TEL 312 565.1103
FAX 312 565.8300
posterman@SchuylerRoche.com

Commercial and Employment Litigation

Labor Arbitration and Litigation

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Smart, dedicated and thorough, Peggy Joyce Osterman concentrates in labor and employment law and is experienced in serving businesses, municipalities and mass transit systems. Colleagues are likely to cite research and problem solving as her greatest strengths. She says the enjoyment she derives from challenge and complexity attracted her to law, and the opportunity to work on a team with other attorneys drew her to Schuyler Roche, where she found the professionalism of a large firm amidst the collegiality of a more intimate organization.

Before joining Schuyler Roche as an associate, Peggy worked for a law firm serving Illinois municipalities and concentrating in public finance. This experience gave her a sound understanding of Illinois law, she believes, “particularly law relevant to units of local government.”

Prior to enrolling in law school, Peggy served as a legislative aide for the Committee on Energy, Environment and Public Utilities, chaired by Alderman Virginia Rugai, of the Chicago City Council. In her service to this committee and to the city, Peggy would staff the committee’s hearings, track legislation wending through numerous City Council committees and work with various public departments on matters relevant to energy consumption and conservation.

Working for the City Council honed her ability to remain flexible under pressure and respond quickly and accurately to the vicissitudes imposed by public service. Her interest in government, we believe, and her dedication and drive are the result of studying in the nation’s capital and living near Capitol Hill during a harrowing time in U.S. history: the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax scare just days later. Peggy says the second event on the heels of the first increased the anxiety level of D.C. residents exponentially. Yet despite her fear and amid the uncertainty, she resolved to remain focused on her goal of earning a law degree. In 2002, she graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown, among the top law schools in the nation.

Here in Chicago, as a board member of the Andersonville Development Corporation, Peggy has learned to balance the needs of the business community with those of residential constituents and to advocate effectively for anyone in need. Of this service, Peggy says, “We, as a board, have had to create a vision for development and work to promote that vision in a manner beneficial to our current business district.” As a member of the Local School Council for Hayt Elementary School—first appointed, later elected—Peggy believes she has refined her ability to respond to difficult issues facing the school community: “I have learned how to advocate strongly for our school and have improved my public speaking abilities in the process.”

Thinking outside the box is the source of Peggy’s ingenuity in problem solving, client management and community service. “An attorney at Schuyler Roche once told me,” she says, “that in conducting legal research you need to learn how to weave the cases together to ascertain how the law applies to each individual situation. I enjoy the academic pursuit in that process—the challenge of crafting an argument and the creativity that arises from each endeavor.”

A mother of two small boys, Peggy speaks from experience when she says, “Problem solving requires patience, diligence and creativity. Arriving at the best solution often requires more than one approach to the same problem, but achieving that solution is well worth the extra effort.”

Peggy concentrates in labor and employment law, thoroughly enjoying all facets of this discipline, particularly the interpersonal contact involved and the need to negotiate. She also enjoys the challenge of continually educating herself on this dynamic area of law and the clients she serves.

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