Navigating the Miscellaneous Legal Aspects in Your Events, Exhibitions & Contracts: ADA Requirements, DEI & More!

Barbara Dunn is nationally known for her practice in the meetings and hospitality industry where she exclusively represents nonprofit and for-profit organizations which conduct, sponsor, or host meetings, conferences, trade shows, and special events. Her practical, no-nonsense approach makes her an effective advocate for her clients. Barbara has also been fortunate to work with many nonprofit organizations as they start operations, pursue federal tax exemptions, develop governing documents, train board members, and build their operations. Her depth of knowledge in these areas places her in a unique position to guide those organizations toward adopting best practices, successful strategic plans, and powerful member engagement. While at the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Barbara was elected as a capital partner and proudly served as Co-Chair of the firm’s Associations & Foundations Practice Group. Barbara started her legal career with the law firm of Howe & Hutton Ltd., initially as a law clerk during law school, thereafter as an associate and finally a partner. Now, as the owner and principal of her own firm, Barbara can customize her practice to fit each client’s unique needs. 

Employment lawyer Norma Zeitler is best known in the non-profit and health care world for her no nonsense, proactive approach to problem-solving and her willingness to drop everything to help a client in need. Quite typically, Norma spends her evenings and weekends on calls with CEOs, general counsels or board presidents, advising them on or highly sensitive employment matters. Each of these executives would attest to Norma’s ability to quickly get to the essence of the issue and to propose a sound business solution designed to mitigate risk and cost.

A member of the Associations and Foundations practice group, as well as the Health Care Industry practice group and the Labor and Employment department, the vast majority of Norma’s legal work involves advising boards, CEOs, General Counsel’s and Human Resources professionals on a wide range of legal issues, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates, return to office initiatives, compliance with evolving pay equity laws, litigation avoidance, non-competition agreements, reductions-in force and other workforce planning issues. Norma also conducts highly sensitive investigations for a variety of non-profit and for profit organizations.

In addition to her legal work, Norma is a member of the firm’s management and compensation committee and its legal personnel administration committees, the Chicago Office racial and social justice committee, and the Chicago Labor and Employment Chicago Office administrator. Norma also serves as a mentor for several of the firms diverse (and often first generation college) associates.

Before becoming a lawyer, Norma was an officer in the U.S. Army, serving as a platoon leader and intelligence officer in Germany, a company commander in Turkey during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and an intern to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.