Mark P. Tilkens

Mark P. Tilkens is the Office Managing Principal of the Madison, Wisconsin, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. The Madison office team is focused on providing immediate responsiveness to urgent client needs and around the clock coverage with multi-discipline practitioners who cover all labor and employment matters. How we get things done is just as important as what we get done and the Madison office has the best working environment and team culture for our clients of any law firm in Wisconsin.

Mr. Tilkens has successfully represented clients before judges, juries, and administrative agencies throughout the country. He has tried more than 100 arbitrations through to final decisions and handles high-level strategy and trial decisions for clients in discrimination cases across various industries. Mr. Tilkens is often called upon to provide representation and strategic counsel in high-stakes labor and employment matters and other crisis situations.

Mr. Tilkens has been consistently listed in Best Lawyers in America, the Legal Top 500 in the U.S., Chambers USA, and was named for 2017-2018 as the Labor Lawyer of the Year in Wisconsin by Best Lawyers in America. He provides every client with individualized attention and the best responsiveness in the market by placing the needs of each employer above all other issues and with every action designed to strengthen the relationship with those employers who place their trust in the team.

Mr. Tilkens’ legal experience includes counseling and representing employers across the country in traditional labor law matters, including the most difficult collective bargaining and "bet the company" cases, situations, arbitrations, strikes, replacing strikers, union organizing campaigns, elections, acquisitions of unionized companies, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board.

Mr. Tilkens provides expert guidance for employers facing critical employment counseling issues, including employee discipline, reducing misappropriation of confidential information, protection from competition, managing employee misconduct before escalation, and personalized training systems for managers and HR in meeting their own capability-building goals.

Mr. Tilkens defends employers in cases before the U.S. Department of Labor and in federal court actions involving labor relations; investigating and defending the most complex employment discrimination. He also guides employers on all issues related to employee performance, disciplinary and discharge decisions, reductions in force, and enforceability of post-employment restrictive covenants, as well as advising employers in all aspects of the employer employee relationship, including employment contracts, disability issues, internal investigations, and policy formulation/review.

Mr. Tilkens began his labor and employment practice after a decorated career in law enforcement, during which he received specialized training in interviewing skills, spent hundreds of hours in the courtroom and gained labor relations experience as a union executive board member where he worked closely with management officials during the development of internal investigation policies.

Mr. Tilkens was recognized annually by prosecutors for outstanding performance in the line of duty, including being awarded Top Cop of the Year, the Teamwork Award, and Investigator Commendation for a successful prosecution of street gang violence.

Mr. Tilkens spends his free time with his two sons and enjoys mountain climbing, exercise, and hiking with his dog. He has climbed to the summit of most of the California 14,000 foot peaks. Mr. Tilkens is also an instrument-rated, multi and single engine commercial pilot and loves aviation.