Bio

V. Brette Bensinger advises employers on new and evolving federal, state, and local employment laws. She has developed extensive experience handling COVID-19 workforce compliance, advising companies on confidentiality and safety regulations, "return to work" protocols, new paid sick and expanded FMLA laws, and legal requirements when instituting furloughs, temporary layoffs, and reductions in workforce. Brette's practice also includes counseling employers on the prevention and response to harassment complaints, as well as wage and hour compliance, employee discipline, paid and nonpaid leave requirements, and disability accommodations. Her practice extends to creating workforce policies and employee handbooks, focusing on those addressing social media and electronic communication. She also performs management training and conducts investigations into allegations of workplace misconduct, including complaints of harassment/hostile work environment, retaliation, and regulatory non-compliance. Having litigated multi-plaintiff lawsuits in court and defended employers before governmental agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, she uses her knowledge of the law to anticipate problems and offer practical solutions before they develop into litigation. If litigation becomes necessary, Brette calls upon her advocacy skills, which have been recognized by attorneys and business leaders in both the private and public sector, to best represent her clients. Brette joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as an associate in September 2005. Previously she was a law clerk with the firm. During law school she clerked in the Crime Victims Division of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and in Preliminary Hearings at the Cook County State's Attorney Office. Prior to her legal career, Brette was a project manager for an event marketing company, handling corporate sponsorship programs and contracts for music festivals nationwide.