Ethan G. Zelizer

I have relied on Ethan twice in my career. When I first met him, he was a defense attorney at a preeminent international law firm and was the only attorney there that I actually enjoyed working with. He saw us through several employee issues with a few exiting senior managers and worked through an ...executive level layoff that was handled in a manner that caused no concern and resulted in releases obtained from all participants. He was a gem of an attorney who I could rely on for our more difficult employment issues. However, most recently, I hired Ethan to represent me as General Counsel of a relatively large company in my exit and severance negotiations. I had several big-ticket issues that, if managed incorrectly, could have cost me more than a million dollars in short term and long term structured payments. There were more than a dozen legacy contracts at play and although I was leaving in a professional and compassionate manner, I was going to a competitor and there was a good degree of angst and a little bad blood despite our best efforts. Ethan sat with me over two days and outlined every dollar on the table, what the issues would be in securing them, how we could maneuver in a manner that benefited both parties, and what our game plan would be (and what our plan B would be). I couldn't be happier in how we resolved my exit. Ethan maximize the value and added value to the Company upon my exit, significantly improving how my exit was viewed. I am now using Ethan on my executive compensation and contract negotiations with my new employer. I look forward to the next review that I get to write. Ethan is an executive compensation and employment contract expert. If you can hire him, you should. It will be the best investment you could make.

I had been in sales for 32 years there had always been issues with my commissions and salary. Now, I was changing jobs and my employer wanted me to sign a severance packet. I hired Ethan to negotiate the severance. However, after a thorough (nearly 4 hour consultation), Ethan had demonstrated to m...e that I was a victim of wage theft. We walked away from the severance and sued for wage theft on behalf of myself and 43 other sales reps (past and present). They wouldn't negotiate while I was threatening suit so we had to push on -- but Ethan had identified significant issues with their pay practices that hurt me and other sales people and it was making a difference. He brought suit under the Illinois Wage Payment Act and we won -- for myself and a class of 40 other sales reps (a few weren't within the right time frame). The case proceeds dwarfed the offered settlement that Ethan wisely urged me to decline. Because we won, my employer also had to pay our legal fees (which were significant in their ow right). When we were done, Ethan didn't stop helping -- he helped me navigate through my non-compete issues so I could start my new job without any headaches. I have talked to numerous attorneys over the years and Ethan was the first who really understood the uniqueness of being a sales rep. He was surgical with the lawsuit and responsive beyond my expectations. I would recommend him to anybody seeking assistance with employment law matters.

Down to earth and honest attorney. He always kept me informed on my case and was always prepared for my calls and filings. I was really stressed out with my case because it was my first time being accused of anything -- let alone violating my non-compete and taking trade secrets. Mr. Zelizer was com...passionate and made sure I understood the process and prepared me for everything. He spent a lot of time with me and my case. He ultimately countersued my previous employer for malicious prosecution and bad faith litigation. They were fined and had to pay my fees. Needless to say, he got me out of my situation as well. Highly recommended!

I am a CEO at a mid-size Illinois company. I left in November and hired Ethan to negotiate my severance and no compete obligations. He spotted issues that I did not. He saw opportunities that I did not. He's a real person. Honest, energetic, caring and pragmatic. I plan on bringing ethan in to rewrit...e agreements at my new start-up. He's a gem of an attorney. Once you find him, you'll want him. He's in high demand but worth whatever it takes to bring him on for your cause. Thanks ethan.

You need to read my review to understand how good this guy really is. I started at a company that I thought I would spend my career with. Things went south when we had a reorg and my growth potential suddenly shrunk. I found another great opportunity with a competitor -- but not directly competi...ng with products or customers that I previously worked with. I had a non-compete but it was executed so long ago and I wasn't even sure if it was enforceable. Don't those things expire? I signed it when I was hired in 2003. It's been 12+ years! Well, I received a nastygram from the General Counsel of my former company telling me that I needed to quit my new job and pay damages for the "trade secrets" that I had shared. Needless to say, I never shared any trade secrets and I wouldn't. The letter was intense and everybody I knew thought I was going to court. I contacted Ethan based on his reviews and he immediately dealt with something that I wasn't thinking of -- my current employer. He wanted to know everything I had told them, what they knew now and what the relationship was like. He really cared about making my current situation as safe as possible. He directed me on how to talk with my current employer and then made contact with my current employer's counsel so he could advise them on the strength of the noncompete and the chance at enforcement. The noncompete was overbroad in several ways and there was a fair chance that a court wouldn't enforce it. He then found some strong cases that suggested that a court shouldn't try to rewrite the contract if it is overbroad and that taking a noncompete like this to court could be sanctionable. He came up with a game plan and we all signed on. Ethan wrote the opposing attorney with a strong response and a threat to seek sanctions if they tried to enforce an unenforceable contract. More importantly, he spent a good amount of time addressing the facts -- that I was not in a competitive role and that I was not contacting former clients. After two rounds of letters, he insisted on a face-to-face with them so that we could have a candid, BS-free conversation about what I was doing at Company B and why I had not violated my non-compete -- even if it was enforceable. The face-to-face was the key. We looked each other in the eye and just talked it out. I wish everybody did this before filing a freaking lawsuit. Thanks to Ethan, we walked away from the situation amicably with no hard feelings. In fact, and I can't believe that this happened, but my old company HIRED Ethan to redraft their non-competes so that they could be enforced in the future. That seriously happened. That is how well-regarded he is and how well his overtures are received. He hits all the right notes. He is lawyerly when needed and uses common-sense and straightforwardness when appropriate. He's a wizard. Most of all, Ethan never saw me as a cash grab. He could of turned this into a contentious situation and I would have paid him to defend me. However, he saw an opportunity to negotiate and talk thru the situation. It ended up earning him less in fees but far more in reputational value and my sheer admiration. To sum it up: I received a threat of nuclear litigation from my previous employer. Ethan took care of bringing my current employer into the fold, bringing the other side to the table for a no nonsense pow-wow, and after negotiating a walkaway, Ethan was HIRED by the Company that was suing me to rewrite their agreements so they could be enforced in the future. Talk about a win-win-win. If you can't beat him, buy him. You will not find a better attorney within this specialty. He might just be the best attorney I have ever encountered. I cannot wait to recommend him to friends and I am thrilled to sing his praises here. Thank you Ethan.