Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Labor & Employment; Workplace Counseling & Solutions; Complex Discrimination Litigation; Employment Litigation; Absence Management & Accommodations; Workplace Policies and Handbooks; Wage & Hour Compliance Reviews and Assessments; Retail; Organizational Strategy and Analytics.

Ms. Billows is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Chair of the Chicago office Labor & Employment Department, concentrating her practice on representing and counseling employers throughout the country in the entire range of employment law matters.  Her work has included the representation of Fortune 500 companies, as well as medium and small sized employers.  Ms. Billows represents employers in single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class action litigation matters related to employment discrimination claims under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and similar state discrimination laws.

Ms. Billows provides extensive advice and counseling to clients, helping them identify and implement proactive solutions, on a wide array of Human Resources topics and issues, including policy development and review, auditing the Human Resources functions, leave and absence management, EEO compliance, restructurings and reductions in force, employee relations, labor relations, performance management, discipline and discharge and various other areas, with an emphasis on instituting best practices and avoiding litigation.  Ms. Billows regularly conducts investigations for clients related to allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation and other misconduct.  Ms. Billows utilizes SeyfarthLean® to improve the leave and accommodation policies and practices of clients, providing clients a consistent approach to managing these complex issues.  She is a Six Sigma Yellow Belt.

Ms. Billows has conducted training for employers throughout the country and through Seyfarth Shaw at Work, including in the areas of leave management and reasonable accommodation, EEO and non-harassment, managing for success, Employee Handbooks, Codes of Conduct and Ethics, managing within a union environment and positive employee relations.  Her interactive programs are both skill enhancing and compliance based.  

Ms. Billows brings a unique perspective to her clients. Prior to her legal career, she was a human resources executive in the corporate community. With first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced by her clients, Ms. Billows is able to advise them in all areas of labor and employment law, finding a way to manage compliance issues while also addressing business needs. This experience allows Ms. Billows to take a proactive approach to her clients’ labor and employment issues.  

Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP; Co-Managing Partner, Chicago Office; Former Chair of the Chicago Office Labor & Employment Group.

American Bar Association; Chicago Bar Association; Society for Human Resource Management (Member); HRMAC (Human Resources Management Association of Chicago – Former Co-chair of the Employment Relations Subcommittee); American Cancer Society – Former Chair of Chicago Downtown Regional Leadership Board of Directors.

J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, with honors (2001); M.S., Loyola University, Chicago (1997); B.A., DePaul University (1995).