Goldman & Ehrlich

What the firm handles

Employment law is the whole of this Chicago practice, and it reaches both sides of the workplace. The firm represents public and private employees, employers, and small businesses. Its clients are based across the greater Chicago area and into southwest Michigan. In my opinion that mix is the first thing to understand, because it shapes which matters walk through the door.

The casework covers wrongful termination, whistleblower claims, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and severance. On the employer and executive side, the firm handles executive contracts and compensation, government employment, and federal employment questions. It also advises employers on the day to day employment law issues that come with managing staff. Small businesses come to the firm as employers, and they often want help before a problem grows into a claim. A single firm can then represent a dismissed worker one month and a small employer the next.

Whistleblower and discrimination matters carry their own rules about timing and proof, and each type follows a different track. That range of subject matter tells you the firm keeps its work inside employment law and goes deep there. Employment cases reward that kind of narrow focus, because the deadlines and agencies differ across claim types.

The attorneys named on the site

Three attorneys appear on the firm's roster, and a client works directly with the partner assigned to the case. That structure means the lawyer who answers the first call is often the one who argues the matter later. The named attorneys give the firm its identity, so their backgrounds are worth setting out.

Jonathan C. Goldman

Jonathan C. Goldman is a partner. He has represented individuals and small businesses in employment disputes for 30 years. He earned his J.D. from Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1992 and was admitted to the Illinois bar the same year. His litigation work runs through state and federal courts, administrative agencies, and civil service forums, and it includes EEOC and MSPB proceedings for federal employees. He also drafts, reviews, and negotiates employment contracts, non-compete agreements, and severance agreements. That combination of courtroom and contract work is common in employment practices, and it lets one attorney handle both the agreement and any dispute that follows.

Arthur R. Ehrlich

Arthur R. Ehrlich is also a partner. He earned a B.A., magna cum laude, from Boston University and studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received his J.D., with honors, from DePaul University. His practice centers on employment law. He represents employees and small business employers in discrimination and wrongful termination matters. His academic record is the detail the site puts forward, and it points to a long grounding in the field.

Tad Web Arnold

Tad Web Arnold is the third attorney the firm names on its about page. His profile carries the attorney title alongside Goldman and Ehrlich.

Courts, agencies, and mediation

Employment claims move through more than one kind of forum, and the firm works across several of them. It appears in state and federal courts. It handles matters before state and federal administrative agencies and in civil service forums. It also takes cases to the EEOC and the MSPB.

A charge of discrimination often starts at the EEOC before a federal lawsuit can be filed, and the agency reviews the complaint first. Federal employees who face discipline or removal can bring their cases to the MSPB, a board that sits outside the ordinary court system. Each forum has its own clock, and missing a deadline can end a claim before it is heard. That is one reason employment work rewards attorneys who know the agencies well.

When a dispute can settle, the firm turns to mediation. Mediation puts a neutral third party between the sides and looks for terms both can accept. It can also save the time and cost that a full trial demands, which matters to an individual client. When a case needs a decision, the firm litigates it in court. Having both options under one roof gives a client room to change course as a matter develops.

Federal and government employees

Public sector cases run on their own set of rules, and the firm takes on that side of the field. Federal employees who face removal, suspension, or demotion can challenge the action at the MSPB, and an administrative judge hears the case. A charge at the MSPB has strict filing windows, often measured in weeks, and the record built early can shape the outcome. An employee who misses that window may lose the right to appeal at all. Discrimination complaints from federal workers can also move through the EEOC on a separate track. Goldman's page names both forums as part of his practice, and government employment carries civil service protections that shape how a dispute is argued.

Contracts, non-competes, and severance

A good share of the firm's work happens on paper, before any dispute reaches a courtroom. The attorneys draft, review, and negotiate employment contracts, non-compete agreements, and severance agreements. Executives who move between companies often need those documents read closely, and that review is part of what the firm offers.

As a reviewer, I think this transactional side is worth flagging, because it changes when a client should pick up the phone. A non-compete turns on how far it reaches and how long it lasts, and Illinois law places limits on both. A severance agreement usually trades a payment for a release of claims, and the wording of that release decides what an employee gives up. Executive compensation packages can fold in bonuses, equity, and terms for leaving, and each piece needs its own read. A well drafted severance deal can also settle questions about references, confidentiality, and unpaid wages, so both sides know where they stand.

History, reach, and the client's experience

The firm has assisted employees and small businesses with employment matters for over 30 years, by its own account. The firm's clients reach across the greater Chicago area and into southwest Michigan, so its work crosses a state line. A Chicago office is the base for that work. Over 30 years in one field is a long time for any practice, and it means the firm has seen employment law change through several eras of court decisions. The site does not give an exact founding year, though the 30 year figure marks a long run in the same field.

Clients who bring the firm a discrimination question tend to work with one of the named partners directly. That fits the direct-access model the site describes, where the partner on the case is the partner a client speaks with. Jonathan C. Goldman has practiced since 1992, and Arthur R. Ehrlich holds the DePaul law degree noted on his profile.