Kelly Coyle

Partner

Clark Baird Smith LLP

Kelly Coyle is a Partner with Clark Baird Smith LLP. Kelly focuses her practice on helping employers successfully navigate through a range of labor and employment law issues. Kelly’s labor experience includes litigating grievance arbitration matters; litigating both representation and unfair labor practice cases before the ILRB and ELRB; and counseling employers on their rights and obligations under the Illinois Labor Acts and their respective collective bargaining agreements. 

In addition to her labor experience, Kelly also focuses on assisting employers with their non-union, employment matters. Kelly regularly counsels and represents employers regarding statutory medical leave issues under the FMLA and ADA, disability concerns under Illinois and Federal law, fitness for duty issues, and PSEBA matters. Kelly also has experience representing employers in employment discrimination claims before the IDHR and the EEOC. Additionally, Kelly has conducted multiple, neutral workplace misconduct investigations on behalf of employers; and has conducted numerous trainings related to anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies and best practices, and regularly assists public employers on the handling of FOIA requests.

Prior to joining Clark Baird Smith LLP, Kelly gained invaluable experience working for the ILRB as an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). As an ALJ, Kelly was responsible for conducting numerous hearings, addressing a variety of pretrial issues, conducting in-depth labor law research, and drafting more than a dozen decisions. 

In 2018 and 2019, Leading Lawyers recognized Kelly as an “Emerging Lawyer” in the Labor Law (Management) field. Leading Lawyers grants less than 2% of Illinois attorneys the distinction of Emerging Lawyer.