Corwin J. Carr

Corwin is an experienced advisor, litigator, and transactional attorney who focuses on helping clients develop, pursue, and implement practical, business-oriented solutions to their legal needs.

Corwin maintains a wide-ranging employment practice which includes providing day-to-day advice and counsel regarding employment matters, conducting internal investigations, assisting in mergers and acquisitions, and representing employers in disputes before administrative agencies, arbitration, mediation, and in state and federal court.

Corwin frequently represents employers facing allegations of harassment and discrimination, as well as wage-and-hour complaints, including securing a jury and bench verdict in favor of a major U.S. city in a federal court case alleging race and political affiliation discrimination. In one of the first district court cases addressing the “ministerial exception” after the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in Our Lady of Guadalupe v. Morrissey-Berru, Corwin successfully won summary judgment in the employer’s favor on a terminated employee’s claim of pregnancy discrimination. Corwin also has experience defending employers against wage-and-hour claims, including securing summary judgment and a Circuit Court affirmance in an employer’s favor in a case alleging misclassification and unpaid overtime under the FLSA.

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Corwin has represented employers in sex discrimination and whistleblower retaliation claims in federal court, sex and race discrimination claims brought before federal and state administrative agencies, and in agency investigations of employers’ compliance with employee scheduling and leave laws. Corwin has also represented employers filing suit against former employees for breach of non-compete and non-solicitation restrictive covenants and for misappropriation of trade secrets.

Corwin also works with employers to conduct internal investigations into all manner of employment issues and has a robust advice and counsel practice focused on providing business-oriented solutions to employer’s legal challenges. Corwin has advised companies on employee safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, employee privacy and data privacy issues, wage payment and deduction matters, paid and unpaid leaves, WARN Act compliance, and harassment and discrimination. Corwin also regularly works with clients to develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance with a variety of evolving federal, state, and local employment laws.

In addition, Corwin maintains a robust environmental practice focused on assisting BFKN’s transactional clients to assess due diligence, identify potential environmental liabilities, develop practical business strategies for responding to potential issues, and drafting and negotiating transactional documents to appropriately allocate legal risks.

Admissions

• State of Illinois
• State of California
• U.S. District Court - Northern District of Illinois

Education

• University of Michigan School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2014
• Bowling Green State University, M.A., Philosophy, 2008
• New School University, M.A., Philosophy, 2006
• Boston College, B.A., Philosophy, magna cum laude, 2004

• Litigation - Labor & Employment, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2024)