Devlin J. Schoop is a partner with the Cochran Firm Chicago. Mr. Schoop’s practice focuses on Personal Injury, Civil Rights, and Labor and Employment disputes. He is a seasoned trial lawyer and former judge of the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County. Mr. Schoop has tried numerous cases in state and federal courts, and before administrative tribunals.

 The nature of Mr. Schoop’s practice has involved representing management in a wide variety of complex labor and employment litigation in both the federal and state trial and appellate courts nationwide, in additional to state and federal agencies in the areas of: collective actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act; multiple plaintiff employment discrimination lawsuits on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion and sex; sexual harassment/hostile work environment claims; class actions brought under the Illinois Minimum Wage Law and the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act; retaliatory discharge/whistleblower actions; disparate impact litigation involving the use of statistical evidence to prove a pattern or practice of discrimination within employment/bargaining units; breach of fiduciary duty claims; traditional labor arbitrations involving allegations of unfair labor practices in violation of collective bargaining agreements (public and private sector); actions for equitable remedies, including TRO’s and preliminary and permanent injunctions in connection with the misappropriation and/or dissemination of trade secrets.

Mr. Schoop has appeared in over 800 civil lawsuits in federal and state courts nationwide, including action in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.  Mr. Schoop’s practice also included conducting confidential internal investigations of employees, supervisors and key personnel suspected of misconduct, either in violation of company policy, statute or both.  Mr. Schoop has hands-on experience handling employment/civil rights litigation during all stages of the litigation process, including pre-filing settlement discussions, pleadings, preliminary/emergency injunctive relief, discovery, mediation/settlement conferences, dispositive motions (summary judgment), trial and appeal.

Upon graduation from the University of Illinois College of Law, Mr. Schoop started his career as a law clerk to the Hon. Blanche M. Manning of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  Mr. Schoop then entered private practice as a litigation associate with the former Chicago-based law firm Wildman Harrold, LLP.  Years later, Mr. Schoop became a partner at Laner Muchin, Ltd., a prestigious labor and employment firm. In 2015, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Mr. Schoop to serve as Circuit Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Mr. Schoop obtained his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.