Strategic Employment Counsel for Real-World Decisions
Practical Legal Guidance for Employers and Employees
When employment issues arise, you need more than legal advice—you need strategic thinking that protects your business while honoring your values. Jen helps companies prevent problems and professionals navigate career transitions with clarity and confidence.
Employment Counsel & Strategic Advisor
A Different Approach to Employment Law
Jen Huelskamp is an employment attorney focused on counseling and prevention. She left big-firm practice to deliver responsive advice, lean processes, and clear next steps.
Most employment attorneys are built for crisis management—fighting fires after they've already started. But what if you could prevent those fires entirely?
After years of litigation experience, she's seen the same patterns repeat: companies making avoidable mistakes, then paying dearly to fix them. There's a better way.
Jen works with thoughtful business leaders who want to do right by their employees while protecting their organizations. No courtroom theatrics. No billable hour games. Just clear, actionable advice that helps you make informed decisions.
From Urgent Issues to Long-Term Strategy
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Clear, actionable advice you can use today
When employment questions arise, Jen provides more than legal theory — she delivers direction clients can actually use. She outlines the options, explains them in plain language, and gives concrete next steps so leaders can move forward with confidence.
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Risk-aware strategies that protect relationships and reputation
Jen understands that employment law is never just about statutes and policies — it’s about people, culture, and reputation. Her counsel is designed to minimize legal risk while preserving trust and strengthening workplace relationships.
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Fast, focused support when timing matters
In employment matters, timing is often critical. Jen prioritizes accessibility and efficiency, delivering focused guidance when clients need it most so they can act decisively and prevent issues from escalating.
FOR EMPLOYERS
Build Strong Practices. Reduce Risk. Move Faster with Confidence
Jen partners with founders, HR leads, and in-house teams to handle day-to-day employment issues and plan ahead so problems don't escalate.
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Practical answers on hiring, performance management, leaves, accommodations, pay practices, and separations. Smart planning prevents costly corrections later.
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Your employee handbook should be a living document that reflects your company culture while providing clear legal protection. Policy updates, compliant templates, and manager guidance that actually works.
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When sensitive issues arise, proper investigation is crucial. Internal complaints, sensitive exits, and communications that minimize fallout while ensuring fairness and legal compliance.
FOR EMPLOYEES
Know Your Options. Protect Your Leverage. Leave on Your Terms.
If you're weighing an exit, facing a separation, or reviewing a contract, Jen gives you clear guidance and a strategic plan.
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Strategy on timing, communications, and documentation so you stay in control. Whether voluntary or involuntary, departures require careful handling.
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Terms, pay, benefits, non-competes, and non-disparagement—optimized for your goals and future leverage.
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Employment, offer, equity, and separation agreements—what to change and how to ask. Documents that protect your interests while being fair and enforceable.
Why Clients Choose Jen
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Practical Advice You Can Use Today
Employment issues rarely wait for theory or legal jargon. Jen provides clear, actionable guidance with specific options and next steps you can put into motion right away. Instead of complicated memos, you’ll get answers that help you make decisions quickly and confidently.
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Prevention Over Litigation
Most lawyers are trained to show up once a problem has already exploded. Jen’s approach is different: spot the risk before it turns into a fire. From smart policies to strategic planning, her work is designed to protect your business, your reputation, and your relationships, without relying on court for the outcome.
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Big-Firm Discipline, Small-Firm Attention
Jen brings the rigor, strategy, and depth of experience she gained as a big-firm partner, but with the accessibility and responsiveness of a streamlined practice. You get high-level counsel without the layers of bureaucracy or the inflated billable-hour structure—just direct, focused support that fits your needs.
Meet Jen Huelskamp
Jen Huelskamp is an employment attorney focused on counseling and prevention.
She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and her B.B.A in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. Jen is licensed in Illinois and Federal Courts and has also worked for multiple judges in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Before founding this practice, Jen was a partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP and Freeborn & Peters LLP, both in Chicago, where she advised clients on employment matters and handled complex litigation in state and federal courts across multiple jurisdictions. Prior to her work at Porter Wright and Freeborn, Jen was also an associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in Chicago.
Today, she brings the rigor and insight of big-firm experience to her streamlined practice—delivering quick access, clear guidance, and practical strategies that work for real-world clients.
JEN’S PHILOSOPHY
"The best legal outcomes happen when business leaders understand their options and make informed choices. My role is to provide that clarity—not to make decisions for you, but to ensure you have the knowledge to make them well."
The Real Impact of Employment Counsel
Employment law isn't just about compliance—it's about creating workplaces where people can thrive while businesses can grow. When you handle employment matters thoughtfully, you build trust with your team and reduce legal risk simultaneously.
I've spent years studying what goes wrong in employment relationships, both from the litigation side and the business side. This perspective helps me spot potential issues early and suggest practical solutions that work in the real world.
My clients range from tech startups to well-established companies, but they all share common traits: they care about their people, they want to do things right, and they understand that good legal counsel is an investment, not an expense.
Connect with Jen
Whether you're an employer looking to strengthen your workplace practices or an employee navigating a career transition, Jen provides the strategic guidance you need to move forward with confidence.