40 Under Forty 2022

2022 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH

CHARLIE WYSONG

C harlie Wysong has been practicing law for a relatively short time. That hasn’t stopped him from earning several major victories for his clients. And some of these victories have advanced case law. Some examples? He earned a $13 million settlement for a physician whistleblower in a False Claims Act in which the gov- ernment declined to intervene. Wysong also won a unanimous victory for a whis- tleblower in a case that reached the Illinois Supreme Court, upholding a key Illinois statute against insurance fraud. Wysong also advocated for five wom- en who were excluded from working as paramedics for the City of Chicago Fire Department because of discriminatory physical tests. He recovered more than $10 million for his clients in this case. While these results are impressive, they aren’t surprising to Wysong’s peers. They say that no one works harder than Wysong, is more committed to his clients or is more passionate about fighting injustices. “Charlie is a highly creative lawyer us- ing whistleblower, anti-discrimination and other laws to achieve results for clients,” said Chirag Badlani, executive director of the Alphawood Foundation, a Chicago non-profit that awards grants to organiza- tions in and around Chicago. Chirag pointed to Wysong’s work rep- resenting a youth hockey player who was expelled by her hockey team because of a mental health condition. Wysong secured the student’s return to hockey and is now pursuing one of the first club-sports cases under Illinois discrimination laws. Wysong has also represented and coun- seled hundreds of students from early

childhood programs through higher ed- ucation in disability accommodation, dis- crimination and discipline cases without having a single client expelled. Steve Levin, founder and senior part- ner at Chicago law firm Levin & Per- conti, is working with Wysong now on a class-action lawsuit. He said he has been impressed by Wysong’s legal skills, work ethic and ability to draft creative solutions. “Charlie has been an instrumental part in this case and is very organized and thor- ough,” Levin said. “He has a track record of using a creative lawyering approach to paint a story when advocating for his cli- ents. He has exhibited a maturity way be- yond his years and I look forward to seeing him continue to grow as an attorney.” Juliet Berger-White, deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer for the Office of Governor J.B. Pritzker, has also been impressed with Wysong’s work. She pointed to a case in which Wysong represented a Nevada whistleblower who was fighting hospice fraud. Wysong earned a successful Fair Claims Act settlement for this client as part of a $54 million global set- tlement with a healthcare provider. “Charlie has many unique and exception- al lawyering skills, all of which make him a perfect candidate for this award,” Berg- er-White said. “Charlie has used creative lawyering to tell his clients’ stories and to advocate for them using whistleblowing, anti-discrimination and other laws.” Wysong doesn’t hesitate to volunteer his time for his profession and communi- ty. He is a board member and co-chair of the Professional Development and Budget committees for the National Employment Lawyers Association of Illinois.

“

Charlie is a highly creative lawyer using whistleblower,

anti-discrimination and other laws to achieve results for clients”

AGE 35

FIRM Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym LAW SCHOOL Stanford Law School AREA OF PRACTICE Whistleblower and civil rights cases

40 Under Forty 2022 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN