Partner
Amara Okafor
Amara advises employers on agreements, policies, compliance and the employment issues that come with growth.
Amara leads the firm's employment practice. She helps employers hire, manage and part ways with people in line with the law of each state where they operate.
Her work includes executive agreements, handbooks and compliance reviews, as well as separation negotiations and the assessment of workplace disputes.
She also works with the disputes team on matters where employment and commercial issues overlap, such as a departing executive joining a competitor.
Amara's matters range from a first employee handbook for a growing company to multi-state compliance reviews when a team spreads across several states. She prepares executive employment and separation agreements, reviews contractor relationships for classification risk, and advises on restrictive covenants in light of the Illinois Freedom to Work Act and the rules of other states where clients hire.
- Practice areas
- Employment and Workplace Law, Commercial Disputes and Litigation
- Education
J.D., University of Illinois College of Law
B.S., Industrial Relations, Cornell University
- Bar admissions
Illinois, 2012
Wisconsin, 2015
- Professional memberships
Chicago Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Committee
American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
- Languages
- English, Yoruba
Experience includes
- Multi-state handbook and policy reviews for growing employers
- Executive employment and separation agreements
- Contractor classification assessments
- Advice on restrictive covenants where legally permissible
Publications and speaking
- "Hiring across state lines: a checklist for employers", guide, 2025
Insights
Written by Amara
Consultations
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