Gerald Pauling is a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP whose law practice focuses on high profile employment litigation and trial work and labor-management relations. His community work focuses on stewardship and improving the quality of life for those who are disadvantaged.
At Seyfarth, Mr. Pauling is a trial attorney who represents employers in a wide variety of employment law matters, including complex discrimination litigation, class actions, harassment claims, and claims brought under Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA. His practice also includes a focus on diversity training and consulting.
Mr. Pauling’s professional achievements are well-recognized. He is a 2013 Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and a Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. He was named a 2011 Chicago United “Chicago Business Leader of Color” and a 2010 Diversity MBA Magazine “Top 100 Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders Under 50.” And he has consistently been named as an “Illinois Super Lawyer” in the area of Labor & Employment (2009-2018). Mr. Pauling has been featured in Diversity & The Bar magazine as a “Cutting Edge Labor and Employment Practitioner.” Law Bulletin Publishing Company selected Mr. Pauling in 2006 as one of Illinois’ “40 Under Forty to Watch,” his skill and reputation for diplomacy cited among the criteria for his selection. Most recently Mr. Pauling was featured in Savoy magazine and recognized as one of the most influential black lawyers in America.
An active member on profit and non-profit boards, Mr. Pauling recently served as a Director of Great Lakes Bank, a full-service commercial bank and one of the oldest and largest majority employee-owned banks with approximately $600M in assets. Starting in 2012, Mr. Pauling served Homewood Flossmoor High School as a member of the Board of Education, with oversight of the school’s $50M annual budget. In 2015, Mr. Pauling was nominated and elected to the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of the world’s finest cultural institutions. In 2017, Mr. Pauling was appointed to the Governors State University Independent Review Board.
Mr. Pauling has committed himself to help those less fortunate throughout his career. For 10 years, he served on the Board of Teen Living Programs, the last five years as Chair. Mr. Pauling currently sits on Teen Living’s Emeritus Board. Teen Living provides a host of services to homeless youth, including residential assistance, life/job skills training, educational assistance, and healthcare services. This $3.5 million agency largely serves the Bronzeville community, with a population comprising more than 95% African American residents.
In addition to these boards, Mr. Pauling has served on an Advisory Board to The John Marshall Law School Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits, the Advisory Board to the Chicagoland chapter of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, the Foundation board to the Jackson Park Hospital Foundation, and as Board of Deacons to Christ Temple Community Baptist Church.
Mr. Pauling earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law with numerous honors. He received his B.S. from the University of Illinois, College of Commerce. He has authored a number of publications and is a frequent presenter at professional associations and educational institutions.