About HKM Employment Attorneys LLP · Chicago
HKM Employment Attorneys LLP is a national plaintiff-side employment law firm with a Chicago office at 211 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60606. Founded in 2007 by Donald Heyrich (with co-founders Daniel Kalish and Patrick McGuigan), the firm represents employees—not employers—in workplace disputes and claims to have recovered more than $500 million for clients. The Chicago team of Jeff Hackney, Zac Halden, and S. Cody Reinberg handles cases involving wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, FMLA violations, wage disputes, and retaliation across Illinois.
HKM Employment Attorneys LLP began as a Seattle-based practice founded by Donald W. Heyrich in 2007, with co-founders Daniel Kalish and Patrick McGuigan joining shortly after. Originally a management-side employment defense firm, HKM transitioned to representing plaintiffs/employees after losing its primary client, Qwest Communications. The firm has since grown into one of the largest employee-side employment law firms in the United States, with 79+ lawyers across 35+ offices nationwide. The Chicago, Illinois office is located in the heart of the Loop at 211 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 500, and is staffed by partner Jeff Hackney (also admitted to the Missouri and Georgia bars), associate Zac Halden (Vermont Law School, J.D. 2018), and partner S. Cody Reinberg (University of Missouri School of Law, cum laude, Order of the Coif). The Chicago team handles all forms of employment law matters for Illinois workers—from contract breaches and Family Medical Leave Act violations to workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, whistleblower retaliation, fraud, defamation, and reasonable accommodation claims. HKM has built a national reputation for taking on large corporate defendants and has gone up against companies such as Walgreens, United Airlines, Abbott Laboratories, DoorDash, The Walt Disney Company, and Lowe's. The firm has earned recognition from Super Lawyers, the National Employment Lawyers Association, Martindale-Hubbell, Best Lawyers – Best Law Firms, the American Bar Association, Lawyer Monthly (Labor and Employment Law Firm of the Year, USA), and Global Mobility (Employment Focused Litigator of the Year, USA). Multiple HKM attorneys have been named Illinois, Missouri & Kansas Rising Stars, and Zac Halden received an Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service from the Northern District of Illinois / Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
- In business
- Founded 2007 (Chicago office listed among the firm's offices)
- Owner
- Donald W. Heyrich (founder, 2007); co-founders Daniel Kalish and Patrick McGuigan
- Serves
- Chicago, Illinois and statewide Illinois; firm operates 35+ offices across the United States
- Rating
- 4.8/5 from 17 reviews on TrustAnalytica for the Chicago office (aggregated Google reviews); firm-wide Trustindex average 4.5 across 2,245 reviews
About HKM Employment Attorneys LLP
HKM Employment Attorneys LLP is one of the largest plaintiff-side employment law firms in the United States. According to a 2026 Law.com profile, co-founder and firmwide managing partner Daniel Kalish described a firm with 79 lawyers and 35 offices listed on its website and more than 100 attorneys in total when contract lawyers are included. The firm claims to have recovered more than $500 million for employee clients. HKM began as a management-side defense firm in Seattle, founded in 2007 by Donald W. Heyrich, but pivoted to representing employees after losing its anchor client, Qwest Communications. The firm is headquartered in Seattle and operates satellite offices in major U.S. cities.
- Founded 2007 by Donald W. Heyrich in Seattle
- Co-founders: Daniel Kalish, Patrick McGuigan
- 79+ lawyers, 35+ offices across the U.S.
- More than $500 million recovered for clients
- Largest employee-side employment law firm in America (per the firm's own description)
Chicago Office
The Chicago office is located at 211 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60606, in the West Loop / Loop business district. The office can be reached at 312-858-8228. According to the firm's Chicago page, HKM represents Chicago employees in all forms of employment law and has been consistently recognized for its work on behalf of employee clients. The Chicago team has taken on major Illinois employers including Walgreens, United Airlines, and Abbott Laboratories.
- Address: 211 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60606
- Phone: 312-858-8228
- Serves employees throughout Chicago and the state of Illinois
Chicago Attorneys
Three attorneys staff HKM's Chicago office. Together they handle the full range of employment matters for Illinois workers and are admitted to practice in Illinois state and federal courts.
- Jeff Hackney – Partner; Washington University School of Law, J.D. 2001; University of Missouri-Columbia, B.A. 1998; admitted Missouri, Georgia (inactive), U.S. District Court Eastern District of Missouri; formerly with FordHarrison LLP and McMahon Berger; also practices in St. Louis office
- Zac Halden – Associate; Vermont Law School, J.D. 2018 (Vermont Law Review); Illinois Rising Stars 2024, 2025, 2026; admitted in Illinois, Northern and Central Districts of Illinois; practice areas: Employment Law, Contract and Business Disputes, Civil Litigation
- S. Cody Reinberg – Partner; University of Missouri School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif; Drury University, B.A. Business Administration; admitted Missouri, Illinois, and U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri and Southern District of Illinois; 2017–2025 Missouri & Kansas Rising Star; 2025 Missouri Lawyers Weekly POWER List Top 40 Attorneys; founded HKM's St. Louis office; also practices in St. Louis
Practice Areas (Chicago / Illinois)
HKM's Chicago office focuses exclusively on plaintiff-side employment representation. The firm handles individual cases and class actions for workers at every employment level, in every industry, against employers of every size. Common case types include wrongful termination, harassment, reasonable accommodation, FMLA, wage theft, and retaliation.
- Wrongful Termination (race, sexual orientation, religion, gender, disability, other protected classes)
- Harassment and Hostile Work Environment
- Reasonable Accommodation / Disability Rights
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations – up to 12 weeks unpaid leave, job protection
- Employment Discrimination – Title VII, ADA, ADEA, Illinois Human Rights Act; claims filed with EEOC or Illinois Department of Human Rights
- Retaliation and Whistleblower Retaliation
- Wage and Hour / Failure to Pay Wages / Wage Theft
- Breach of Employment Contract
- Civil Rights violations
- Defamation and Invasion of Privacy
- Sexual Harassment lawsuits
- Class Action employment litigation
- Mediation, arbitration, and trial representation
Notable Defendants and Track Record
HKM has represented employees against major U.S. corporations. According to Law.com's Radar, the firm filed 48 employment lawsuits nationwide in June 2026 alone, naming defendants such as DoorDash, The Walt Disney Company, and Lowe's Companies. The firm highlights that it has the resources and staffing to litigate against any company, large or small, and uses an 'eat what you kill' partner-compensation model with no billable-hour requirement for attorneys.
- Walgreens
- United Airlines
- Abbott Laboratories
- DoorDash
- The Walt Disney Company
- Lowe's Companies
- Smaller employers and start-ups (per firm's site)
Awards, Recognition, and Professional Affiliations
The firm and its attorneys have received recognition from leading legal rating organizations and peer-reviewed publications. Chicago-based attorney Zac Halden was honored with an Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service by the Northern District of Illinois / Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. S. Cody Reinberg has been named a Missouri & Kansas Rising Star by Super Lawyers every year from 2017 through 2025 and was included in Missouri Lawyers Weekly's POWER List of the Top 40 Attorneys in 2025.
- Super Lawyers – Illinois Rising Stars (Halden, 2024–2026); Missouri & Kansas Rising Stars (Reinberg, 2017–2025)
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- Martindale-Hubbell Rated
- Best Lawyers – Best Law Firms
- American Bar Association
- Lawyer Monthly – Labor and Employment Law Firm of the Year, USA
- Global Mobility – Employment Focused Litigator of the Year, USA
- Overall Employment Law Firm of the Year
- 2025 Missouri Lawyers Weekly POWER List Top 40 Attorneys (Reinberg)
- Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service – NDIL/FBA Chicago Chapter (Halden)
Reviews and Reputation
Aggregated review data shows mixed but generally positive feedback for HKM nationally. Trustindex records a 4.5 average across 2,245 reviews firm-wide, while Birdeye reports office-level ratings of 4.6 in Charlotte (56 reviews) and 4.3 in Phoenix (112 reviews). For the Chicago office specifically, TrustAnalytica lists a 4.8 average across 17 Google reviews. Yelp shows 3.5 stars across 52 reviews for the Seattle office (which also affects the brand perception). Common praise in reviews mentions professionalism, responsiveness, and successful outcomes; recurring complaints cite delayed or absent communication.
- 4.8/5 from 17 Google reviews for the Chicago office (TrustAnalytica)
- 4.3/5 from 41 reviews for the Chicago office (Promallu aggregated data)
- 4.5 firm-wide average across 2,245 reviews (Trustindex)
- 4.6 in Charlotte (56 Google reviews, Birdeye)
- 4.3 in Phoenix (112 Google reviews, Birdeye)
- 3.5 in Seattle (52 reviews, Yelp)
Getting Started / Contact
Prospective clients can reach the Chicago office at 312-858-8228 or via the 'Tell Us About Your Case' intake form at hkm.com. The intake form lets visitors describe their issue, including categories such as Failure to Pay Wages, Bullying/Harassment, and Other. The firm also operates a 24/7 main line at 1-800-791-1007. The website includes an attorney-client relationship disclaimer: use of the site does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not constitute specific legal advice.
- Chicago phone: 312-858-8228
- Firm-wide 24/7 line: 1-800-791-1007
- Online intake form: hkm.com/tell-us-about-your-case-chicago/
- Offices locator: hkm.com/contact/
- No fee charged for initial case review (typical for plaintiff-side employment firms; not explicitly confirmed on the site)