Partner

Stephanie Dodge Gournis is a partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group and hiring partner for the Chicago office. She also serves as a member of the firm's Women's Committee. Stephanie is engaged exclusively in the representation of management in all aspects of traditional labor and employment matters.

Stephanie regularly represents employers in defending administrative and federal/state court complaints involving equal employment opportunity discrimination, retaliatory discharge, harassment, whistleblower rights, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage and hour claims.

Stephanie has significant experience in handling traditional labor matters before the National Labor Relations Board in 10 regions throughout the United States. She has negotiated several initial and successor collective bargaining agreements, and regularly counsels clients in all areas involving labor relations strategy, union organizing, corporate campaigns, contract negotiations and grievance arbitration.

Stephanie devotes a significant portion of her practice to representing hospital and health care clients in labor relations and employment matters and regularly conducts EEO and wage and hour compliance and union vulnerability audits for health care systems and stand alone health care facilities, both big and small.

Stephanie lectures extensively throughout the country on a variety of labor and employment matters, including sexual harassment, FMLA, ADA, wage and hour, discipline and discharge, volunteer rights and responsibilities, workplace violence, labor relations, corporate campaigns, and labor relations strategy and defense. She is a co-author of the IICLE, Labor Law Chapter entitled "Illinois Institute For Continuing Legal Education, The Labor Law Handbook, Chapter 20: Special Consideration in the Health Care Industry", and American Health Lawyers Association’s Health Law Practice Guide Chapter entitled "Labor and Employment." She is also a former co-contributor to the Medical Group Management Association, Personnel Postscript, a periodical distributed to medical group practices nationwide.

Stephanie is a resident of Park Ridge, Ill. and a member of the Illinois bar and various federal district and appellate courts. She received high honors as a graduate of the University of Illinois and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois, College of Law.