Erin McAdams Franzblau is a Partner in the Litigation Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP. Ms. McAdams Franzblau was a Partner at Freeborn & Peters, which combined with SGR in 2023.
Ms. McAdams Franzblau litigates employment matters, counsels employers on nearly every sub-specialty of employment law, and acts as employment counsel for M&A transactions.
In her counseling practice, Ms. McAdams Franzblau assists organizations with a wide range of day-to-day employment issues, including personnel policies and procedures, executive employment and independent contractor arrangements, accommodations, restrictive covenants, employee misclassification risks, and internal investigations. She also counsels clients on adapting to the evolving landscape of medical and recreational marijuana legislation, including in the areas of drug testing, corrective action, and accommodation requests.
As one client said about Ms. McAdams Franzblau’s assistance:
“We developed a great partnership with Erin immediately and she was able to provide exceptional guidance in a clear and individualized manner. Erin provides outstanding professional support with impeccable response time. The best part is that I can completely trust Erin to guide us through difficult issues and represent our company professionally. Erin and Freeborn & Peters LLP have quickly grown to be invaluable partners to our organization.”
Ms. McAdams Franzblau is experienced in all stages of litigation, from inception through trial and post-trial appeals, and she has won summary judgment for her clients on a range of employment matters. She regularly defends employers in a wide range of class and collective actions, single-plaintiff disputes, and restrictive covenant matters before federal and state courts and administrative bodies. In her class action practice, she has represented companies against claims brought under state and federal antidiscrimination laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Ms. McAdams Franzblau also has an active OSHA practice. She regularly guides clients through investigations, emergency responses, and litigation against state and federal agencies, including whistleblower claims brought by the Department of Labor.
In her pro bono practice, Ms. McAdams Franzblau is committed to advocating for the rights of women and children. She has represented sexual assault survivors in their efforts to seek civil restraining orders, and secured relief for a refugee client under the Violence Against Women Act, allowing the client to gain resident status in the United States. She has also represented prisoners in Section 1983 actions and achieved favorable settlements on behalf of her clients. In 2018, she was honored by Legal Aid Chicago for her work representing sexual assault survivors.
Ms. McAdams Franzblau is a frequent writer and speaker on employment law issues, including topics such as personnel management, COVID-19 compliance, and marijuana legislation. She is active in the bar and is currently Vice President and an Executive Board member of the Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter. Ms. McAdams Franzblau is also committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and currently serves as Chair of the Steering Committee for the firm’s Women’s Leadership Council.
She also serves as Mentor/Coach, in Muchin College Prep High School’s “Case Today” Program.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. McAdams Franzblau practiced employment litigation at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, and clerked for the Honorable William J. Zloch, United States District Judge of the Southern District of Florida.
While at Freeborn (now SGR), Ms. McAdams Franzblau served as Associate General Counsel for Employment Matters. She was also the Co-Chair of the Freeborn & Peters Women’s Leadership Council in 2021 and served as the Steering Committee Chair in 2022.
Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter Treasurer (2021-2022), Vice President (2022-2023) and Executive Board Member (2021-23)
Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter Board Member (2015-present)
Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter Programming Committee Co-Chair (2018-2021)
Federal Bar Association Younger Lawyers’ Division Co-Chair (2015-2018)
7th Representative and Chair of the Publications Committee (2018-2020), Board of the Young Lawyers’ Division of the National FBA (2018-present)