Cecilia Suh
Cecilia’s multidisciplinary practice across a broad range of disciplines—including employment law, general corporate counseling, and construction law—provides a holistic and strategic business-oriented perspective for complex legal problems. Cecilia focuses her employment law practice on counseling employers and employees on a broad spectrum of HR issues and employment compliance needs. These include restrictive covenants, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims, leave management and accommodations, and terminations—with an emphasis on best practices to mitigate litigation risks. Cecilia’s practice also covers providing strategic day-to-day advice to businesses and their founders, owners, managers, and boards. Cecilia also has experience in advising the construction industry during all stages of a project’s life cycle, including drafting and negotiating construction contracts and dispute resolution.
Cecilia joined FVLD in 2013 after graduating cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she served as Managing Editor of the Chicago-Kent Law Review.
- Defeated an employee’s six-figure wage claim for unpaid bonus and vacation pay at a hearing in front of the Illinois Department of Labor
- Drafted position statement for the defendant that resulted in the EEOC’s dismissal of a claims filed by an employee alleging retaliation in connection with an English-only workplace policy
- Successfully mediated multiple charges alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation against an Illinois event and catering company in front of the Illinois Department of Human Rights
- Advised employers in evaluating proposed independent contractor versus employee classifications and guided them through exhaustive reviews and overhaul of contracts and classification systems
Education:
- Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology, J.D., cum laude
- Managing Editor, Chicago-Kent Law Review
- CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for highest grades in: Contracts; Employment Discrimination; Harassments in Employment Law; Professional Responsibility; Business Ethics; and International Law
- Dean’s Honor List (2010-2013)
- Merit scholarship recipient (2010-2013)
- CNA Scholarship in Labor & Employment Law (2012-2013)
- Institute for Law & the Workplace Scholarship recipient (2012-2013)
- Fellow, Chicago IP Colloquium (Spring 2012)
- Emory University, B.A. English and French
Admissions:
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Admitted to Practice in Illinois
- Leading Lawyers, Emerging Lawyer in Employment Law: Management
- Chicago Bar Association, Member (2013–present)
- KAN-WIN, Board of Directors (2014–2019, Secretary 2015–2016, President 2016–2019)
