Margo Wolf O'Donnell

Overview

“Margo is a great lawyer and is very helpful. She knows her subject matter expertly.”
“Margo is terrific. She is very responsive and gives us what we need in a timely and efficient manner.”
– Chambers USA

Margo is a nationally recognized employment attorney with more than twenty-five years of experience litigating complex and “bet the company” employment claims. Margo’s cases involve high stakes restrictive covenants and trade secrets, whistleblower claims, wage-and-hour issues, and statutory claims of harassment and discrimination. Margo also acts as a crisis manager and business advisor to her clients on best practices for workplace safety, compensation, leave issues, employment agreements, diversity and inclusion, individual and group discharges, and internal investigations. She has been widely recognized as one of the top employment attorneys in the country. 

Margo serves as outside employment counsel for many clients nationwide. Clients praise Margo’s ability to contribute to a “positive, productive and inclusive work environment for employees” and describe her advocacy as “persistent, smart, tough and innovative.”

Margo is ranked in Chambers USA and is listed as a Labor & Employment Star in Benchmark Litigation.  She has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and Illinois Super Lawyers. Crain’s named Margo to its lists of the “Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago” and “Most Notable Women Executives.” Best Lawyers named Margo as one of 15 “Women of Influence” in the legal profession nationwide. She holds an “AV Preeminent” Peer Rating by Martindale-Hubbell (the highest possible rating).

Margo has also devoted significant time to mentoring and supporting other attorneys. She currently co-chairs Benesch’s Inclusion & Opportunity initiative. Margo is the founder of and currently leads B-Sharp, Benesch’s professional development program for in-house attorneys, which has provided programming and networking opportunities to hundreds of in-house lawyers. 

Margo is Past President and recipient of the Leadership Award of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law. She is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Margo serves on the Boards of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, the Yale Alumni Fund, the Yale Club of Chicago, the Women’s Board of the University of Chicago, and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.

Margo’s litigation experience ranges from the defense of one of the largest race discrimination class actions in history to two-party restrictive covenant disputes.