John F. Kuenstler

John F. Kuenstler is a Chicago attorney at Barnes & Thornburg who represents employers in labor, employment, and business matters. His practice covers discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, wage and hour disputes, restrictive covenants, workplace torts, and contract claims. He defends single-plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, collective, and class actions and also advises employers on workforce changes, policies, investigations, administrative proceedings, and day-to-day human resource issues.

John earned his J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His education provided a foundation for litigation, statutory analysis, negotiation, and counseling. He applies that training to employment disputes involving federal and state workplace laws, as well as to preventive work such as drafting policies, employment contracts, severance agreements, independent contractor agreements, and training programs.

John represents clients in state and federal courts and before agencies including the EEOC, NLRB, OSHA, and Department of Labor. He handles matters involving Title VII, the ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, ERISA, USERRA, WARN, and related state laws. His labor work includes collective bargaining, union grievance proceedings, arbitrations, and union-avoidance counseling. He also helps employers manage reorganizations, reductions in force, mass layoffs, plant closings, and wage and hour investigations.

John F. Kuenstler is admitted in Illinois, California, and Missouri. His practice combines litigation defense with practical employment counseling designed to reduce risk before disputes escalate. He works with employers on workforce decisions, policy development, audits, investigations, and alternative dispute resolution while remaining prepared to defend contested matters in court or before administrative agencies. His approach emphasizes legally sound solutions that fit the client’s operations, culture, and business goals.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
• Member, The State Bar of California
• Member, Illinois State Bar Association
• Member, The Missouri Bar

Licensed State

• California
• Illinois
• Missouri

Education

• Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges