Margherita M. Albarello

Margherita M. Albarello concentrates her practice in employment law, representing employers and employees in all aspects of employment issues, including: Claims of age, disability, marital status, military status, race, religious, sexual orientation, sex discrimination and harassment, and hostile work environment; invasion of privacy; service and emotional assistance animals; wrongful termination; retaliatory discharge; Whistleblower Act violations; False Claims Act violations; Equal Pay Act violations; Fair Labor Standards Act and Illinois wage and hour violations and misclassifications; Family and Medical Leave Act issues; trade secret litigation; employment contracts; severance agreements; non-compete/non-solicitation restrictive covenant agreements and litigation; employee/independent contractor classification issues; and unemployment compensation claims.

Ms. Albarello has extensive experience representing clients before state and federal courts, and administrative agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Cook County Commission on Human Rights, Illinois and United States Departments of Labor, and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Ms. Albarello regularly counsels employers on employment practices and policies, employee handbooks, management training, employee classifications, and workforce reductions. She provides workplace audits as a way to identify whether employers are adhering to federal, state, and local laws, and assists employers in becoming compliant.

Ms. Albarello is available to serve as an independent investigator of workplace issues. She will work with the employer or through their outside counsel to provide a prompt and thorough investigation of sexual harassment or other claims. Ms. Albarello also is available to co-counsel or serve as trial counsel in all areas of employment law, as well as serve as local counsel to out-of-state counsel.

Bar and Court Admissions: United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals; United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; Trial Bar of the Northern District of Illinois; Illinois Supreme Court.

Ms. Albarello joined Di Monte & Lizak in 2000. She attended IIT Chicago-Kent School of Law (J.D. 1984), where she was a member of the law review and graduated with high honors. Her undergraduate degree in psychology is from the University of Illinois, Champaign (B.S. 1979).