Biography
Jody Kahn Mason is a principal in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C., and has been with the firm since 2011. She regularly defends employers in disputes pending before federal and state courts and administrative agencies throughout the Midwest. Jody has significant litigation and jury-trial experience, and is a member of the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Jody is the co-leader of the firm’s Biometric Privacy Litigation Group, and is also a member of the Disability, Leave and Health Management team.
Jody has counseled countless companies regarding compliance with biometric privacy laws, including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”). She has litigated dozens of putative class action lawsuits involving alleged violations of the BIPA in state and federal courts throughout Illinois. She regularly speaks on biometric privacy issues and is a recognized thought leader regarding this developing and complex area of the law. Jody helps clients to mitigate potential exposure and aggressively litigates biometric privacy cases, when necessary.
Jody partners with employers to minimize workplace disputes by providing practical advice, proactive strategies, and creative solutions to potential issues with employees. When litigation is unavoidable, Jody has successfully litigated cases on behalf of employers accused of harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, tortious interference, breach of contract, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations, and other alleged wrongful conduct. Additionally, Jody has experience counseling employers regarding a multitude of employment issues such as the implementation of reductions in force, drafting employee handbooks, negotiating separation agreements, and the enforcement of restrictive covenants. Jody also has wide-ranging experience both conducting investigations of employee complaints and advising clients regarding internal investigations. She regularly conducts workplace training on a number of topics to help employers identify and prevent possible workplace disputes.
Jody routinely counsels employers regarding the laws which protect sick and injured employees, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and FMLA, and helps employers navigate complex disability, health, and leave management issues. She frequently guides employers through the ADA’s interactive process and helps employers ensure compliance with the technicalities of the FMLA. She also provides guidance to employers regarding the complexities of the Chicago and Cook County Earned Sick Leave Ordinances. More recently, Jody has counseled countless employers regarding complex and ever-evolving issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jody speaks and writes frequently regarding disability and leave management issues. She strives to help employers avoid litigation entirely, or if that is not possible, to mitigate the risks and costs inherent in litigation.
Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Jody worked at a Chicago-based litigation boutique where she represented a number of companies involved in complex litigation, including product liability, pharmaceutical, medical malpractice, environmental, and general tort litigation.
