Dinsmore Chicago Hires Jessica Chang, Builds Labor and Employment Group

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP has hired Associate Jessica Chang in its labor and employment group in Chicago. She is the second member of the growing team in the city after Partner J.T. Wilson III joined the firm in January. 

Chang arrives at Dinsmore from Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC, where she practiced for a year-and-a-half, representing small and mid-size companies and advising them on best practices for human resources and employment. She is adept at drafting offer letters, agreements, handbooks and policies, and she has litigation experience from her time as a contract attorney at Eimer Stahl.

“Jessica is a pivotal piece to the strong foundation we are building in Chicago, and I am delighted to have her on the team,” Wilson said. “Her immigration law and prior in-house experience are skills that complement the current practice quite well, and they add immediate value to an accomplished and balanced team. Jessica’s arrival further advances the momentum Dinsmore has in the Chicago market and on the national stage.”

Although Chang graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law, her background, both personally and professionally, has led her around the globe. She was born in Korea, moved to the United States as a child but returned to Korea for high school and college, which also took her to Australia and China. As a young professional, she lived in Poland, then returned to Korea to work in investment banking. Graduate degrees brought her back to the United States, where she studied criminal justice in Omaha, Nebraska, then returned to Chicago for law school.

“I studied labor and employment in law school,” Chang said. “I like that every case is different. I can take the macro and apply it to what the client needs to achieve our best outcome.”

In Dinsmore’s short time focusing on labor and employment in Chicago, it has already secured a number of favorable outcomes, including a summary judgment in favor of a client in a discrimination case and significantly reduced payment to a plaintiff in a workplace negligence case. With the addition of Chang, Dinsmore expects to increase its offerings and continue its pattern of excellence in the field.