Brent D.Knight

Brent Knight has more than 20 years of experience advocating for employers in class action labor and employment matters. Brent has represented clients in state courts, federal courts, and before administrative agencies throughout the United States on claims brought pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII, the National Labor Relations Act, and a variety of state law counterparts, including extensive experience defending claims brought under the California Labor Code and the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

Much of Brent's work is at the cutting edge of labor and employment law, impacting not only clients' businesses but setting precedent for employers nationwide. For instance, Brent has successfully defended several cases involving claims that McDonald's was a joint employer of its franchisee's employees under both state and federal law. He has successfully defended overtime claims at trial under California's Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). He also has served as lead attorney on mass arbitration matters, strategically guiding clients through hundreds of individual cases. And he regularly advises clients regarding arbitration agreements and noncompetition agreements. Representative clients in recent public matters include McDonald's, Ecolab, Publix Super Markets, Abbott Laboratories, Service Corporation International, and CrossCountry Mortgage.

Brent is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, a nonpartisan, independent research and advocacy organization that seeks to promote social justice by proposing solutions to barriers and inequities affecting vulnerable populations within the court systems. He also belongs to the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.