Jennifer Ballard focuses her practice primarily in business litigation and regulatory matters. She also works with the hospitality industry and represents restaurants in litigation, licensing and regulatory matters.

Ms. Ballard represents private and public sector employers in a full range of labor and employment matters. She has represented employers during union organizing efforts, collective bargaining negotiations and administrative hearings before the National Labor Relations Board. Ms. Ballard also routinely represents employers in federal court in disputes and litigation involving harassment, discrimination, wage and overtime claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Ms. Ballard joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as an associate in September 2008. Previously she was law clerk at the firm since 2006 and a summer associate in 2007.

During law school, Ms. Ballard was a legal extern to the vice president and general counsel of Rush Oak Park Hospital. She also served as a research assistant to Professor Ruqaiijah Yearby, where she conducted extensive research in bioethics and health care disparities that effect access to health care.

Among her law school achievements, Ms. Ballard was named a Beazley Institute for Health Law Fellow and was the recipient of a CALI Award for Legal Writing and was a Quarter-Finalist in the 2006 National Health Law Moot Court Competition. In addition, Ms. Ballard was a member of the Dean’s List and a recipient of Loyola’s Pro Bono Service Recognition Award.

In June 2009, DiversityMBA Magazine named Ms. Ballard to the “Emerging Leader” section of its “Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders” list.

In 2012, Ms. Ballard was included on the Rising Stars list, in the area of Business Litigation, by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine.

Ms. Ballard is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. She is also a regular host of the Black Women’s Lawyers Association cable television show (on CAN TV21), a live, interactive, call-in program that focuses on current legal issues. Ms. Ballard is a co-author of “NLRB Jurisdiction,” Chapter One in the 2010 edition of the “Labor Law Handbook,” published in February 2010 by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

In addition, she regularly contributes to Hinshaw’s monthly Employment Law Alert, providing articles, analysis and perspective on federal court and National Labor Relations Board decisions, federal statutory amendments and federal agency opinions and policies. She has also contributed to Hinshaw’s The Lawyers’ Lawyer Newsletter – Recent Developments in Risk Management.

Her presentations include:

• “Social Media and the Ethics of Your Practice,” Chicago Bar Association 2011 Breaking Barriers Building Bridges Program, Chicago, Illinois, November 2011.
• “Termination Scenario,” an interactive workshop session, Hinshaw’s Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Hoffman Estates, October 2011.
• “Riding the Wave: Understanding the Ups and Downs of Social Media,” roundtable discussion, Hinshaw and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, February 2011.
• “The Obama Administration’s Employment Law Initiatives (and Some State Law, Too),” Hinshaw’s 2010 Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, October 2010.
• “An Employer’s Guide to Maneuvering Through the Social Networking Minefield,” Hinshaw Breakfast Roundtable, Chicago, Illinois, March 2010.
• “Retaliation Claims Avoidance and Managing the Employee-Plaintiff,” Hinshaw’s 2009 Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, October 2009.

Ms. Ballard worked as a volunteer with the Obama for America campaign where she assisted in managing the daily internal operations for the campaign’s national headquarters and coordinating campaign activities and communications to several hundred staff and volunteer personnel.

Ms. Ballard is also a past volunteer for the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care.