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
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
News & Insights
News
- 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
- "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, 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 , July 30, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 17, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 16, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 16, 2020