Foote, Mielke,
Chavez & O’Neil, LLC
Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil, LLC is a law firm with nationwide experience and recognition. Our skilled attorneys are dedicated to protecting the rights of clients in a broad range of legal matters, including employment discrimination, complex litigation, and workers’ compensation. We are also well-equipped to handle personal injury and labor union cases.
We Get Results
Our dedicated professionals are prepared to deal with the intricacies of federal and state law, but we will never lose sight of the big picture as it relates to your unique case. We have a track record of successful outcomes and are determined to maintain it by providing you with the same exceptional service our reputation is built on.
From our offices in Chicago and Geneva, Illinois, we have won up to billions of dollars for plaintiffs who put their trust in us. We are equally comfortable protecting individuals, small businesses, and large corporations from unfair treatment, and we also work hard representing those participating in class action suits.
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Services Foote, Mielke,
Chavez & O’Neil Provide
When you come to Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil, our attorneys will take the time to understand your circumstances and explore all your options. Whichever of the following legal areas your case fits into, we will:
- Listen to you carefully
- Investigate thoroughly
- Interview pertinent witnesses
- Draft, review, and file any necessary documents
- Handle all communications with opposing counsel
- Create an effective courtroom strategy
Above all, we will use our considerable negotiation and litigation skills to your advantage. Our firm has won cases with both proven and innovative techniques.

Complex Litigation
Complex litigation cases, as you would expect, are complicated, because they may involve:
- Multiple or complex legal issues
- Development of cases through penetrating discovery channels
- Multiple parties
Complex litigation often challenges unclear or ambiguous legal precedent and may even present opportunities to make a new law that will shape public policy going forward. Only highly capable, specially trained lawyers, like those at our practice, know how to collaborate productively with other attorneys in order to achieve optimal results through complex litigation.
In the field of complex litigation, we deal with a broad spectrum of nationwide cases, including those involving:
- Consumer fraud
- RICO
- Intellectual property (e.g. trademark, patent) litigation
- Whistleblower/Qui Tam actions
- Business and commercial disputes (e.g breach of contract, deceptive trade practices)
- Security litigation
- International disputes
- Internet and technology disputes
Employment Law
Employment law covers many specific types of cases, and Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil has extensive experience in all of them.
Our employee rights lawyers routinely handle claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), as well as claims in state and federal courts. We work tirelessly to fight the persistence of discrimination based on categories protected by existing laws, such as the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)

Workplace Discrimination
Discrimination in the workplace, though illegal according to federal and state law, is still rampant, often disguised to avoid prosecution. If you have suffered discrimination on the job — whether in terms of hiring, working conditions, failure to receive bonuses or promotions, workplace harassment, or wrongful termination, our attorneys are here to help.
If you have experienced employment discrimination based on a characteristic protected by federal or state law, whether as an individual or part of a group (as part of a class action), you need the informed representation we provide. Protected categories include:
- Age (40 or older)
- Disability
- Genetic information
- National origin or ethnicity
- Race
- Religion
- Skin color
- Sex (pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity)
Our attorneys also have a history of positive outcomes in other matters of employment, including:
- Sexual harassment (quid pro quo or hostile work environment)
- Wage and hour disputes (e.g. minimum wage, overtime, misclassification)
- Environmental and safety concerns in the workplace
- Wrongful termination
- Noncompete agreements
- Contract disputes
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) issues
Whatever your particular situation, our legal team will fight to protect your right to fair and equal treatment under the law. We will put all of our effort into winning you damages for your lost income and emotional trauma, as well as restoring your sense of dignity.
Learn More About Workplace DiscriminationWorkers’ Compensation
Almost all personal injuries that occur on the job make you eligible for workers’ compensation. Excluded injuries include those that are self-inflicted, received during horseplay, or take place during execution of a crime.
While, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, certain jobs are much more prone to worker injuries — such as mining, forestry, construction, law enforcement, manufacturing, and firefighting — any worker can suffer an injury that makes her or him eligible for workers’ compensation. A slip and fall accident caused by negligent maintenance, for example, can occur anywhere.
Although federal employees, coal miners, and longshoremen are covered by federal workers’ compensation policies, most workers are compensated for workplace injuries by state benefits. At Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil, our attorneys are compassionate as well as efficient.
We will always take your side and work to win you whichever workers’ compensation benefits you are entitled to, including:
- Medical care
- Temporary total disability (TTD)
- Temporary partial disability (TPD)
- Permanent total disability (PTD)
- Death benefits for surviving family members of victims of wrongful death
It is also possible that you have been injured by the negligence of a third party, in which case our personal injury attorneys will file a lawsuit against that individual or entity — e.g. manufacturer, contractor, or subcontractor. In these cases, we will fight aggressively to obtain damages above and beyond whatever amount you have received from workers’ compensation. When you consult with us, we will evaluate your case and be frank with you about whether it will be viable in a court of law.
Personal Injury
Our firm also routinely handles personal injury. We have well-established skills in both negotiating and litigating such cases to successful outcomes.
At Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil, our attorneys are focused and professional. We pride ourselves on our detail-oriented, customized approach. Understanding each client’s needs fully so we can meet them with energy and clarity is our top priority. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation.

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Geneva
10 West State Street, Suite 200
Geneva,
IL
60134
Chicago
161 N. Clark Street, 25th Floor
Chicago,
IL
60601
Washington
1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 420
Washington,
DC
20036