- +1 312 646 5825
- Rachel.Cowen@dechert.com
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Chicago Office444 West Lake Street, Suite 2100, Chicago, IL, United States of America 60606
Rachel B. Cowen, co-head of Dechert’s labor and employment practice, brings decades of experience handling complex, high-stakes litigation. She has tried numerous cases to verdict or award and collected more than US$50 million in judgments and settlements as a plaintiff in employee mobility and trade secret cases. Ms. Cowen has also argued numerous cases to the United States Court of Appeals.
Ms. Cowen regularly conducts investigations and advises boards of directors on diversity, pay equity and sensitive, high-profile claims of discrimination or harassment. She has conducted more than a dozen investigations involving allegations of misconduct by CEOs and other senior executives and Section 16 officers. Ms. Cowen has testified before credentials committees and elsewhere in connection with her investigations. She regularly conducts pay equity audits with employers and compensation committees.
- Obtained US$20 million award for a multinational insurance company after a six-week trial in a non-compete case. *
- Obtained a US$1 million verdict after a two month trial in San Diego in a non-compete case.
- Secured US$5.5 million settlement after one day of trial testimony against a seller of business who started competing company under his spouse’s name in breach of his non-compete.
- Lead counsel in Nuvasive vs. Pat Miles case, which permitted the application of Delaware non-compete law to a California resident because there was evidence that an employee was actually represented by counsel during the negotiation.
- Obtained a defense verdict in whistleblower case on behalf of a multinational insurance company.*
- Prevailed in several U5 defamation cases after full trial on the merits, including securing an award against two registered representatives requiring them to return their commissions for engaging in improper sales.*
- Prevailed before the Sixth and Tenth Circuits in a series of wage and hour collective actions, extending the duty to arbitrate to the employer’s customers.
*Includes matters handled prior to joining the firm.
- The Legal 500 US, 2020-2025
- Thomson Reuters, Stand-out Lawyer – independently rated lawyers, 2024-2025
- Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law – Management, 2022-2026
- Chambers USA, 2019, 2024-2025
- Benchmark Litigation, Labor & Employment Star, 2020
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- Eastern Illinois University, B.A., 1990
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 1993, with high honors Order of the Coif
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- Illinois
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- Fellow, College of Labor & Employment