Cara Ottenweller > Vedder Price > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile
Vedder Price Offices
222 NORTH LASALLE STREET, SUITE 2600
CHICAGO, IL 60601-1003
ILLINOIS
United States
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
Cara Ottenweller
Work Department
Labor and Employment
Position
Shareholder
Career
Ms. Ottenweller regularly counsels and partners with clients on a broad range of complex human resources and employment law issues, and offers creative, strategic, and practical solutions that align with her clients’ needs and goals. For example, she advises on topics including complicated employee onboarding, discipline, and termination issues; FMLA, ADA and other leave and accommodation scenarios; minimizing costly wage and hour mishaps and claims; sophisticated workforce restructuring efforts and reductions in force; developing and implementing enforceable restrictive covenant agreements; workplace violence prevention and response; and medical and recreational marijuana in the workplace. As part of her counseling practice, Ms. Ottenweller also regularly develops workplace policies, conducts sensitive workplace investigations, and leads engaging and interactive employment training courses for employers and employees alike. More recently, she has helped companies navigate the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape, including remote work issues, ensuring a safe and compliant workplace, and strategizing ways to minimize liability risks.
While Ms. Ottenweller’s primary goal is to keep her clients out of the courtroom, she has also successfully represented and defended employers against a variety of traditional labor and employment law claims when they do arise, including federal and state litigation, administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal, state and local agencies, and various arbitral forums.
Memberships
- Member, American Bar Association
Education
- Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., 2007, magna cum laude
- Indiana University, B.A., 2002
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Transport > Rail and road: finance
Firm Rankings
- Transport > Shipping: finance
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense