Neil H. Dishman

Neil H. Dishman is a principal in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His business is helping employers prevent and resolve disputes with their employees. 

Neil helps employers reduce risk and minimize legal costs by giving advice on difficult personnel decisions before litigation ensues. When litigation is unavoidable, he helps employers protect their assets and reputations by vigorously and efficiently defending them from employee lawsuits. Neil counsels and defends employers on a wide spectrum of issues, including race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability and sexual-orientation discrimination; sexual harassment; retaliatory discharge; Family and Medical Leave; and wage-hour compliance. He assists employers in a wide variety of industries, with particular experience in the real estate, non-profit, manufacturing, and health-care fields. Neil has jury-trial experience and is a member of the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

Neil has garnered the accolades of his peers for his work in advising and defending employers, including the following peer-reviewed awards:

• He has been named to the list of "Up and Comers" in the Human Resource Executive magazine's annual issue on "The Most Powerful Employment Lawyers in America," in every year from 2016 to the present. He is one of only 40 lawyers nationwide to receive this honor, and one of only five lawyers in the Chicago area on the list.
• He has been named to the annual list of “Rising Stars” by Super Lawyers magazine, a distinction accorded to no more than 2.5% of Illinois lawyers, in every year from 2009 to the present.
• He has also been named to the "Best Lawyers in America" list in every year from 2013 to the present.
• He was also named an "Emerging Lawyer" by the Leading Lawyers publication in 2017, an honor received by no more than 2% of Illinois lawyers.

Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger B. Cosbey, U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Neil is a member of DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, where he is active in the Employment Law Committee. He resides with his wife, two daughters, and son in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he is an active member of the community, including his service on the board of directors of the Human Resources Association of Greater Oak Brook, as Legislative Director. Outside of the law and his family, his passions are playing basketball, backpacking through our national forests, and mastering the art of “low and slow” barbecue cooking.

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, "Employment Law - Management" (2013-present)
• Human Resource Executive® Magazine, “Most Powerful Employment Attorneys, Up-and-Comer” (2016)
• Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s Leading Lawyers division, Emerging Lawyer (2015)
• Lawdragon, "500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers" (2020, 2021, 2025)
• Legal 500 USA, "Recommended Attorney" (2016)
• Illinois Super Lawyers®, "Rising Stars" (2009-2018) and "Super Lawyers" (2020-present)
• Young Lawyers Division of the Illinois State Bar Association, Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest, Second Place Award Recipient (2005)

Published Works

• “The Power of Being a ‘Joiner’: How a Young Lawyer Can Generate New Business by Joining a Trade Association,” The Whisper (a publication of DRI’s Young Lawyers Committee)
• “Five Things a Young Lawyer Can Do Now to Make It Rain,” The Whisper
• “What Every Defense Attorney Should Know About Wage and Hour Law,” In-House Defense Quarterly
• "Gender Identity: The New Frontier of Employment Law,” The Job Description
• “The Search for Illegal Workers: When Homeland Security Comes Knocking,” (co-authored with Minnie Fu), Illinois Bar Journal
• “The Expanding Rights of Transsexuals in the Workplace,” The Labor Lawyer
• “Defending the Lack of Interest Defense: Why Title VII Should Recognize Differing Job Interests Between the Sexes,” George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal
• "Deadline Extensions in Federal Court: The Procrastinator’s Guide," Illinois Bar Journal