Gerald F. "Jerry" Lutkus
Jerry Lutkus practices in the areas of labor and employment law counseling and litigation, arbitration, collective bargaining and media law. Notably, Jerry offers practical solutions to clients shaped by his lengthy experience in the law. He has developed a wide array of skills across a variety of labor and employment disciplines, making him invaluable to clients and colleagues alike.
Jerry exclusively represents management in virtually all aspects of labor and employment law. A full-service labor lawyer, Jerry has represented clients at virtually all levels of administrative proceedings, including matters before the EEOC, the NLRB and the DOL, as well as in federal court litigation.
Jerry has guided employers through employment demotions and discipline, internal investigations, workforce reorganizations and plant and company closings and acquisitions. He works on issues involving new technology and social networking and is a frequent writer and speaker on this topic. Jerry devotes a significant part of his practice to daily client counseling and management training.
In the area of traditional labor law, Jerry advises on labor strategies, conducts union-free training and union-avoidance campaigns, handles arbitrations, contests organizing campaigns and negotiates collective bargaining agreements. Jerry provides relationship-affirming solutions to serious union problems in a way that minimizes acrimony and can result in better employee relations for his client.
Jerry’s unwavering patience, genuine communication style and ability to actively listen, hear and process even the most divergent viewpoints distinguishes him as a trusted adviser, collaborator and team player. Because Jerry is able to dig deep into many different substantive labor and employment law disciplines, including liability issues and multi-employer pension matters, he provides solutions that are directly relevant to his client’s operations.
In addition, Jerry also handles a full range of commercial, business and media-related matters and cases. He is frequently involved in pre-publication and pre-broadcast review for media clients, as well as contesting subpoenas to journalists, handling defamation and related tort defense, counseling on web and internet-related issues, and advising on open meeting and open records questions. Having worked as a journalist for five years prior to the law, Jerry developed the requisite people skills, communication style and responsiveness needed to succeed in the law today.
Jerry is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a Notre Dame alumnus and faithful fan of the Fighting Irish.
- Indiana Super Lawyers, 2010-2017
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2005-2019; Lawyer of the Year, 2012-2015 and 2018-2019
South Bend, Indiana 46601-2130
