Employee to Lawyer

Elizabeth Payne is the Legal Director at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE), a nonprofit legal services agency for survivors of sexual assault, sex trafficking, and cyber sexual abuse. CAASE’s legal services include crime victims’ rights representation, criminal records relief, civil lawsuits, employment law, educational advocacy, cyber sexual abuse, and protective orders. Elizabeth is a Lecturer in Law on gender violence at The University of Chicago Law School and was previously a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Special Victims Bureau of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, where she prosecuted sexual assault and the sexual and physical abuse of children.

Learn more about the Annual Fundraiser on OCT 28th - CAASE.ORG

Sarah J. Arendt is a partner at Werman Salas P.C. in Chicago. She represents employees across the country in class and collective wage & hour litigation. Sarah serves on the Board of Directors of NELA-Illinois. She has also served as a contributing editor to the Midwinter Report published annually by the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law’s Wage and Hour Committee. Sarah received her Juris Doctor degree from The University of Chicago Law School in 2012.

Learn More: https://flsalaw.com/sarah-j-arendt/

Audrey Rubin is an award-winning leader in operational, financial, and cultural excellence in the workplace.

She has worked for firms and companies that were bogged down in administrative tasks, as well as organizations that ran like well-oiled machines. She carefully observed the key differences between them to identify what separates the successful businesses from the ones that struggle to break logjams and propel themselves forward.

She took what she learned and started working with leaders of law firms and corporate law departments who wanted to improve their results. Audrey began advising, coaching and training them on the critical business skills they need to be more productive and profitable, and her clients got significant gains.

Chris Bailey represents employers of all sizes in employer-employee disputes and advises on litigation avoidance and human resources issues. He has successfully defended employers against discrimination and harassment charges, handling jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations and appellate work.

Chris has handled disputes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as multiple state agencies. He has extensive experience drafting and litigating non-competition, non-solicit and non-disclosure agreements.

In traditional labor matters, Chris has represented clients in the private and public sectors in matters related to union avoidance campaigns, collective bargaining, unfair labor practice charge handling and grievance arbitrations. He advises clients on union-management relationships and other day-to-day questions as they arise.

For Chris, the nuances of employment and labor law share similarities with his previous career experience as a police officer — both areas involve the investigation of claims that can be highly personal in nature. Before joining the firm, Chris was a police officer for University City, Missouri, for seven years. He also served for three years as prosecutor for the city of Black Jack, Missouri.

Rebecca Houlding has been a passionate advocate for employees since 1996, representing individuals in cases of workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. A graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Law, she brings extensive experience in litigation and negotiation to her practice. Rebecca takes pride in providing thoughtful, bespoke services to every client, tailoring her approach to meet their specific needs.

Rebecca is also a trained mediator and arbitrator. In addition to her private alternative dispute resolution services, she can be found on the mediation panels for the Southern and Eastern District Courts in New York, and is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s employment arbitration and mediation panels.

Rebecca’s commitment to justice extends to teaching and mentoring. She has taught at the University of Hawaii School of Law, New York Law School and Brooklyn Law School.

Katherine Kleyman, Esq. is a dedicated employment attorney who represents workers in matters involving wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, harassment, and other workplace violations. A former corporate counsel, Katherine brings a unique advantage to her plaintiff-side practice. She understands how the other side operates and uses that insight to protect and empower her clients. With a focused, client-centered approach, she guides individuals through the legal process with confidence, clarity, and care. A graduate of Fordham University School of Law, Katherine currently practices in New York and California.

Learn More:

https://www.kleymanesq.com/

Ms. Silva is an attorney at Sass Law Firm with over 25 years of experience in labor and employment law matters, representing employees suffering discrimination and harassment based on age, disability, family status, gender/sex, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, and sexual orientation. She has extensive experience representing students and employees in Title IX claims against high schools, vocational schools, and universities, regarding a variety of issues including claims of pregnancy discrimination, access to athletics, equal pay, harassment, and retaliation. She currently serves as a Board Member of the National Employment Lawyers Association and is the NELA Vice President of Affiliate Relations. In 2025, Ms. Silva was elected to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and is serving on the Executive Council of the Florida Bar Labor and Employment Section.

Learn more:

https://www.employmentlawtampa.com/attorneys/adria-lynn-silva/

https://www.nela.org

Sarah Arendt has represented thousands of employees in class, collective, and individual actions to recover unpaid minimum wages, overtime compensation, and other owed wages and penalties. A federal court has called Sarah a “highly respected and experienced lawyer” in wage and hour law.

Sarah takes on wage theft in all its forms – she has represented federal employees seeking owed overtime and night pay from the U.S. Government, inside sales representatives who were misclassified as managers by their tech firm and big-box employers, and tipped workers who were not paid the minimum wage by restaurant franchises across the country. Sarah has also recovered unpaid wages and overtime compensation for home health and companion care workers, including those who work 24-hour shifts in the homes of their employer’s clients.

Learn More: https://flsalaw.com/sarah-j-arendt/

Katherine Kleyman, Esq. is a dedicated employment attorney who represents workers in matters involving wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, harassment, and other workplace violations. A former corporate counsel, Katherine brings a unique advantage to her plaintiff-side practice. She understands how the other side operates and uses that insight to protect and empower her clients. With a focused, client-centered approach, she guides individuals through the legal process with confidence, clarity, and care. A graduate of Fordham University School of Law, Katherine currently practices in New York and California.

Learn More:

https://www.kleymanesq.com/

This week Max and Amit talk about a recent SA case linked to a longstanding reality series.