Melissa L. McDonagh

Melissa L. McDonagh has extensive experience litigating on behalf of employers in single plaintiff and class and collective actions involving:

• Business competition
• Wage and hour law
• Whistleblower retaliation
• Failure to accommodate
• Wrongful termination

Early on in litigation, Melissa implements a plan of action based on a big picture strategy driven to achieve a company’s business goals.

In her counseling practice, she partners with employers to provide practical, forward-thinking advice on policies, contracts and other measures to avoid litigation. This includes conducting high-level harassment or whistleblower retaliation investigations, counseling regarding complex protected leave, discipline and termination issues and advising on best policy practices. To protect valuable company assets, Melissa also works with employers to draft multi-state compliant restrictive covenant agreements to fit a company’s unique needs. Melissa’s counseling and litigation experience enables her to formulate effective strategies for addressing the broad array of complex issues involved with mergers, acquisitions, reductions in force, business re-organization and shut downs.

Prior to joining Littler, Melissa practiced at a Chicago-based litigation firm where she represented a number of businesses, hospitals, and healthcare corporations involved in complex litigation.