Our Attorneys

Celia Meza Utreras is a Partner at Utreras Law Offices. Her practice includes the representation of clients in both the private and public sector in a wide range of corporate and business matters, commercial litigation, employment litigation, compliance, and healthcare law. She counsels business clients by advising them on a variety of regulatory, human resources, and corporate compliance issues in order to help clients discover and address any unrecognized areas of risk.

Celia has jury and bench trial experience in federal and state criminal and civil courts, and has appeared before administrative agencies, local municipal courts, and labor arbitrators. Her professional background includes service as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for a healthcare billing company, Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago's Employment Litigation Division, Assistant General Counsel for Exelon Corporation and service as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Department of Justice.

Representative Experience

• Experienced in Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Experienced in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and litigation
• Experienced in defending Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) wage lawsuits
• Experienced in claims before the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR)
• Experienced in Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) claims
• Experienced in race, sex, national origin, discrimination and harassment claims
• Experienced in preparing corporate and vendor agreements
• Experienced in representing clients in contract negotiation and enforcement
• Experienced in responding to Medicare overpayment audits
• Experienced in Medicare fee-for-service reimbursement appeals
• Experienced in developing and implementing Corporate Compliance Programs
• Experienced in developing and implementing Business Codes of Conduct

Speaking Engagements

• Illinois CPA Society. Fraud Conference 2011. "Healthcare Fraud Audits." Chicago, IL. November 16, 2011.
• Law Bulletin Seminars. Employment Law Conference. "Discrimination & Retaliation." Chicago, IL. September 30, 2009.

Practice Areas

• Employment Law
• General Litigation
• Corporate & Business Law
• Health Care Law
• Criminal Defense

Admissions

• Illinois, 1994

Court Admissions

• U.S. District Court,
  Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. Court of Appeals,
  Seventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals,
  Second Circuit

Education

• J.D., University of Iowa, 1994
• B.A., University of Illinois, 1991

Distinctions

• FBI Certificates of Appreciation
• Law Clerk, Hon. Alan C. Page,
  Minnesota Supreme Court