Photo of Fernanda Contreras

Fernanda Contreras is an Associate in Vedder Price’s Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment group.

Ms. Contreras specializes in labor and employment law, with a particular emphasis on workplace discrimination and wage and hour disputes. Her fluency in Spanish has proven invaluable in assisting with internal workplace investigations.  She has significant experience researching and analyzing issues relevant to discrimination, non-competes, severance arrangements, arbitration and union disputes.

On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC” or the “Commission”) published its “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” (the “Guidance”), which outlines the legal standards for harassment and employer liability under the equal employment opportunity laws enforced by the Commission.  (See here.)  The Guidance replaces the five prior harassment guidance documents from the EEOC, issued between 1987 and 1999, and serves as a single resource for workplace harassment law.  The Guidance addresses several timely topics, including, but not limited to, protections for LGBTQ+ workers, harassment in the remote workplace, and the interplay between religious freedom and unlawful harassment.  The Guidance also includes over 70 illustrative examples of permissible and impermissible conduct.   Continue Reading EEOC Updates Anti-Harassment Guidance for First Time in 25 Years