Law Bulletins

Elizabeth E. Babbitt
- E ebabbitt@taftlaw.com
- T (312) 836-4116
- F (312) 966-8556
Summary
Elizabeth is an accomplished trial lawyer, business litigator, and counselor. She has significant experience leading large and small corporations, public utilities, and municipalities through complex litigation and disputes. Elizabeth has a unique depth of experience representing clients in civil rights, class action, and employment litigation. She is one of the lead attorneys representing the City of Chicago in the litigation, negotiation, and ongoing implementation of the Chicago Police consent decree and has expertise regarding police practices, use of force, crisis intervention, and police reform measures.
Elizabeth also regularly advises businesses regarding matters relating to employment discrimination, unfair business practices, trade secrets, restrictive employment covenants, and breaches of fiduciary duties. Beyond the litigation context, Elizabeth provides sophisticated advice to businesses regarding compliance on equal access and equal employment issues in the workplace. Prior to joining Taft, Elizabeth was a federal law clerk for the Honorable John W. Darrah of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Elizabeth is an active member of the Chicago legal community. She recently served as President of the University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Board, and remains an active alumna and mentor to law students. She is a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association, which provides an assessment to the public of candidates for state court judges. Elizabeth is a member of the Mother McAuley High School Alumnae Law Society and assists in coaching the school’s mock trial team; she also previously taught trial advocacy to law students at John Marshall Law School. She is a member of the Federal Trial Bar.
Elizabeth received her J. D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law. While in law school, she served as the admissions coordinator and editor of the University of Illinois Law Review, competed on the University of Illinois College Trial Team, and participated in the Federal Civil Rights Clinic. Elizabeth holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in finance and business administration, cum laude, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Awards
-
Honoree, Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2017, 2018, 2020)
Honoree, Leading Lawyers
All Service Areas
Education
- University of Illinois College of Law (2008)
- University of Illinois (2005)
Admissions
- Federal - U.S. Supreme Court
- Federal - 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Federal - Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
- Federal - Central District of Illinois
- Federal - Southern District of Illinois
- State - Illinois
Speeches and Publications
"Chapter 5: Problems in Contract Formation," Contract Law (2020 edition) published by IICLE, co-author with Paul Coogan.
News
WTA Requires Illinois Employers to Report Adverse Judgments and Administrative Rulings Regarding Harassment and Discrimination by Oct. 31, 2020 Law Bulletins
Illinois Mask Mandate: Employers Should Require Masks News
Taft Appellate Group Wins Reversal of $8.1 Million Verdict News
Forty-Four Taft Chicago Attorneys Named to Leading Lawyers Network
Professional Affiliations
- Chicago Bar Association
Investigator, Judicial Evaluation Committee (2018 - present)
- University of Illinois College of Law
Former President (2017)
Former Vice President (2016)
Former Member, Alumni Board (2014 - 2016) - Mother McAuley High School Law Alumnae Society
Member
Coach, Mock Trial - Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section
Vice Chair, Women in the Law Committee
Liaison, CBA Record Committee
Special Projects Coordinator