Michael (“Mike”) Ray represents and counsels employers on a wide range of traditional labor and employment matters. Mike’s traditional labor practice involves representing clients in arbitrations, labor injunction proceedings, and before the National Labor Relations Board. On the employment side, Mike regularly represents employers in wage and hour class and collective actions under state and federal law, and in discrimination and retaliation suits under state and federal law.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mike regularly counsels employers on such matters as wage and hour compliance, labor-management relations, litigation avoidance, and compliance with various other state and federal employment laws.
Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Mike completed a judicial clerkship for Justice Thomas Saylor of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Experience
Mike regularly represents and advises clients of all sizes on traditional labor and employment matters. Examples of his work include:
- Serving as first-chair trial counsel in labor arbitrations representing clients ranging from large telecommunication companies to small construction contractors
- Serving as first-chair trial counsel for large chemical company in injunction proceedings involving more than 1,000 picketers resulting in a restraining order being issued
- Defending employers in numerous wage and hour class and collective actions in state and federal courts
- Winning summary judgment on behalf of employers in numerous discrimination and retaliation suits, including taking and defending key depositions
- Defending employers in administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies including the National Labor Relations Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights
Illinois
U.S. District Court, Central, Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois
Supreme Court of Illinois
Education and Honors
- Articles Editor, Indiana Law Journal
- Moot Court Board - executive committee
- Order of the Barristers
- Champion of the Sherman Minton Moot Court competition
- Recipient of the post-graduate Cummings-Rumbaugh prize for excellence as a History major
Professional Activities
- American Bar Association
In The News
- October 2011 - Compliance Online - "IRS Offers Employers a Worker Classification Do-Over"
- September 29, 2011 - Ogletree Deakins Publication - "Employers Get Misclassification Tax Relief "
- 2006/2011 - The Developing Labor Law - "Chapter 13, Section XII (Dual Employer Operations: The "Double-Breasted" Issue), contributing editor"
- 2004 - 53 Bulletin of Comparative Labor Relations 59 - "The Definition of 'Employee' in American Labor and Employment Law"