Holly Ren Morris

Holly “Ren” Morris is an associate in the Labor & Employment Law Department. Their practice focuses on defending companies in all aspects of employment litigation.

Ren earned their J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where they worked for the Bluhm Legal Clinic Center on Wrongful Convictions, served on the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology and assisted in death eligible murder cases for the Mississippi Office of Capital Defense.

Firm/Organization: Proskauer Rose LLP

Blogs: Law and the Workplace, Proskauer For Good, Proskauer Whistleblower Defense

Latest Articles

Proskauer For Good

Defending Visually-Impaired Pedestrians in Chicago with Disability Rights Advocates

By Nigel F. Telman, Edward Young & Holly Ren Morris

September 26, 2019

Earlier this week, Proskauer—along with Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a nationwide nonprofit disability rights legal center—filed a putative class action against the City of Chicago on behalf of the American Council of the Blind of Metropolitan Chicago (ACBMC) and three individual plaintiffs with vision-related disabilities. The suit challenges the City’s systemic failure to provide accessible crosswalk signals for people who have significant vision impairments—a failure which violates both Title II of the Americans with Disabilities…

Law and the Workplace

Illinois Bans Salary History Inquiries

By Steven J. Pearlman, Edward Young & Holly Ren Morris

August 5, 2019

On July 31, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law House Bill 834 (the “Bill”), which amends the Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003 (“IEPA”) to prohibit employers from inquiring into a job applicant’s salary history. The law becomes effective on September 29, 2019. Prohibition on Salary History Inquiries Illinois’s new ban on salary history inquiries will prohibit employers from screening job applicants based on their current or prior salary and from requesting or…

Proskauer Whistleblower Defense

4th Circuit Vacates ARB SOX Whistleblower Decision for Lack of Protected Activity

By Steven J. Pearlman, Holly Ren Morris & Pinchos Goldberg

July 19, 2019

On June 13, 2019, the Fourth Circuit overturned the ARB’s decision in favor of a complainant, ruling that the plaintiff had not engaged in protected activity under the SOX whistleblower protection provision by complaining of a company’s use of a mandatory arbitration policy that allegedly was overly broad. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor, No. 17-cv-1811. In so ruling, the court recognized important limits on the scope of protected activity under…

Law and the Workplace

Illinois Legalizes Recreational Marijuana: Impact on Employers

By Steven J. Pearlman, Edward Young, Caralyn M. Olie & Holly Ren Morris

June 25, 2019

Illinois will soon become the eleventh state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. On June 25, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into effect House Bill 1438—the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“CRTA”). The CRTA, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2020, leaves some open questions for employers, but there are a few important features with which Illinois employers should quickly become familiar. Prohibitions on Disciplining or Discharging Employees for Off-Duty Consumption…

Law and the Workplace

Impactful Sexual Harassment Bill Passes Illinois Senate

By Steven J. Pearlman & Holly Ren Morris

April 16, 2019

On April 11, 2019, the Illinois state Senate voted to pass Senate Bill 1829, also known as the Workplace Transparency Act (the “Act”). If passed by the House of Representatives, the Act would impose new requirements and limitations on Illinois employers with respect to harassment and discrimination claims. The following are the Act’s key features. Limitations on Nondisclosure, Non-disparagement and Arbitration clauses The Act would prevent employers from including in employment contracts nondisclosure and…

Law and the Workplace

Seventh Circuit Limits ADEA Protections for Job Applicants

By Steven J. Pearlman, Edward Young & Holly Ren Morris

January 29, 2019

On January 23, 2019, the Seventh Circuit held that the ADEA’s prohibition of disparate impact discrimination do not extend to job applicants. Kleber v. CareFusion Corp., No. 17-cv-1206. In Kleber, a 58-year-old attorney unsuccessfully applied for a General Counsel position within the Company’s law department. The job posting required applicants to have fewer than seven years of experience. Kleber had more than seven years of relevant experience. The position was received by a 29-year-old applicant.…

Law and the Workplace

2019 Brings Employment Law Changes for Illinois Employers

By Steven J. Pearlman, Edward Young & Holly Ren Morris

December 13, 2018

As 2018 draws to a close, state and local lawmakers in Illinois have been passing legislation that will further regulate a variety of employers’ practices. Here is a look at what Illinois employers can expect in 2019. New Laws Effective January 1, 2019 Employee Reimbursement for Business Expenses – An amendment to the Illinois Wage Payment Collection Act (“IWPCA”) will require employers to reimburse employees for “all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee…

Law and the Workplace

Illinois Supreme Court To Decide Scope of BIPA

By Steven J. Pearlman, Edward Young & Holly Ren Morris

November 28, 2018

On November 20, 2018, the Illinois Supreme Court heard oral argument on whether a company’s technical violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) is sufficient to confer standing or whether a plaintiff must allege actual harm resulted from the violation. Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp. et al., No. 123186. The Court’s forthcoming decision will have significant implications for Illinois employers given the enormous wave of BIPA class actions that have already been…

Holly Ren Morris

Defending Visually-Impaired Pedestrians in Chicago with Disability Rights Advocates

Illinois Bans Salary History Inquiries

4th Circuit Vacates ARB SOX Whistleblower Decision for Lack of Protected Activity

Illinois Legalizes Recreational Marijuana: Impact on Employers

Impactful Sexual Harassment Bill Passes Illinois Senate

Seventh Circuit Limits ADEA Protections for Job Applicants

2019 Brings Employment Law Changes for Illinois Employers

Illinois Supreme Court To Decide Scope of BIPA

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