Biography

William F. Dugan is a partner of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, the leading national labor and employment law firm.  Mr. Dugan is a member of the Labor and Employment Practice Group and resides in the firm’s Chicago office.

Mr. Dugan has represented employers in a wide array of state and federal matters, including litigation of employment contract claims, wrongful discharge claims, privacy claims, various tort based common law claims, harassment claims, and discrimination and retaliation claims brought pursuant to Title VII, the FMLA, the ADA, the ADEA and various other state and local statutes.  Mr. Dugan practices extensively before a variety of local, state and federal agencies, tribunals and courts, including practice before the National Labor Relations Board, the National Association of Securities Dealers, several federal appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Dugan has extensive experience in the employment and labor litigation arenas throughout the United States.  Among his various cases, Mr. Dugan was co-lead counsel in a recent federal court multi-plaintiff race discrimination and harassment lawsuit litigated for nine weeks to verdict before a Detroit, Michigan jury, lead counsel in a recent multi-plaintiff sex harassment and retaliation lawsuit litigated to verdict before a Chicago, Illinois jury, and lead counsel in a recent single-plaintiff breach of contract lawsuit litigated to verdict before an Ann Arbor, Michigan jury, and lead counsel in a recent single-plantiff breach of contract lawasuit litigated to verdict before an Ann Arbor, Michigan jury. Similarly, Mr. Dugan was trial counsel for a twelve employee discharge case in Freeport, Texas, as well as trial counsel in an unfair labor practice hearing wherein nearly one hundred unfair labor practice charges were litigated to verdict over forty-eight hearing days in Syracuse, New York.  Mr. Dugan was also trial counsel in the first sexual orientation discrimination lawsuit held in Urbana, Illinois.  Currently, Mr. Dugan is defense counsel in one of the largest pay and promotion gender discrimination class/collective actions in the nation.

Mr. Dugan has also achieved favorable results prior to trial.  For instance, Mr. Dugan recently defeated class certification and prevailed at summary judgment on the named plaintiffs’ claims leading to a quick case resolution.  Moreover, Mr. Dugan has filed counter-claims when appropriate, achieving various judgments against vexatious plaintiffs.  When prudent, Mr. Dugan has also been able to resolve cases favorably prior to trial as evidenced by a recent nine plaintiff matter resolved on very favorable terms in Circuit Court, St. Clair County, Illinois, recognized by the American Tort Reform Association as one of the five “Judicial Hellholes” in the nation.

In the union arena, Mr. Dugan routinely provides legal advice to management in election campaigns, represents management in labor arbitrations and unfair labor practice and representation hearings before the National Labor Relations Board.  As part of Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s Business Restructuring and Transactional Employment Group, Mr. Dugan devotes a portion of his practice to advising clients concerning labor and employment issues in mergers, sales, joint ventures, workforce reductions and other business restructuring matters.

Education

Admissions

• Illinois
• New York

Courts

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Tenth, and the District of Columbia Circuits
• Illinois Court of Appeals
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
• Several Other United States District Courts