Jade Yee, Employment Attorney in Chicago, Illinois

Jade Yee advises on a broad range of labor and employment matters to diverse clientele, including private and public companies and non-profit organizations in various industries, including financial and legal services, technology, retail, and manufacturing.

Jade is a trusted advisor, with deep experience providing strategic advice to management, legal, and human resources personnel on issues related to workforce changes, leaves and accommodations, worker classifications, performance management, and compliance with the newest U.S. federal, state, and local labor and employment laws and regulations. She regularly negotiates and drafts executive employment, restrictive covenant, and separation agreements, develops workplace policies and trainings, and conducts internal investigations of employee complaints. Jade also advises on labor and employment aspects of corporate transactions, both domestic and cross-border, including pre-acquisition diligence, transaction documents, and post-closing employee matters.

When employee disputes do occur, she is a fierce advocate for her clients in court, arbitration, and administrative proceedings – litigating claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and other federal, state and local employment statutes.

Concentrations

• Employment law advice and counsel

• Reductions in force and other workforce changes

• Executive employment and separation agreements

• Employment-related aspects of corporate transactions

• Restrictive covenant agreements

Experience

Representative Matters

• Assisted a mid-sized medical research services company on a series of workforce reductions, impacting over 75% of their remote workforce nationwide, including an overhaul of executive leadership, by preparing separation documents, OWBPA disclosures and WARN notices; conducting disparate impacts analyses and WARN analyses; and developing internal and external communication strategies.°

• Advised a large startup company headquartered in New York City on a high-profile reduction in force impacting over 2,000 employees globally; and coordinated responses to employee demand letters and requests to negotiate severance.°

• Partnered with a Fortune 500 company to conduct over 200 global internal compliance investigations, including investigations conducted in Mandarin Chinese of complaints raised by employees in Singapore and China, and liaising with English-speaking human resources partners in the United States to implement remedial actions overseas where necessary.°

• Developed a U.S. “HR Toolkit” for a global pharmaceutical company, which included an employee handbook template employment, separation and restrictive covenants agreements, on-boarding and off-boarding checklists, and guidelines for human resources personnel on various employee issues, such as leaves and accommodations, worker classifications and performance management.°

• Provided legal guidance to a Human Resources Director of a non-profit legal services organization in New York City on conducting a sensitive investigation involving an executive team member, where cross-allegations of race discrimination and sexual harassment were made; and successfully mitigated litigation risk from both parties.°

• Obtained summary judgment for employer in federal court on Title VII and ADA discrimination and retaliation claims; affirmed in part on appeal to the Second Circuit.°

• Resolved dozens of single-plaintiff discrimination and retaliation cases as counsel for the defense through mediation, both privately and before the EEOC.°

• Advised employers nationwide, as well as on a local level in New York City and Chicago, on workplace safety and response to COVID-19 and return to office issues.°

°The above representations were handled by Ms. Yee prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

Internships

• Law Clerk, Maryland Office of the Attorney General, 2015