Jason C. Kim

Jason is a litigator and strategic counselor in all aspects of labor and employment law. He litigates unfair labor practices before the NLRB, arbitrates labor grievances, negotiates and administers collective bargaining agreements, and develops long-term labor strategies to maximize the value and effectiveness of each client’s workforce.

He also litigates and provides daily counsel on matters arising out of the numerous federal and state counterpart statutes governing employers, including FLSA, Title VII, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He has extensive experience defending collective and class action wage and hour disputes and conducting wage and hour audits to proactively identify and minimize potential sources of liability.

Jason’s ability to learn the complex layers of each client’s business, build enduring relationships and effectively communicate complicated legal and business concepts helps enable clients to overcome the numerous ongoing labor and employment challenges they face. His clients include health care entities such as nursing homes, senior care facilities, in-home care providers and assisted living centers, as well as manufacturing clients, retail distributors, and meat processing facilities with facilities around the country.

Before joining the firm, Jason served as an occupational safety and health officer for the Illinois Department of Labor. He also served as an environmental policy analyst for the government of the Republic of Korea, and as advisor to the Minister of Environment at the Third Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. He teaches classes on ADA, FMLA, FLSA and successfully managing the union relationship at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in an adjunct capacity.

Jason is a member of the Committee on Practice and Procedure under the National Labor Relations Act of the ABA and a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Jason regularly takes advantage of opportunities to serve the Chicago community. He is a former board member and currently serves on the emeritus board of Chicago Cares, a public and community service organization that works to build stronger communities in Chicago through volunteerism. He previously served as president of the board of directors of Korean American Community Services (KACS), the oldest not-for-profit community social service organization in the Midwest dedicated to serving the needs of the Korean American community. Jason also is an advisory board member of the Korean American Bar Association, having previously served as its treasurer.

Jason was one of seven NGE attorneys to receive the 2023 Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He is chair of the firm’s Associate Review Committee and a member of its Summer Associate Hiring Committee.

Jason has been recognized as a leader in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (recommended in “Labor & Employment ”) in 2018 and then from 2021 – 2024. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 2024, a Stand-Out Lawyer by Thomson Reuters since 2022, and as an Illinois Super Lawyer in “Employment Litigation” since 2016.