Practice Areas
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, 2020-22
- Crain's Chicago Business, Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law, 2022
News & Insights
News
- February 1, 2023
- December 12, 2022
- SHRM, January 4, 2022
- Crain's Chicago Business, November 8, 2021
- Chicago Lawyer, July 2021
- December 11, 2020
- SHRM, October 21, 2020
- RFD-TV, September 30, 2020
- Employee Benefit News, September 21, 2020
- Daily Herald, September 18, 2020
- SHRM, August 24, 2020
- Law 360, August 24, 2020
- Law360, March 30, 2020
- Chicago Tribune, March 27, 2020
- Interview with Scott Cruz on recreational marijuanaWBBM News Business Hour, February 25, 2020
- WBBM Newsradio, December 11, 2019
- WGN, May 31, 2019
- Business News Daily, February 26, 2018
- WLS AM, January 10, 2018
Seminars & Speaking Engagements
- Greensfelder Employment Law Seminar, October 6, 2022
- "Complying with Chicago's New Sexual Harassment Prevention Ordinance"Illinois Chamber of Commerce, August 4, 2022
- “Navigating Challenging FMLA Issues”Illinois Chamber of Commerce, April 26, 2022
- “OSHA: What Every Manufacturer Should Know"Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, April 13, 2022
- "2022 Labor & Employment Laws" webinarMcLean County Chamber of Commerce, March 10, 2022
- "2022 Labor & Employment Laws"Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, February 24, 2022
- "HR Online Forum" webinarIllinois Manufacturers' Association, January 20, 2022
- "How to Prepare Your Workplace for the Next Pandemic"Illinois Chamber of Commerce, December 9, 2021
- "Conducting Workplace Investigations" webinarIllinois Manufacturers' Association, December 7, 2021
- "Best Practices to Keep Your Workplace Safe" webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, November 30, 2021
- "HR Online Forum" webinarIllinois Manufacturers' Association, November 18, 2021
- "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" seminarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, August 18, 2021
- "Navigating Workplace Issues Employers are Currently Facing" seminarDecatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, August 11, 2021
- "Managing the Vaccinated and Unvaccinated in the Workplace” webinarIllinois Valley SHRM, August 9, 2021
- “Wage and Hour Issues: Exempt vs. Non-Exempt” webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2021
- "The Office is Open Again – Legal Considerations When Returning Employees to the Workplace” webinarHoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce, June 15, 2021
- "Employer Compliance: American Rescue Plan Act and Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order 2021-10" webinarMetro East SHRM, June 10, 2021
- "HR Online Forum: Tools You Need To Succeed"Illinois Manufacturers' Association, May 19, 2021
- "Employer Rights Post Legalized Marijuana" webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, May 18, 2021
- “The American Rescue Plan Act: What State and Local Government Employers Must Know” webinarMissouri Municipal League, May 5, 2021
- "Employment Law Update - What Banks Need to Know" webinarIllinois 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" webinarIMEC, February 11, 2021
- "Need-to-Know COVID-19 Employment Issues for 2021" webinarDecatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, February 11, 2021
- "Need-to-Know COVID-19 Employment Issues for 2021" webinarEffingham County Chamber of Commerce, February 4, 2021
- "HR Online Forum: COVID-19 Issues for 2021" webinarIllinois Manufacturers' Association, January 12, 2021
- "HR Online Forum" webinarIllinois Manufacturers' Association, November 12, 2020
- "Conducting Sexual Harassment Workplace Investigations" webinar by Scott CruzIllinois Manufacturers' Association, October 29, 2020
- "Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of Leaves" seminarIllinois 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" webinarMetro East SHRM, October 8, 2020
- "Addressing FFCRA and Unemployment Claims During a Pandemic" webinarEffingham County Chamber of Commerce, September 17, 2020
- "Back to School: What Employers Need to Know Related to COVID-19" webinarIllinois Bankers Association, September 17, 2020
- "Defending Against Unemployment Claims in a Pandemic" webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, August 18, 2020
- "HR Online Forum" webinarIllinois Manufacturers' Association, August 18, 2020
- "Workplace Reasonable Suspicion Training: Don't be Left in a Haze" webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, July 28, 2020
- "HR Online Forum" webinarIllinois Manufacturers' Association, July 21, 2020
- "Independent Contractors, Interns, Temporary Workers, & Leased Employees" webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, June 30, 2020
- "Reasonable Suspicion Training for Marijuana" webinarBloomington-Normal Human Resource Council, June 23, 2020
- "Complying with the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance" webinarJune 16, 2020
- "Scheduling Nightmare: Complying with the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance" webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, May 27, 2020
- "Return to Work: Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinarIllinois Valley SHRM, May 26, 2020
- "Road to Recovery: Preparing to Re-open Your Business" webinarDecatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, May 13, 2020
- "Return to Work: Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinarLincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, May 8, 2020
- "Return to Work: Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinarBloomington-Normal Human Resource Council, May 7, 2020
- "Return to Work: Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinarMay 5, 2020
- Illinois Chamber of Commerce, May 5, 2020
- Illinois Valley SHRM, April 1, 2020
- Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce, March 30, 2020
- Illinois Chamber of Commerce, March 25, 2020
- Quarterly HR Roundtable Discussion moderatorIllinois Chamber of Commerce
- “Business Briefing: Legislative Impact Alert”Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, June 12, 2019
- “Independent Contractors, Interns, Temporary Workers, & Leased Employees” webinarIllinois 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" webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, December 2018
- "Complying with the FMLA and ADA When Your Employee is Dealing with a Mental Health Condition” webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, June 2018
- “Off-Duty Protests and Hate Speech in the Workplace -- Can Employers Terminate?” webinarIllinois Chamber of Commerce, November 17, 2017
- “He’s an Independent Contractor … Or is He? Answer Carefully?”1871, March 22, 2017
Publications
Articles & Books
- The Illinois Manufacturer, May 2023
- The Illinois Manufacturer, February 2023
- The Illinois Manufacturer, November 2022
- The Illinois Manufacturer, August 2022
- The Illinois Manufacturer, May 2022
- The Illinois Manufacturer, February 2022
- The Illinois Manufacturer, December 2021
- The Illinois Manufacturer, May 2021
- Daily Herald, March 21, 2021
- The Illinois Manufacturer, February 2021
- The Illinois Manufacturer, August 2020
- The Illinois Manufacturer, Spring 2020
- Illinois Chamber of Commerce, March 13, 2020
- Law360, August 7, 2019
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, July 17, 2019
- The Illinois Manufacturer, July 1, 2019
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, May 7, 2019
- The Illinois Manufacturer, Winter 2018
- The Illinois Manufacturer, Spring 2017
Blog Posts
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , May 11, 2023
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , January 17, 2023
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , November 7, 2022
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , October 24, 2022
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 14, 2022
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , May 19, 2022
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 8, 2022
- Chicago Adds Bases for Leave Under Paid Sick Leave Ordinance and Enacts New Penalties for Wage TheftSimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , July 30, 2021
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , April 21, 2021
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 30, 2021
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 25, 2021
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 17, 2021
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , October 15, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , September 14, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , July 30, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 17, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 16, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 16, 2020