Robert J. Dignam is an experienced civil litigation and appellate lawyer in the areas of employment and labor law, and many other areas of law. Mr. Dignam has attained an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest available designation for ethics and legal ability. Mr. Dignam has been annually recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyer in the area of Employment and Labor Law.
Mr. Dignam has represented employers in state and federal court in Indiana, in federal courts in Illinois, and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and other employment law agencies. He has argued cases for employers before the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and has represented an employment law client before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mr. Dignam also serves as lead negotiator for management in labor negotiations. He has assisted multiple clients in reaching collective bargaining agreements with the representative union. Mr. Dignam also assists clients with arbitration matters.
Mr. Dignam has presented numerous continuing legal education seminars on labor and employment law topics, including at the request of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, the Lake County Bar Association, and private continuing legal education organizations. He has also authored articles addressing various areas of employment law. In 2018, Mr. Dignam published a Law Review article advocating for a change in an area of labor law for the benefit of employers that has now occurred.
Mr. Dignam regularly serves as a civil mediator. He has conducted mediations in numerous civil matters in a wide variety of cases pending in state and federal courts.
Mr. Dignam has also presented multiple continuing legal education seminars about the mediation process, including the nuances of mediating employment law disputes. He has helped teach future mediators at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and for many years, Mr. Dignam served as an adjunct professor at Purdue University Northwest, teaching students employment law and human resources concepts, and as well as communication skills and dispute resolution techniques applicable to the workplace. Mr. Dignam is a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Council of the Indiana State Bar Association. He also serves, at the request of parties in civil litigation, in the role of arbitrator.
Finally, Mr. Dignam frequently serves as a medical review panel chairman. In this capacity, he guides the parties through the panel process in accordance with the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act.
Jury Trials:
Appellate Decisions:
Publication | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
Valparaiso University Law Review | There is More to Fear than Fear Itself. The National Labor Relations Board’s Attack on Purposeful Work Rules Must Be Stopped | 2018 |
National Business Institute | Human Resources Law Bootcamp – Contributing Author | 2018 |
Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly | Monitoring Social Media Use | 2012 |
Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly | The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act | 2011 |
Professional Education Systems, Inc. | Indiana Evidence Workshop – Contributing Author | 2008 |
National Business Institute | Advanced Discovery for the Litigation Paralegal in Indiana | 2000 |
Title | Conference | Date |
---|---|---|
Mediation Procedures and Ethics | Lake County Bar Association Applied Professionalism Seminar | 2018 |
The Fundamentals of Employment Law for Attorneys Who Do Not Practice Employment Law | Lake County Bar Association Employment Section Seminar | 2018 |
Family Medical Leave and Americans with Disabilities Act Explained, Discussed and Unraveled | Lake County Bar Association Employment Section Seminar | 2018 |
Employment Law Issues in a Law Firm | Hardball Litigators Seminar | 2018 |
Employee Handbook Do’s and Don’ts | Human Resources Law Bootcamp | 2018 |
Social Media Policies for Employers | Human Resources Law Bootcamp | 2018 |
Business, Labor, and Employment Laws for Medical Practices | O’Neill McFadden and Willett Seminar for Firm Clients | 2018 |
Management of Employee Social Media Activity | Construction Advancement Foundation Seminar | 2018 |
The EEOC and ADA in a Law Firm Setting | The Business of Law | 2017 |
Mediating Employment Law Cases | Indiana Continuing Legal Education Seminar | 2016 |
Mediating Employment Law Cases | Human Resources Law From Start to Finish | 2015 |
Employer Discipline of Employees for Social Media Activity | Employment and Labor Law Section Meeting | 2015 |
The Americans with Disabilities Act – A Historical Perspective | Indiana Civil Rights Comm. Disability Law 101 | 2015 |
Medical Malpractice Litigation From the Perspective of the Panel Chair | Lake County Bar Assoc. Hardball Litigator Seminar | 2014 |
How to Stay out of Hot Water | Lakeshore Public Media Management Training | 2013 |
How to Stay out of Hot Water | Indiana Continuing Legal Education Seminar | 2013 |
Sexual Harassment, A Historical Perspective | Indiana Continuing Legal Education Seminar | 2013 |
How to Stay out of Hot Water | Franciscan Alliance Management Training | 2013 |
Indiana Unemployment Benefits | Construction Advancement Foundation Training | 2011 |
Indiana Unemployment Benefits | NWI SHRM Human Resources Update | 2011 |
Indiana Mechanics Liens | Plumbing and Piping Contractors of Northern Indiana Training | 2010 |
Indiana Evidence | Indiana Evidence Workshop | 1998-2008 |
Warranties of Habitability in Indiana | Legal Update for Construction Professionals | 2006 |
Avoiding Sexual Harassment Claims in the Workplace | Continuing Medical Education Seminar | 2003 |
Litigation for Indiana Paralegals | Continuing Paralegal Education | 2000 |
State of Indiana; United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana; United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; and United States Supreme Court.
Indiana State Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Council Member of Indiana State Bar Association; Lake County Bar Association; Indiana Association of Mediators; and Society for Human Resources Management of Northwest Indiana.