Ryan Gehbauer

Ryan is an experienced employment law attorney who serves as a trusted advisor and effective litigator for employers of all sizes.

Ryan provides responsive and strategic day-to-day counseling to his clients' leadership, HR, and in-house legal teams on a wide variety of issues that arise during hiring, firing, and every phase of employment. He regularly offers guidance on the enforcement of restrictive covenants; wage and hour issues; background checks; workforce reductions; terminations; complaints of discrimination, retaliation, and harassment; leaves of absence, workplace safety, and workplace investigations and policies.

Ryan also routinely drafts and negotiates employment and severance agreements. In recent years, he has developed a special emphasis on employment and related agreements in the health care industry. He also frequently counsels health care entities and other clients on the myriad employment issues tied to mergers and acquisitions.

When employers face lawsuits, Ryan passionately and tactfully protects their interests in federal and state courts across the country, arbitration, mediation, and before government agencies. Ryan has jury trial and federal and state appellate experience, including multiple appeals before the 7th Circuit. Ryan has helped employers successfully navigate a multitude of employment-related claims, including improper competition and trade secret actions; discrimination, retaliation, and harassment claims; wage and hour claims; and OSHA claims at the federal and state level. In recent years, Ryan has also developed extensive experience defending employers against claims under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), and counseling them on BIPA to avoid or minimize liability under the act.

Ryan is passionate about collaborating with clients to pursue efficient and practical employment law solutions that align with their values and ultimate business goals.