Jeffrey C. Goelitz

Partner & Chair, Labor/Personnel Practice Group  |  View Latest Posts



Contact/Location
Office: Itasca
[email protected]
847-670-9000 (office)
847-670-7334 (fax)

Download vCard

EDUCATION
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.S., Elementary Education, 2001 

University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., 2007  

  • Elder Law Journal, Member  

As a partner in the firm and a member of the firm’s Management Committee, Jeff Goelitz represents Illinois schools and school leaders, focusing primarily on labor and personnel issues. He has guided school boards through numerous contract negotiations with teachers and staff and frequently advises superintendents and HR professionals on RIFs, evaluations, grievances, and employee misconduct investigations and termination cases. A former educator and coach himself, Jeff offers practical, actionable advice to school leaders, enabling them to focus on their core mission of leading their team and students.  

In addition to working through day-to-day issues with clients, a hallmark of Jeff’s practice is proactive training. Jeff is a frequent speaker at professional organizations for school boards and school administrators, including for the Illinois Association of School Boards as part of its new board member training and at annual conferences of the IASB, the IASPA, and the IASBO. Jeff approaches the practice of law from the premise that a lawyer’s job is to simplify complex issues and offer practical solutions that clients can understand and implement. School leaders know that when they work with Jeff, that’s exactly what they’ll get.



  • Illinois State Bar Association, Member, 2007 – Present 

  • Illinois Council of School Attorneys, Member, 2007 – Present  

  • National Council of School Attorneys, Member, 2007 – Present  



  • What is to Come in 2021?: Labor/Personnel in the Post-COVID World (Mini Keynote)Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators , 2021 

  • “Unsatisfactory” Teacher Evaluation Appeals, Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators, 2020 

  • Investigating Employee Misconduct, Illinois Association of School Business Officials, 2019 

  • Professional Development Leadership Training and PERA Training, New Board Member Training, Illinois Association of School Boards, 2015, 2017, 2019 

  • Writing Evaluations that Withstand Scrutiny: Your How-To Guide from a Legal Perspective, Workshop, Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators, 2019 

  • Don’t Shred That Yet: Digitizing Records in the Public School Setting, Administrative Professionals Program of IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference, 2018 

  • Effective (Inter)Governmental Agreements, Illinois Association of School Business Officials, 2018 

  • Drowning in a Sea of Emails: A Lifeline to Managing School Emails Legally and Practically, Illinois Council of School Attorneys, 2017 

  • How to Deal with the Use, Misuse, and Abuse of Union Grievances, Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators, 2016 

  • Legal Implications of the Use of Technology in a School District, Illinois Association of School Business Officials, 2013, 2015 

  • You Did What?!?!: Board Member and Staff Use of Technology, Illinois Association of School Boards, 2015 

  • Collective Bargaining Agreements: Process, Practice, and Pitfalls, Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators, 2015 

  • Google This: E-Privacy in School Technology, Illinois Association of School Boards, 2014