Elizabeth K. Hanford

Elizabeth K. Hanford advises and defends employers in all aspects of labor and employment law including employee discipline, termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblowing, contract disputes, wage and hour, employee benefits, leave management, workplace accommodations, and collective bargaining. Elizabeth routinely appears before state and federal courts, as well as administrative agencies and arbitral tribunals. She also provides client training regarding labor relations and best practices.

Elizabeth has successfully litigated over 80 cases in federal and state court. She has obtained numerous favorable results serving as first-chair in grievance arbitration hearings, along with handling administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, Chicago Police & Human Resources Board, Illinois Department of Human Rights, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Before joining Littler, Elizabeth assisted business owners in drafting operating agreements, articles of incorporation, employment contracts, arbitration agreements, and employee handbooks while at a boutique law firm. Prior to that, Elizabeth was an in-house attorney for the City of Chicago. Her role involved investigating and litigating workplace policy violations, providing advice and counsel regarding employee discipline and separation, and defending against claims brought throughout labor arbitrations and complex litigation in federal and state courts. Elizabeth has extensive experience handling depositions, settlement conferences and negotiations, dispositive motions, discovery disputes, and hearings. 

While in law school, Elizabeth served as a judicial extern for the Hon. Samuel Der-Yeghiayan, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, interned for the City of Chicago and Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and held the positions of writer and editor for the Loyola Public Interest Law Reporter. She was a member of the Criminal Mock Trial Team, reaching the semifinals in a national competition. She was also a member of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court team, receiving Honorable Mention for Best Oral Advocate in an international competition held in Hong Kong.