PHILIP L. MANDELL

Mr. Mandell received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Illinois.  He attended the John Marshall Law School where he was awarded the “Order of John Marshall.”  Mr. Mandell served as an Internal Revenue Service conferee out of the Chicago Regional Office.

Mr. Mandell is a founding member of the law firm of Pitler and Mandell, where he now serves as the senior partner.  He is a member of the bar of the State of Illinois, the bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Trial Bar of that Court.

Mr. Mandell’s broad-ranging practice includes both litigation and corporate matters.  His litigation experience includes construction and brokerage arbitrations and bench and jury trials related to corporate, insurance, matrimonial and medical malpractice.  Mr. Mandell currently represents both plaintiffs and defendants in dissolution and custody matters, insurance and personal injury cases, and corporate, contract and real estate litigation.  His expertise also includes real estate, general corporate advice and estate planning.

Mr. Mandell is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Northwest Suburban Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the Decalogue Society of Lawyers.  Mr. Mandell has been involved in many philanthropic endeavors and has served on the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation where he received the Distinguished Service Award.

You can contact Mr. Mandell at phil@pitlerandmandell.com

SIGI M. OFFENBACH

Mr. Offenbach is an honors graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa, where he received a B.A. in political science and African studies.  He received his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Loyola University Law Journal and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Family Law.  He also studied at Northwestern University on a departmental fellowship, where he received an M.A. and a Candidacy in Philosophy in political science.

Mr. Offenbach has been associated with the firm of Pitler and Mandell since 1981 and is a partner.  He was an instructor at the American Institute for Paralegal Studies and taught courses in both litigation and legal research.  He received a faculty commendation from that institute for outstanding teaching.  He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, where he serves on the Federal Civil Procedure committee.

Mr. Offenbach is admitted to practice in all state courts in Illinois as well as the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Trial Bar of that District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Mr. Offenbach practices in the area of litigation, primarily in the federal courts, chancery court and various appellate courts.  He also is involved in handling administrative law matters in front of both federal and state agencies and provides services in the general corporate area.  Mr. Offenbach specializes in the area of employment law, including discrimination, employment contracts, non-compete and confidentiality litigation and wrongful discharge.

MR. OFFENBACH’S EXPERIENCE IN THE EMPLOYMENT AREA

REPRESENTATION OF EMPLOYERS

Business Advice and Documentation: employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, non-competition agreements, confidentiality agreements, agreements involving inventions and trade secrets, non-solicitation agreements, employment applications, employee handbooks, drug and alcohol policies, Buy-Sell Agreements and Stock Bonus Incentive Agreements, advice concerning termination of employees, compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, Personnel Records Review Act, conducting investigations and interviews concerning discrimination, harassment, and unfair employment practices.

REPRESENTATION OF EMPLOYEES

Litigation and Advice Concerning:

Contractual Matters, including employment contracts, commission sales agreements, brokerage agreements, non-competition agreements, trade secret agreements.

Discrimination Matters, including race, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin discrimination, pregnancy, disability, Equal Pay Act, perceived disability, religion and arrest records.

Retaliatory Discharge based on violation of the Workers’ Compensation Act, the Whistleblowing Act and OSHA.

VENUES

Venues include the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations and the Illinois Department of Labor.

Mr. Offenbach can be reached at sigi@pitlerandmandell.com