Photo of Scott Cruz

Scott Cruz

Officer

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Missouri

Education

J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, Urbana, Illinois, 2002

B.A., cum laude, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1999

Profile

Scott Cruz represents public and private sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including civil litigation and preventative counseling. Scott represents employers in state and federal courts and administrative agencies involving claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, retaliatory discharge, breach of contract, labor arbitration and class actions. He is particularly versed in all aspects of state and federal law relating to minimum wages, overtime, exemptions, and wage payment issues. Scott provides management and employee training on workplace legal issues and conducts workplace investigations and legal audits.

He assists employers in drafting employment policies and employment agreements and helps companies enforce non-competition and non-solicitation agreements and protect their trade secrets, proprietary information, customer relationships, and other valuable assets.

Scott has handled unemployment audits before the Illinois Department of Employment Security and defended unemployment compensation claims. He also has extensive civil litigation experience on behalf of educational institutions and has successfully dismissed lawsuits for clients on a motion to dismiss or on summary judgment in the Circuit Courts of Cook, Will, Kane, Lake and DuPage counties.

Scott has presented to clients and organizations on topics including conducting effective workplace investigations and analyzing and defending unemployment insurance claims. He is on the Board of Directors of Alivio Medical Center, a not-for-profit whose mission is to increase Hispanic access to comprehensive, affordable quality health care.

Professional Affiliations

  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
  • Illinois Chamber of Commerce
  • Chicago Latino Network
  • Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
  • Illinois Bankers Association
  • Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce
  • Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce

Community/Civic Activities

  • Alivio Medical Center, Board of Directors
  • 1871, Mentor
  • Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors

Honors & Awards

Honors & Awards

  • Crain's Chicago's Notable Minority Lawyers, 2018
  • Forty Under 40 Lawyers in Illinois, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, 2017
  • 10 Best Labor and Employment Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Illinois, American Institute of Legal Counsel
  • Illinois Leading Lawyers, 2020-2021
  • Benchmark Litigation, Labor & Employment Star, 2020

News & Insights

News

Seminars & Speaking Engagements

  • "HR Online Forum: Latest News You Need to Know"
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, September 14, 2021
  • "A How-To Guide for Employee Disciplinary Investigations and Discharge" seminar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, August 18, 2021
  • "Navigating Workplace Issues Employers are Currently Facing" seminar
    Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, August 11, 2021
  • "Managing the Vaccinated and Unvaccinated in the Workplace” webinar
    Illinois Valley SHRM, August 9, 2021
  • “Wage and Hour Issues: Exempt vs. Non-Exempt” webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2021
  • "The Office is Open Again – Legal Considerations When Returning Employees to the Workplace” webinar
    Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce, June 15, 2021
  • "Employer Compliance: American Rescue Plan Act and Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order 2021-10" webinar
    Metro East SHRM, June 10, 2021
  • "HR Online Forum: Tools You Need To Succeed"
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, May 19, 2021
  • "Employer Rights Post Legalized Marijuana" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, May 18, 2021
  • “The American Rescue Plan Act: What State and Local Government Employers Must Know” webinar
    Missouri Municipal League, May 5, 2021
  • "Employment Law Update - What Banks Need to Know" webinar
    Illinois Bankers Association, April 29, 2021
  • "HR Online Forum: Employment Issues for 2021"
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, March 16, 2021
  • "KEEP IT LEGAL: Need-to-Know COVID-19 Employment Issues for the New Year" webinar
    IMEC, February 11, 2021
  • "Need-to-Know COVID-19 Employment Issues for 2021" webinar
    Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, February 11, 2021
  • "Need-to-Know COVID-19 Employment Issues for 2021" webinar
    Effingham County Chamber of Commerce, February 4, 2021
  • "HR Online Forum: COVID-19 Issues for 2021" webinar
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, January 12, 2021
  • "HR Online Forum" webinar
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, November 12, 2020
  • "Conducting Sexual Harassment Workplace Investigations" webinar by Scott Cruz
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, October 29, 2020
  • "Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of Leaves" seminar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, October 27, 2020
  • "Employee Handbook DO's, Don'ts and Maybe's"
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, October 20, 2020
  • "Addressing FFCRA and Unemployment Claims During a Pandemic" webinar
    Metro East SHRM, October 8, 2020
  • "Back to School:  What Employers Need to Know Related to COVID-19" webinar
    Illinois Bankers Association, September 17, 2020
  • "Addressing FFCRA and Unemployment Claims During a Pandemic" webinar
    Effingham County Chamber of Commerce, September 17, 2020
  • "Defending Against Unemployment Claims in a Pandemic" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, August 18, 2020
  • "HR Online Forum" webinar
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, August 18, 2020
  • "Workplace Reasonable Suspicion Training:  Don't be Left in a Haze" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, July 28, 2020
  • "HR Online Forum" webinar
    Illinois Manufacturers' Association, July 21, 2020
  • "Independent Contractors, Interns, Temporary Workers, & Leased Employees" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, June 30, 2020
  • "Reasonable Suspicion Training for Marijuana" webinar
    Bloomington-Normal Human Resource Council, June 23, 2020
  • "Complying with the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance" webinar
    June 16, 2020
  • "Scheduling Nightmare:  Complying with the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, May 27, 2020
  • "Return to Work:  Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinar
    Illinois Valley SHRM, May 26, 2020
  • "Road to Recovery:  Preparing to Re-open Your Business" webinar
    Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, May 13, 2020
  • "Return to Work:  Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinar
    Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, May 8, 2020
  • "Return to Work:  Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinar
    Bloomington-Normal Human Resource Council, May 7, 2020
  • "Return to Work: Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinar
    May 5, 2020
  • "Is it Time for a Wage and Hour Audit? The Answer is Yes!" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, May 5, 2020
  • "The Coronavirus: How Employers Can Manage the Outbreak" webinar
    Illinois Valley SHRM, April 1, 2020
  • "The Coronavirus: How Employers Can Manage the Outbreak" webinar
    Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, March 30, 2020
  • "The Coronavirus: How Employers Can Manage the Outbreak" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, March 25, 2020
  • Quarterly HR Roundtable Discussion moderator
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce
  • “Business Briefing: Legislative Impact Alert”
    Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, June 12, 2019
  • “Independent Contractors, Interns, Temporary Workers, & Leased Employees” webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, April 24, 2019
  • “Business Briefing: Employer To-Do List”
    Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, April 16, 2019
  • “Business Day 2019: Recreational Marijuana”
    Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, February 20, 2019
  • "Best Practices for a Diverse & Inclusive Workplace" webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, December 2018
  • "Complying with the FMLA and ADA When Your Employee is Dealing with a Mental Health Condition” webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, June 2018
  • “Off-Duty Protests and Hate Speech in the Workplace -- Can Employers Terminate?” webinar
    Illinois Chamber of Commerce, November 17, 2017
  •  “He’s an Independent Contractor … Or is He? Answer Carefully?”
    1871, March 22, 2017

Blog Posts

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