Whitney Barr is an attorney at Caffarelli & Martin Ltd., where she concentrates her practice in employment litigation and is deeply committed to advancing employee rights. Ms. Barr represents clients in a broad range of workplace matters, including discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, wage and hour violations, whistleblower claims, medical leave rights, and biometric privacy.
Ms. Barr is especially passionate about representing women in cases involving gender-based violence, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse in the workplace. Early in her career, she played a key role in a high-profile sexual harassment case on behalf of eight young women against their employer—an experience that solidified her dedication to fighting workplace injustice and shaped her focus on employee advocacy.
A significant part of Ms. Barr’s practice is devoted to representing individuals who have experienced workplace discrimination and harassment based on disability, age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and pregnancy. Her work regularly involves claims arising from hostile work environments, unlawful retaliation, and inequities in hiring, promotion, and compensation.
In addition to her individual advocacy, Ms. Barr maintains an active class and collective action practice, with a focus on claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), and the Equal Pay Act (EPA). Through this work, she seeks to challenge systemic workplace practices and secure meaningful results for both individuals and groups of employees.
Ms. Barr practices in both state and federal court and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Outside of her litigation practice, Ms. Barr is an active leader in the Chicago legal community. She serves as Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section’s Civil Rights Committee and Co-Chair of its Moot Court Committee. She previously served a two-year term as a Director on the YLS Executive Leadership Board. Ms. Barr also serves on the Young Professionals Board of the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.
Ms. Barr regularly contributes to legal publications and has authored articles for the Chicago Bar Association Record, Illinois Bar Journal, Illinois Trial Lawyer’s Journal, and the Chicago Bar Association’s online publication, @theBar. Her recent work includes “Gender Violence in the Workplace” (Illinois Bar Journal, November 2025), “Let the Jury Decide: Why Sexual Harassment Cases Belong in the Hands of the People” (CBA Record, March/April 2026), “Deposing the Reluctant Witness” (CBA Record, April/May 2023), “Seventh Circuit Approaches to Allowing a Substitute Expert: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 16(b) and 37(c)” (CBA @TheBar, April 12, 2022), “Congress Passes Bill Nullifying Forced Arbitration in Sex Abuse Cases” (CBA @TheBar, March 16, 2022), and “Separately Compensable Damages for Emotional Distress in Illinois Tort Cases” (CBA @TheBar, February 23, 2022).
Ms. Barr earned her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Missouri. During law school, she competed nationally in moot court, earning Best Brief at the Charleston School of Law Moot Court Competition, and served as a teaching fellow for Legal Studies.
