Douglass (Doug) Nolan's legal practice centers on the representation and counsel of employers facing challenges related to workplace law. 

Doug defends employers against a variety of claims, including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Age, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act in state and federal court. He also has a focus in the area of traditional labor law, assisting clients in a variety of matters including the defense of unfair labor practice charges, counseling prior to and during union organizing drives, and negotiation of collective bargaining agreements. 

Doug’s practice has also included defending employers against lawsuits involving state tort claims such as defamation, tortious interference, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and retaliatory discharge; claims arising from state statutes such as the Biometric Information Privacy Act,  the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, the Illinois One Day Rest in Seven Act, Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County Paid Leave for laws; and claims regarding non-compete provisions and other employment contract matters. Doug has also drafted and revised employee handbooks and analyzed policies to determine whether they are legally defensible in both the areas of employment and traditional labor law. 

Doug is a former Assistant General Counsel and Labor Relations Specialist for the Chicago Board of Education Law Department. This in-house experience enables Doug to better understand the complex issues his clients contend with on a daily basis and to offer proven solutions to meeting these challenges.

Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Labor and Employment Law - Management, and Litigation - Labor and Employment (2025)
  • Represented clients before the NLRB for unfair labor practice charges.
  • Represented clients in Union Collective Bargaining Negotiations.
  • Represented clients in union election campaigns without any labor disruption.
  • Achieved favorable decisions in age, disability, race, sex discrimination, and retaliation claims, breach of contract, and tortious interference claims including summary judgment granted on a tortious interference claim in Cook County, Illinois.
  • Successfully defended and resolved multiple gender, age, and disability discrimination lawsuits.
  • Successfully defendant and resolved several Biometric Information Privacy Act class actions.
  • Successfully represented clients before the EEOC and state and local human rights commissions in multiple charges of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
Education
  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law
    J.D., 2018
  • St. John's University
    B.S., 2012
Bar Admissions
  • Illinois
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois