James D. Jorgensen

Private College Chief Legal Counsel/Chief of Staff

• Advised the President, Board of Trustees and senior leadership on all legal matters; oversaw outside counsel in litigation and compliance matters.
• Developed and coordinated crisis management and workplace safety programs in response to COVID-19 in collaboration with seven-college consortium.
• Coordinated comprehensive planning process including external consultant selection to unanimous approval of five-year strategic plan by campus governing council and board of trustees.
• Supervised Title IX coordinator; regularly conferred on cases and collaborated with consortium of seven colleges on policy development.
• Advised communications office on messaging strategy and content.

State University Deputy General Counsel

• Represented Office of the General Counsel on university's Threat Assessment Team, Disability Planning and Action Committee, Charter Committee on Diversity and Academic Integrity Advisory Board.
• Collaborated with Human Resources, Treasurer's office, Public Safety, Internal Audit, and Hospital Security departments to draft and implement financial fraud prevention and video surveillance policies.
• Revised and implemented policies on criminal background checks, use of Information Technology (IT) resources in workplace, and compliance with affirmative action laws and program integrity regulations.
• Advised Student Disability Services, IT, and Facilities Management departments regarding accessibility issues.
• Advised on employment and labor law issues, including discrimination and harassment, disability accommodations, wage and hour, investigations, and collective bargaining. Resolved disputes through direct negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation.

Private Practice

• Counseled healthcare clients concerning employee screening, hiring, termination, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and labor relations; drafted employment contracts for physicians and administrators.
• Resolved healthcare, employment and commercial disputes, including breach of contract, healthcare reimbursement, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and misrepresentation, tortious interference, and negligence cases in federal and state courts and private arbitrations.
• Litigated claims involving hostile environment and quid pro quo sexual harassment, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Title VII, ADA, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), employee discipline/termination and independent contractor status.
• Represented management in all manner of employment and labor disputes before federal and state courts and agencies, including participation in bench and jury trials involving wrongful discharge and employee non-compete agreements.
• Litigated disputes before state and federal courts and agencies involving traditional labor law, wrongful termination under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, and the Illinois Human Rights Act, employer contributions to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans, and modification of ERISA plans.