Sonya Rosenberg
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Labor and employment law

It hasn’t taken Sonya Rosenberg long to earn a reputation as one of the top labor and employment law specialists in the Chicago region.

In fact, she started crafting this reputation in 2008, when she was a first-year associate at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg. She was hired then to defend Camping World & Good Sam against a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment by a manager.

Rosenberg crafted a motion for summary judgment that the Northern District Court of Illinois granted and was ultimately affirmed by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Lindsey Christen, assistant general counsel for Camping World & Good Sam, said that the performance would have been impressive coming from a legal veteran. That it came from an attorney in just her second year out of law school? That was especially impressive.

“Sonya demonstrated a maturity and mastery of the art of lawyering,” Christen said. “The number and impact of Sonya’s professional and personal accomplishments far exceed her years in the legal profession.”

Vicki Donati, general counsel with Crate & Barrel Holdings, has known Rosenberg since recruiting her to a summer associate program at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg.

Donati said that it didn’t take long for Rosenberg to impress.

“Sonya was one of those rare law students who conveyed in the span of a short interview that she is smart, practical and mature beyond her years,” Donati said. “She had the right blend of confidence and humility, with a heavy dose of intellectual curiosity, to make her a sponge for knowledge and a ready partner in thinking through issues.”

Rosenberg has notched several legal victories during her still young career. This includes Gaynor v. American Association of Nurse Anesthetists in 2015. In this case, Rosenberg successfully defended an appeal summary judgment granted to a client in an action for defamation, false light privacy and interference with business relationships brought by the client’s former employee.

In Kuebler v. NuCare Services Corp., Rosenberg successfully obtained summary judgment for a client in an Age Discrimination in Employment Act case on an issue that is often sent to a jury.

Sepideh Smith with CNH Industrial America said that such results are not unusual ones for Rosenberg.

“Sonya has never backed down from a challenge,” Smith said. “From even early in her career, she was tasked with managing clients directly and handling complex litigation. Although these would have been daunting tasks even for the most seasoned of attorneys, Sonya took them on with poise and provided excellent legal and client services.” Sergio Conni of Polynt Composites USA said, “Sonya’s remarkable talent of understanding the client’s needs and thoroughly assessing the situation results in invaluable savings in time and resources.”

Rosenberg is busy, too, in her community. She is passionate about mentoring younger attorneys. Lin Zhu, an employment law associate at Paul Hastings, said, “Sonya is the single biggest positive influence that has brought me to where I am in my career.” Sonya is a member of the board of directors of the Coalition of Women Initiatives in Law, a non-profit association focused on supporting female attorneys in Chicago-area law firms and companies, and a member of the Women’s Network Leadership Team and the Pro Bono committees at Neal, Gerber, Eisenberg. She is also a frequent presenter and author of numerous articles on current employment law issues.