CHICAGO – Labor and employment attorney Gray I. Mateo Harris has been named to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under Forty list. The list recognizes up-and-coming attorneys across Illinois for their intelligence, passion, success and work in the legal community.
Mateo-Harris is recognized “as one of the top labor and employment lawyers in the Chicago region,” as noted in her Class of 2019 profile, for her exceptional work as a partner in Barnes & Thornburg’s Labor and Employment Department, where she represents employers at the federal and state levels in employment litigation and traditional labor law matters. She provides effective guidance to employers through virtually all stages of the employment relationship and handles litigation through trial and appeal.
The clients and former colleagues who nominated Mateo-Harris highlight her extensive and varied subject matter skills and strengths, developed over more than a decade exclusively representing companies in critical labor and employment litigation. She has obtained pro-employer rulings or settlements in numerous matters, and has taken matters through trial with favorable outcomes.
As a native Spanish speaker, Mateo-Harris provides Spanish language representation for clients, which encompasses witness preparation, document review, depositions, mediations, administrative proceedings, internal investigations and workplace training.
Mateo-Harris is also commended by the publication for her pro bono work, deep community involvement and her dedication as a mentor to law students. She has provided pro bono representation for nonprofit organizations on employment matters and has represented individuals through the Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Violence Clinic and the Northern District of Illinois Judicial Settlement Assistance Program. In addition, she currently serves as vice chair of the National Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Women’s Coalition and board member with the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation. She is also involved in a number of other legal associations advocating for diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, including the Black Women Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois.
Earlier this year, she was named a 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates by the National Bar Association and was recognized as a 2019 Leading Lawyers by Leading Lawyers Network, a division of the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
