FirmEquity

We enjoy speaking with new clients. We give prospective clients a free consultation to discuss their legal options.

This lawyer is licensed to practice in Illinois and has no record of discipline from the Illinois bar association.*

Firm Overview

Billy and Ben have teamed up to create FirmEquity in Chicago, Illinois. We primarily represent clients in the Chicagoland area, but our practice extends throughout Illinois. We pride ourselves on representing regular people and small businesses.

We work with clients to create fee agreements that suit their situation. We offer flat-rate billing to allow clients to better able predict their total cost for a case. We can also work on a more traditional hourly basis when the matter has an uncertain duration. We do accept some plaintiff cases on a contingency fee, such that we only get paid if we obtain a favorable outcome for you. We pride ourselves in being attorneys that can craft creative and alternative resolutions to complex legal situations.

FirmEquity offers a variety of payment options. We accept cash, check, credit cards online via PayPal, credit cards in-person via Square, and Chase Quickpay. We also offer payment plans in some instances.

Billy and Ben use technology to create efficiency and lower costs for clients. As an example, we use web-based legal research tools that give us instant access to any case or law, rather than slowly browsing a dusty bookshelf of legal tomes.

We look forward to representing you and to delivering justice to you.

Main Office

Main Office
858 W. Armitage, Suite 101
Chicago IL 60614

Phone

312-479-8611

Websites

Employment

Represent employees in employment matters, including cases involving protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ADA, ADEA, Illinois Human Rights Act, Chicago Human Rights Ordinance, and other employment laws.

FirmEquity has extensive experience in employment law matters, representing employees in all matters related to employment. We represent clients who have or are experiencing various forms of discrimination in their employment setting. FirmEquity also handles unemployment matters as well as unpaid wage cases.

Discrimination can take many forms. Employment discrimination laws seek to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, physical disability, age, sexual orientation and gender by employers. Discriminatory practices include bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, compensation, retaliation, and various types of harassment. The main body of employment discrimination law consists of federal, state and local statutes. The United States Constitution and the Illinois Constitution provide additional protection when the employer is a governmental body or the government has taken significant steps to foster the discriminatory practice of the employer.

We have prosecuted employment matters in judicial and administrative bodies including state and federal court, the EEOC, the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and the Human Rights Commission, the Illinois Court of Claims and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. We assist plaintiffs in filing complaints with the IDHR and the EEOC, represent plaintiffs in fact-finding hearings and the filing of complaints in state and federal court, and other administrative and judicial bodies. We understand that these types of cases can be very traumatic and stressful for our clients and, keeping this in mind, take a holistic approach when representing clients in employment discrimination matters.

We also represent employees in employment contracts, severance agreements, releases and other employment contracts.

How did your firm decide on the primary area of practice(s)?

FirmEquity focuses on plaintiff (employee)-side employment representation because we understand the impact that problems with an employer causes an individual. Because of the fact that an employer's position is one of inherently more power, combined with Illinois being an at-will employment state, employees can face many challenges and problems with their employer. FirmEquity understands that employment is a central aspect of a person's life and that problems at work can have a profound and devastating affect on an individual and their families. We work to obtain our client's goals in a cost-effective, aggressive and concerned manner. FirmEquity has an excellent track record of success and feel that representing clients is a privilege that we undertake with the utmost respect.

What experience or education distinguishes your lawyers from others

FirmEquity has experience in all types of employment-related matters and has represented employment clients in most of the administrative and judicial bodies in Illinois. We represent employees in cases involving protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ADA, ADEA, Illinois Human Rights Act, Chicago Human Rights Ordinance, and other employment laws. We also represent clients in unpaid wage claims, unemployment hearings and appeals. We advocate for clients zealously and pragmatically, always advising and allowing the client to make all of the important decisions related to their case.

What distinguishes your law firm from others?

FirmEquity takes all forms of payment and never turns a client who has a legal problem away based on their financial circumstance. We truly care about our clients and their situations and are available at all times to counsel and support clients in a way that most other attorneys are not.

Benjamin P. Kailin

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998, with a B.A. in Sociology, (with high honors in the major); Behavioral Science and Law, (with honors in the major); and a Certificate in Integrated Liberal Studies. After graduating from college, I stayed in Madison, where I served as a public school teacher for students with profound disabilities. After teaching for three years, I decided to pursue law school to address many of the social issues I observed as an educator.

I then moved to Cleveland, and in 2004 was awarded a law degree from Case Western Reserve School of Law, with a Certificate in Civil Litigation. During law school, I was a student mentor in Big Buddies, where I mentored and tutored a middle school student from East Cleveland and was also an instructor for the Street Law Program. I served as a clinical intern with the Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic Center. During the summers of 2002 and 2003, I was a legal extern for the U.S. Department of Education in the Office for Civil Rights. In my final year of law school, I was a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge John M. Manos in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. I was also president of the Jewish Law Students Association and a Trustee on the Board of Trustees for the Hillel Foundation of Case Western Reserve University.

After becoming licensed, I began my legal career as an Assistant Public Guardian for Cook County, where I represented abused and neglected minors in Circuit Court. In 2007, I transitioned into the private sector and worked for a boutique employment law litigation firm in Chicago. I represented clients in state and federal court, the EEOC, the Illinois Court of Claims, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Human Rights Commission, and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. I also worked on a number of large commercial litigation cases. In 2012, Billy and I formed FirmEquity.

I am a pro bono attorney for Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Pro Bono Center for Disability and Elder Law, and serve on the board of Keshet, an organization devoted to providing recreational and educational opportunities for children with developmental disabilities.

Feel free to contact me anytime:

ben@firmequity.com

312-479-8611

Billy Joe Mills

I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006 with a degree in Political Science, Finance, and Economics. I stayed around Champaign for law school and graduated in 2009. I then worked at a big law firm in downtown Chicago. I quit in early 2011.

I thought that I could not be happy practicing law - I was wrong. After I quit the big law firm life, I began representing my own clients. I realize now that I love helping normal people and small business owners address a variety of legal issues. I am passionate about helping startups, social enterprises, and nonprofits. I also handle issues involving copyright, BitTorrent downloads, defamation, free speech issues, insurance, landlord-tenant, and wills. For BitTorrent and defamation issues, I serve as a subpoena defense resource attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I am also a member of Harvard's Online Media Legal Network.

I love social entrepreneurship and technology. I have started a charitable vitamin company called UnaBellaVita. I am also working on building Storymap, Polity, and Founders.

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