Susan Best

Susan Best specializes in employment law litigation representing both public and private employers in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, civil rights and constitutional claims, including those brought pursuant to Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Section 1983, the ADA, the FMLA, the ADEA, and similar state statutes. Ms. Best is also experienced in training and counseling clients on a wide variety of employment-related issues, including Title IX compliance, anti-discrimination policies and procedures, discipline, work performance, leave policies, workplace accommodations, and best practices. Ms. Best has experience representing clients at the administrative level, including at that IDHR and EEOC, at the district and circuit court levels, and at the appellate level.

Prior to joining Gordon & Rees, Ms. Best oversaw all federal litigation matters brought against the Board of Education of the City of Chicago (a.k.a. “CPS”) – the nation’s fourth-largest school district serving approximately 325,000 students and employees. While at CPS, Ms. Best acted as the liaison between CPS and the federal government –US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) – to ensure CPS’ compliance with Title IX and other federal statutes. In this role, Ms. Best drafted policies and procedures that addressed the prevention, investigation, and response to Title IX complaints and other allegations of discrimination and harassment. Ms. Best also played a significant role in creating and implementing the nation’s first Office of Student Protections & Title IX (OSP), the CPS department responsible for coordinating its response to all incidents of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, harassment, and bullying under Title IX.