Mikela T. Sutrina

Overview

Mikela Sutrina is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the firm's Chicago office and is the Editor of the firm’s Trade Secrets Law Blog. She is also a member of the firm’s Women’s Law Group National Leadership Council.

Areas of Practice

Trial and Litigation

Mikela defends employers in state and federal court, as well as before federal, state and local administrative agencies in matters of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, whistleblower and whistleblower retaliation actions, and breach of contract, especially as it relates to restrictive covenant agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets. Mikela represents employers in both single and multi-plaintiff matters, as well as class and collective actions. Additionally, Mikela both prosecutes and defends actions involving trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition and the enforcement of restrictive covenants across the country.

Her litigation experience includes matters under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and various state and local discrimination and employment laws.

Mikela also has general litigation experience, with a particular focus in consumer fraud and consumer privacy litigation. She has defended both individual and class action litigation brought under various state and federal consumer fraud and privacy statutes.

Counseling, Advice and Trainings

Mikela advises employers on workplace issues such as compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws, discrimination and harassment, responding to whistleblower complaints, safety, performance management, leaves of absence, safety, compensation and terminations. She also counsels employers on a multitude of human resources issues, including personnel policies, federal and local leave laws, wage and hour issues, employee handbooks, severance and separation agreements, trade secret protection and non-competition and non-solicitation agreements. Mikela regularly advises clients on alcohol and drug testing programs, including written policies and testing procedures, across the country.

Mikela analyzes the enforceability of non-competition restrictions and other restrictive covenants on a nationwide basis and has an expertise in structuring enforceable restrictive covenant agreements to best protect her clients’ business interests. She also assists clients in drafting and structuring executive employment, separation and retention agreements.

Further, she conducts interactive trainings on issues such as recruitment, sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying and other workplace behavior, discipline and general legal compliance with federal, state and local laws and other regulations.

Mikela also works with clients involved in mergers and acquisitions to assess and evaluate the labor and employment liabilities associated with a specific transaction and to develop business-oriented and creative solutions to issues that may arise in any given transaction.

Internal Investigations

Mikela regularly conducts internal investigations and audits on behalf of her clients regarding sexual harassment, discrimination, whistleblower complaints and wage and hour compliance, among other issues affecting the workplace. She is a seasoned investigator and skilled interviewer, especially in investigations involving highly sensitive and/or emotional fact patterns.

Audits

Mikela regularly interfaces with various federal, state and local agencies on behalf of her clients in conducting wage and hour audits. Mikela also regularly conducts pay equity audits for both large and small clients across the country to help them both identify pay equity risks and causal factors, and subsequently institute remedial mechanisms to proactively resolve areas of potential exposure. Mikela is well-versed on the ever changing landscape of pay equity legislation and her depth of experience helps clients effectively navigate these issues.