Gray Mateo

Gray’s practice focuses on counseling and representing employers and executives in a variety of traditional labor and employment law matters. She defends employers in administrative proceedings before the EEOC, IDHR and other agencies, and in litigation at the state and federal court level with respect to employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims as well as restrictive covenant, wage and hour and other contract- and tort-based actions. Gray also represents employers in traditional labor matters such as in union organizing, collective bargaining, grievance and contract arbitrations, and NLRB proceedings. Gray routinely counsels employers on all aspects of the employment relationship, including drafting employment agreements and policies, training employees and management on EEO and union avoidance issues, and conducting workplace investigations. A native Spanish speaker from the Dominican Republic, Gray regularly counsels clients in Spanish. In 2019, Gray was named to the prestigious list of "40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates" by the National Bar Association and the "40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch" by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. She was also recognized on the list of Illinois Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” from 2016-2018 and Leading Lawyers’ “Emerging Lawyers” from 2017-2019. Gray frequently delivers presentations, authors articles and provides pro bono representation on various employment law topics. She currently serves on the boards of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation and the Women's Coalition, in which she also serves as Co-Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also serves as Vice Chair of the National Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section. Gray is an active member of the Black Women Lawyers Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the National Employment Law Council. She is committed to advancing diversity and actively mentors underrepresented students and lawyers through the University of Illinois College of Law and the Chicago Committee. She formerly chaired the Chicago Committee Associate Board and Resilience's Personnel Committee (f/k/a Rape Victim Advocates). She also previously served as a Cook County Sheriff's Merit Board hearing officer and board member. Gray lives in Irving Park with her husband (Christopher Harris, Illinois Workers' Compensation Board Arbitrator) and her two young daughters.