With years of experience as both a litigator and an employment attorney, Emily Wessel Farr advises employers on a wide-range of issues such as civil rights violations, harassment and discrimination, protection of trade secrets, NLRB matters, peer review and credentialing and HR training. Emily also regularly advises businesses on corporate matters including insurance coverage, breach of contract, unfair labor practices, civil rights and ADA violations, disciplinary actions and licensing issues. 

Before joining Gould & Ratner, Emily founded Farr & Farr, a Chicago-based law firm focused on litigation and employment matters. She is also admitted to practice in North Carolina, where she spent several years representing corporations and medical practice groups in a variety of matters affecting their businesses and has spent significant time litigating civil rights cases in federal court. In 2018, she was named one of Crain’s “Notable Women Lawyers” and has been recognized as a Rising Star in employment law by Super Lawyers magazine for 2019 and 2020.

In addition to her practice, Emily is actively involved in several legal organizations. For the past three years, she has served as a volunteer Child Advocate for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Emily is a member of several bar associations, and most recently served as an editor of The Woman Advocate, a publication of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section. She also volunteers her time to several community service initiatives such as a leadership member of the Associate Board of the Greater Chicago Food Depository and as a founder and co-lead of her local Moms Demand Action chapter.

Emily provides thoughtful (yet efficient) counsel, and enjoys educating her clients so they can protect their companies. Most recently, during the COVID-19 crisis, Emily has counseled clients on their insurance coverage, PPP loans, and the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act. She frequently presents on a variety of employment-related topics including sexual harassment (required for Illinois employers beginning in 2020), discrimination, LGBTQ-IQ rights, hostile work environments, implementation and use of employee handbooks, and how to avoid liability at your annual holiday office party. Emily also trains management on supervisor liability, misclassification of independent contractors, paid sick leave, protecting trade secrets, how to effectively handle employee interviews, performance reviews, and investigations. 

Emily earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. in Political Science from Northwestern University, where she was Executive Co-Chair of Dance Marathon, one of the largest student-run non-profits in the nation.