John Dickman is a shareholder in the Chicago office of Ogletree Deakins. He concentrates his practice in employment litigation and counseling. His clients represent a broad spectrum of industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer products. Of particular note is his representation of one of the world’s largest hedge funds for more than 15 years.
John’s litigation practice is heavily focused on trade secret and non-compete litigation, representing employers seeking to enforce employment agreements, as well as employers seeking to hire employees who are subject to post-employment restrictions. He has also conducted numerous internal investigations concerning possible misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets by former and newly hired employees.
In addition, John has litigated numerous matters involving ERISA claims. He has led successful representations of employers in executive compensation litigation and defeated arguments that executive incentive programs imposed unlawful restraints of trade, imposed unlawful forfeitures, and violated wage payment laws.
John’s extensive employment litigation experience also covers the defense of age, race, sex, and disability discrimination claims, as well as sexual harassment, retaliation, whistleblower, breach of contract, and common law tort claims. He has conducted investigations and handled lawsuits involving single plaintiffs, as well as major class actions in federal and state courts throughout the country. He has handled private arbitrations, and represented clients before such government agencies as the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Illinois Department of Labor, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Throughout his more than 20 years of experience, John has assisted clients with preventative measures by providing advice and counsel over a broad range of labor and employment issues. He has helped employers draft documents and policies for alternative dispute resolution and arbitration programs; incentive and bonus compensation programs; restrictive covenants and protection of employer assets; wage and hour compliance; lift-outs; reductions in force; disability leaves; and terminations. He also regularly provides advice and counsel on employment issues arising in corporate transactions and due diligence.
John received a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Iowa in 1987 and a J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law in 1992, where he was a member of the Law Journal.
