Biography
The attorneys at O'Malley & Madden, P.C. have extensive experience in negotiation, mediation and in all phases of civil litigation before the federal and state courts and administrative agencies. To find out more about one of our attorneys, please select a name from below for a full biography.
M. Megan O'Malley
- Selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer® and an Illinois Rising Star in the area
- Immediate Past President, National Employment Lawyers Association/Illinois
Megan O'Malley, a principal and founding member of O'Malley & Madden, P.C., concentrates her practice in the areas of civil rights and employment law. Her decision to focus exclusively in those areas is born of her unwavering commitment to eliminating discrimination in the workplace. Ms. O'Malley has successfully litigated hundreds of claims on behalf of victims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. She has also represented numerous whistleblowers in claims against their employers for retaliatory conduct. She has extensive trial experience before the federal and state courts and administrative agencies, and she has successfully argued before both the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Illinois Appellate Court on behalf of employees. Although, she primarily litigates cases in court, Ms. O'Malley also routinely counsels employees through career transitions and reviews, drafts and negotiates employment contracts, severance negotiations, and favorable non-compete agreements.
Ms. O'Malley is the immediate past President of the National Employment Lawyers Association, Illinois Chapter. She has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer and an Illinois Rising Star in the area of employment law. Ms. O'Malley is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the National Employment Lawyers Association. She is licensed to practice before the Illinois Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and she is a member of the Federal Trial Bar.
Ms. O'Malley is a formidable advocate for the individuals she represents, and she takes great pride in the praise she receives from her colleagues recognizing her tremendous commitment to her clients.
Ms. O'Malley graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Art History. She received her law degree from the DePaul University College of Law, where she received numerous awards for achieving the highest marks in several courses, including for legal writing. Above all else, Megan is the extremely proud mother of two darling daughters.
John P. Madden
- Illinois Super Lawyers® Rising Star for 2008, 2009 & 2011
- Chair: Chicago Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee
John P. Madden is a principal and founding member of O'Malley & Madden, P.C. He concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law, civil and commercial litigation and appellate practice. Mr. Madden began his career with a well-known appellate lawyer, writing appeals, opinion memoranda and other writing-intensive projects on behalf of a prominent Chicago law firm and other attorneys throughout the Chicago area. He continued this work after starting his own practice in 2000 and after founding O'Malley & Madden, P.C. in 2001.
Trial Practice
Mr. Madden has experience in all aspects of trial litigation before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including U.S. District Courts, Illinois Circuit Courts, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Labor. He has litigated a wide range of cases for his clients involving, race, gender, pregnancy, age, disability, national origin and religious discrimination, as well as retaliation, harassment and wrongful discharge under various federal and state laws.
Mr. Madden also has broad-based experience in general civil and commercial litigation relating to personal and business torts and contract issues, including cases involving breach of contract, tortious interference with contract and prospective economic advantage, defamation, invasion of privacy, false light, trade secrets, corporate formation and piercing, partnership and joint venture liability.
Appellate Practice
Mr. Madden has practiced extensively before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Appellate Court. He has also prepared several appeals for petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Madden has successfully briefed and argued precedent setting cases in the areas employment law and trial standards.
Counseling & Negotiation
Mr. Madden frequently provides assistance to individuals and small businesses needing help in structuring or resolving workplace and personnel issues. This includes individuals needing advice on employment contracts, including non-compete agreements and similar restrictive provisions, as well as severance packages and release agreements. Mr. Madden also provides counseling and training for small businesses on issues critical to the workplace environment, including: regulatory compliance in personnel actions; development and implementation of employee handbooks and other corporate policies; employment contracts and severance agreements; supervision of corporate disciplinary/discharge procedures; advice and guidance on responding to employee complaints of discrimination, harassment and retaliation; avoiding litigation and mitigating exposure from local, state, and federal laws governing the workplace.
Education
- DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois
- Juris Doctor
- Presidential Scholarship
- University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
- Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude ~ Philosophy and English
- Phi Sigma Tau International Honor Society in Philosophy
- Golden Key International Honour Society
- Alpha Sigma Tau - U. of Dayton Society for Honor Graduates
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- Illinois Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Professional & Bar Association Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Chicago Bar Association
- Seventh Circuit Bar Association
Jacob B. Shorr
Mr. Jacob B. Shorr represents clients in state and federal litigation as well as administrative proceedings, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Illinois Department of Human Rights. Mr. Shorr works alongside the firm's partners to ensure that each client's interests are served throughout the litigation process.
After receiving a B.A. in English with departmental distinction from DePaul University, Mr. Shorr worked as an assistant to a Judaic Scholar with Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation. Mr. Shorr received his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law with a Certificate in Public Interest Law; he also received a Certificate of Service for committing over 250 hours to volunteer work during law school. While in school, Mr. Shorr served as President of the Kent Justice Foundation, a student organization devoted to public interest work, which raised over $30,000 in 2008-09 for summer fellowships assisting 16 students performing public interest legal services. Additionally, Mr. Shorr worked at the Employment Discrimination and Civil Rights Litigation Clinic at Chicago-Kent, working on race and gender discrimination lawsuits before the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Mr. Shorr was born and raised in the northern suburbs of Chicago. He continues to be active in fundraising activities for the Jewish United Fund as a member of their Young Lawyers Group, and is a member of the Chicago-Kent Young Alumni Council. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the National Employment Lawyers Association — Illinois. He is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Lindsey E. Goldberg
Ms. Lindsey E. Goldberg works alongside the firm's partners representing clients in state and federal litigation in civil rights and employment related matters. Prior to joining O'Malley & Madden, P.C., Ms. Goldberg represented employees in wage and hour litigation where she advocated for employees' rights to their legally entitled wages and overtime.
After receiving a B.A. in public health from the University of Michigan, Ms. Goldberg graduated cum laude from Case Western Reserve University where she received her J.D. and also an M.A. in bioethics. Ms. Goldberg previously worked as an extern for the Honorable Judge Stuart Friedman in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and has also served as executive editor for the Health Matrix legal journal, one of the highest-rated law reviews focusing on health law. She is an active member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, Illinois Chapter, and the Chicago Bar Association. She is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.