Max Barack
Garfinkel Group, LLC
Max Barack leads the Garfinkel Group, LLC's employment law practices group. He represents victims of workplace sexual and racial harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and unfair pay practices, such as unpaid overtime wages. He also represents whistleblowers and individuals engaged in severance negotiations. Previously, Max was a partner at Favaro & Gorman, Ltd, where he worked from January 2017 through January 2020.
Max has published articles on using social media and email in discovery in discrimination cases, using the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, best practices in representing employment law clients, the tort of retaliatory discharge, representing whistleblowers in claims for retaliatory discharge, using the Illinois Gender Violence Act in the #metoo era, and the recently passed Workplace Transparency Act. He has also assisted in the researching and writing of a publication on workplace laws affecting public employers and a presentation on workplace violence. He has given presentations on employee privacy and social media in discovery, the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act, the tort of retaliatory discharge, and new legislative developments in Illinois. Max is currently NELA-Illinois' Vice President and has been a member of its Board of Directors since 2019.
Max graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in May 2013, where he made the Dean's Honor list in the Fall 2010, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, and Spring 2013 semesters. He served as a Vice President of the Moot Court Honor Society from 2012 through 2013, and he served as a representative to the Student Bar Association. Prior to law school, he attended the University of Michigan, where he graduated with honors in 2010.
Since graduating law school, Max has gained experience in several areas of law, including representing criminal defendants and victims of sexual abuse. His first passion is civil rights employment law.
- Employment Law
- Employee Benefits, Employment Contracts, Employment Discrimination, ERISA, Overtime & Unpaid Wages, Sexual Harassment, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination
- Sexual Harassment
- Racial Harassment
- Unpaid Overtime
- Free Consultation
- Contingent Fees
- Illinois
- Supreme Court of Illinois
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- Spanish: Spoken, Written
- Member
- Garfinkel Group, LLC
- - Current
- • Lead labor attorney employment representing victims of racial and sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, whistleblower retaliation, and unfair pay practices in pursuing civil rights claims against current and former employers.
- Partner
- Favaro & Gorman, Ltd.
- -
- • Represented clients in pursuing civil rights employment claims against current and former employers, including racial and sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. • Represented clients in pursuing wage and hour claims, including unpaid wages, commissions, and bonuses, minimum wage and unpaid overtime wage claims. • Filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and representing victims of discrimination through administrative investigations and proceedings. • Participated in all aspects of litigation, including drafting pleadings and legal motions and memoranda, issuing and answering discovery, and taking and defending depositions. • Appeared in court on behalf of clients. • Acted as interpreter and representative for Spanish-speaking clients and potential clients • Conducted client intake interviews. • Drafted posts for firm blog page.
- Associate
- Favaro & Gorman, Ltd.
- -
- • Represented clients in pursuing civil rights employment claims against current and former employers, including racial and sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. • Represented clients in pursuing wage and hour claims, including unpaid wages, commissions, and bonuses, minimum wage and unpaid overtime wage claims. • Filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and representing victims of discrimination through administrative investigations and proceedings. • Participated in all aspects of litigation, including drafting pleadings and legal motions and memoranda, issuing and answering discovery, and taking and defending depositions. • Appeared in court on behalf of clients. • Acted as interpreter and representative for Spanish-speaking clients and potential clients • Conducted client intake interviews. • Drafted posts for firm blog page.
- Associate
- Law Offices of Nathan Diamond-Falk
- -
- • Appeared in court on behalf of criminal defendants • Assisted in trial preparation • Acted as second-chair in two criminal trials • Researched and drafted pretrial motions • Performed legal research and writing and draft sentencing memoranda for clients awaiting sentencing in federal court • Wound down firm following principal's passing.
- Associate
- Law Office of Lyndsay A. Markley
- -
- • Represented clients in litigating personal injury claims, with a focus on victims of sexual abuse • Participated in all aspects of litigation, including but not limited to drafting and motions and pleadings, appearing in court on behalf of plaintiffs for discovery statuses and motion practice, and taking and defending depositions • Performed client intakes for potential personal injury clients • Performed legal research, draft demand letters, pleadings, discovery documents, and motions
- Associate
- Law Offices of Joshua Friedman / Friedman & Houlding, LLP
- -
- • Represented clients in litigating civil rights and employment discrimination claims against current and former employers • Performed legal research and draft demand letters, pleadings, and discovery documents • Defended and prepared clients for depositions in employment discrimination and wage theft cases • Acted as interpreter for Spanish-speaking clients and potential clients • Wrote blog posts for firm website and conducted media appearances with and on behalf of clients • Conducted ESI searches and preserved clients’ email and social media accounts for discovery • Argued client's unemployment insurance compensation hearing and helped clients prepare for similar hearings
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
- J.D. (2013)
- Honors: Deans Honor List; CALI award for Election Law
- Activities: Vice President of the Moot Court Honor Society
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- University of Michigan Law School
- B.A. (2010)
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- Rising Star
- Super Lawyers-Illinois
- Recognized by peers as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in plaintiff-side labor and employment law.
- NELA/Illinois (National Employment Lawyers Association)
- Vice President
- - Current
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- NELA/Illinois (National Employment Lawyers Association)
- Board of Directors
- - Current
- Activities: Responsible for reviving and reinstating the document library. Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee.
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- Decalogue Society
- Board of Managers
- - Current
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- Illinois State Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
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- New Year, New Legislation: How the Workplace Transparency Act Will Protect Illinois Workers from Sexual Harassment
- CBA's @theBar Blog
- Using the Illinois Gender Violence Act to Help Victims of Workplace Sexual Violence
- CBA's @theBar Blog
- Re-Visiting The Tort Of Retaliatory Discharge, with a Focus on the “Citizen Crime-Fighter” Cause of Action
- CBA's @theBar Blog
- Using the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act to protect your clients from the effects of unfair severance agreements
- CBA's @theBar Blog
- Best Practices for New Employment Law Clients
- CBA's @theBar Blog
- Financial Poise Webinar: Protecting Your Employee Assets: The Life Cycle Of The Employment Relationship 2020 #1 Welcome to the Team! Recruiting and Hiring, Including Restrictive Covenants, Remote
- Financial Poise
- Employment Law in Illinois: The New Legislative Landscape, NELA-Illinois Monthly Brown Bag CLE Luncheon
- NELA-Illinois
- Co-presenter with Chiquita Hall-Jackson and Jim Zourras.
- Revisiting the Tort of Retaliatory Discharge – Focusing on the “Citizen Crime-Fighter” Cause of Action, Northwest Suburban Bar Association Monthly Employment Law Committee Meeting, Favaro & Gorman, Ltd.
- Northwest Suburban Bar Association Monthly Employment Law Committee
- Round Table Discussion of Illinois Privacy Laws, Northwest Suburban Bar Association Monthly Employment Law Committee Meeting, Favaro & Gorman, Ltd.
- Northwest Suburban Bar Association Monthly Employment Law Committee
- Social Media in the Context of Civil Discovery, Northwest Suburban Bar Association Monthly Employment Law Committee Meeting, Favaro & Gorman, Ltd.
- Northwest Suburban Bar Association Monthly Employment Law Committee
