Jake Rubinstein

Member

Boulder

(720) 479-3872

(303) 625-4901

Denver

(720) 479-3900

Jake combines more than 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer with a background of high-level human resources leadership experience to provide unique versatility in counseling and representing clients in all aspects of labor and employment law and human resources practices. Jake’s litigation work includes, employment discrimination, traditional labor, and wage and hour cases. Jake also counsels clients on labor and employment law compliance and policy design and also advises human resources professionals on imaginative solutions to difficult workplace problems. Jake's practice also includes negotiating collective bargaining agreements, conducting workplace investigations, representing clients in business disputes, and representing social media companies in litigation over site content. Jake also advises and represents individual clients, including negotiating executive employment agreements.

Jake honed his trial skills over the course of 26 jury trials in both state and federal courts, more than 100 bench trials and contested motions, and over 75 labor arbitrations across the United States. Jake has also represented clients and conducted hearings before administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and multiple state agencies.

Before joining Cozen O'Connor in 2017, Jake served as the executive director of employee and labor relations for the University of Chicago, where he led a six-person team responsible for advising university human resources professionals, faculty, and administrators on the full range of labor and employment issues for union and non-union employees. In this role, Jake also served as the university's chief labor strategist and negotiator. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Jake was in private practice at Meckler Bulger Tilson.

Jake began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Justice John J. Bowman of the Illinois Appellate Court. He also served as a Cook County (Illinois) assistant state's attorney for nine years, assigned first to the Civil Bureau’s Labor and Employment Unit and later to the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau, where he rotated between courtroom and non-courtroom assignments, focusing on the prosecution of violent crimes, including homicides and sex offenses.

Experience

News

Tweak To Colo. Sick Leave Rule Helps Ease Compliance

April 05, 2024

Jake Rubinstein was quoted in a Law360 article discussing the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s (CDLE) recent change to its paid sick leave rule, allowing employers to calculate a worker's hourly rate for paid sick time by averaging their hourly earnings over the previous 28 to 31 days, amending the formerly used 30-day lookback period.

Legal Issues: Unions Continue Making Waves Across U.S.

August 22, 2023

Jake Rubinstein spoke with Law Week Colorado to discuss the latest trends involving unionized employees in Colorado.

Labor & Employment Law Update: 2019 in Review and a Look Ahead to 2020

December 05, 2019

Jake Rubinstein, Bethany Salvatore, and Walter Stella presented a webinar about the substantial changes in labor and employment law at the federal, state, and even local levels for 2019.

Cozen O’Connor Continues to Expand National Labor & Employment Department and Denver office, Adding Jake Rubinstein, Formerly of University of Chicago

September 18, 2017

Cozen O’Connor continues to grow its national Labor & Employment Department and adds a new practice area to its Denver office as Jake Rubinstein, former Executive Director of Employee & Labor Relations at the University of Chicago, joins as a member in the firm’s Denver office.

Publications

The Only Constant is Change: Colorado Employment Law Updates [Alert]

March 20, 2024

A comprehensive overview of Colorado employment law changes and updates.

Will Pay Transparency Laws Level the Playing Field? [Alert]

January 10, 2023

The new pay transparency laws across the country may point to a cultural shift underway toward an expectation of transparency and a desire to reduce the pay gap.

Can Pay Transparency Shatter the Glass Ceiling? [Daily Journal]

October 12, 2022

Elena Hillman, Jake Rubinstein, and Janice Agresti authored an article on what pay transparency could mean for states.

A Portrait in Blue: Recent Developments in Colorado Employment Laws (Part 1) [HR Headaches Blog]

March 19, 2021

There is a popular country & western song by Keith Urban entitled, “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” However, as the political landscape in Colorado has changed over the past two decades it’s become increasingly clear that blue is the color of our state, as the Democratic Party now holds the...

States of Flux — What Employers Need to Know About Election 2020 and New State Laws [Alert]

November 23, 2020

David Barron, Joseph Quinn, Jake Rubinstein, Di Addy Tang, Peter Ennis, Adam Gutmann, and Anne discuss various state laws that may impact employers.

It’s Springtime for Wage and Hour Rights: Worker-Friendly Changes to Wage & Overtime Regulations Are Blooming in Colorado [HR Headaches Blog]

April 13, 2020

In the midst of growing alarm over the coronavirus pandemic and an almost all-consuming focus on public health, workplace and legal developments related to the pandemic, many Colorado employers may have missed the significant changes in Colorado wage and hour laws recently ushered in by the...

HR Investigations Pay Dividends: A Healthier Workplace and Protection in Court [HR Headaches Blog]

December 12, 2019

Many HR professionals spend a significant amount of time investigating employee complaints and, depending on the outcome of these investigations, implementing corrective measures to halt and prevent bad behavior in the workplace. Some within an organization (usually not the HR folks!) sometimes...

Court Says Disability-Based Harassment Is Unlawful Under ADA But Finds Plaintiff’s Evidence Lacking

November 25, 2019

Jake Rubinstein discusses workplace harassment under the ADA and what lessons employers should take from Ford v. Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Education

  • Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 1994
  • University of Illinois–Chicago, B.A., 1991
  • Colorado
  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Colorado
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court -- Southern District of Texas

Honorable John J. Bowman, Illinois Appellate Court