“Age Discrimination in the Workplace,” Lorman Live Webinar (July 2026)
“Offboarding: Strategies for a Successful Goodbye,” Lorman Live Webinar (December 2025)
“Employee Discipline for Conduct Outside of Work,” Lorman Webinar (May 2025)
“Legal Update: FTC Final Rule on Noncompetes,” Chicago Society for Human Resource Management (June 2024)
“Legal Update: The Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act,” Chicago Society for Human Resource Management (December 2023)
“A Discussion on Data Security Issues Affecting Businesses Nationwide,” Tucker Ellis In-House Counsel Summit (November 2023)
“The Future of Noncompetition Agreements,” Chicago Society for Human Resource Management (June 2023)
“Disability Inclusion: From Disability Compliance to Disability Competitive,” Hot Topics in Employment Law, Tucker Ellis LLP (April 2023)
“Age Discrimination in the Workplace,” Webinar, Lorman Education Services (April 2023)
“Disability Inclusion,” Lorman Webinar (December 2022)
“Compliance in the Age of Privacy: What Your Marketing, HR, and IT Departments Must Know,” Tucker Ellis In-House Counsel Summit (November 2022)
Chicago Society for Human Resource Management, Legislative Committee, Employment Law Developments Webinar (November 2022)
“The Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Class Action Litigation: Key Trends and Best Defense Strategies,” The Knowledge Group LLC (October 2022)
Chicago Society for Human Resource Management, Legislative Committee on the Illinois Equal Pay Act, Webinar (May 2022)
“Charting a New Course: Labor and Employment Under the Biden Administration,” Webinar (December 2021)
“Offboarding: Strategies for a Successful Goodbye,” Webinar, Lorman Education Services (August 2021)
“Hiring in a Competitive Marketplace – Pay Equity and Beyond,” Webinar, MRA (August 2021)
“Employee Discipline for Conduct Outside of Work,” Webinar, Lorman Education Services (January 2021)
“Minimizing Labor and Employment Litigation in the Coronavirus Pandemic,” Webinar, Business & Legal Resources (BLR) (July 2020)
“Politics in the Workplace,” Webinar, Lorman Education Services (July 2020)
“Litigation on the Horizon,” Indiana Chamber of Commerce 26th Annual Employment Law Seminar, Webinar (June 2020)
“Age Discrimination in the Workplace,” Webinar, Lorman Education Services (January 2020)
“Everything You Wanted to Know About Drug and Alcohol Testing but Were Afraid to Ask,” Webinar, Lorman Education Services (December 2019)
“Biometric Class Action Wave on the Rise,” The Knowledge Group, New York, New York (September 2019)
“Hot Topics in Data Privacy for Illinois Companies – BIPA & CCPA,” Game On: Fielding Developments in IP and Labor & Employment, Chicago, Illinois (June 2019)
“Biometric Information Class Action Lawsuits – Is Your Company Ready?,” Webinar (April 2019)
“Navigating Menacing Waters: Whether Injunctive Class Actions Are a Useful Way to Avoid Class-Certification Hurdles and Avoid Arbitration,” ABA 22nd Annual National Institute on Class Actions, Chicago, Illinois (October 2018)
“Employee Arbitration Agreements After Epic Systems,” North Shore Labor Counsel, Chicago, Illinois (October 2018)
“Little-Known Laws That Lead to Big Litigation,” Indiana Chamber of Commerce 24th Annual Employment Law Seminar, Indianapolis, Indiana (March 2018)
“Understanding and Applying the New City and County Sick Leave Ordinances,” Hospital Employers Seminar (September 2017)
“Understanding Serious Health Conditions Under the FMLA,” Webinar, Lorman Educational Services (August 2017)
“Fair Labor Standards Act/Wage and Hour Litigation: Recent Developments and Key Topics for Employers,” Indiana Chamber of Commerce, 22nd Annual Employment Law Seminar, Indianapolis, Indiana (March 2016)
“Wage & Hour Issues: Compliance in 2015 & Beyond,” Chicago Hospitality Employers Seminar, Chicago, Illinois (September 2015)
“The Role of Criminal Records in Hiring: Easy Access, Difficult Decisions,” North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel, Chicago, Illinois (June 2014)