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Before becoming an attorney, Cheryl Luce Fuga studied English at the University of Chicago and aspired to become a literature professor. That was until she graduated in 2009 amid one of the worst recessions in U.S. history. With her literature dreams in limbo, she decided to do what a record number of people did at the time.
“I chose to go to law school to ride things out since it wasn’t a good job economy for new grads,” she reflects. “It turned out to be a great decision and a perfect fit for me. Now I’m proud to say that I’m actually one of the lucky ones who loves being a lawyer.”
That’s because she was able to find the right practice area. Whenever she met with lawyers to ask them about their jobs, it was a mixed bag. Some of them loved their work, others didn’t, and many fell somewhere in between. However, she found that employment lawyers seemed to have the highest satisfaction. As she began her career at Vedder Price as a labor and employment associate, she quickly understood why.
“Labor and employment deals with people issues and allows you to see things from the human side,” Fuga says. “It allows you to understand how companies connect their overall branding and strategy to things employees expect. It also allows lawyers to leverage emotional intelligence skills to find that connection between people and the business.”
“I became really passionate about helping companies see the value of being fair and making the business case for treating people well. That’s where my personal fulfillment come in,” she adds.
From her role at Vedder Price to her tenure at Seyfarth Shaw, she had no shortage of opportunities to help companies navigate those issues as an extension of in-house counsel teams. While she had planned to one day become a law firm partner, her collaboration with her business clients and their legal teams made her rethink where her career was headed.
“I realized that I no longer wanted to be outside counsel and that I wanted to continue doing what I loved in-house. Being an employment counsel gets you out of the mindset of litigation and makes you focus on solutions and strategies to mitigate concerns before they result in a lawsuit. I really wanted to do that,” Fuga says.
And so, she did. In 2020, she became employment and benefits attorney at Argonne National Laboratory, where she worked closely with senior and executive level leaders. Fuga learned how to provide them the best legal advice in addition to the importance of being proactive and building credibility.
“Now I’m proud to say that I’m actually one of the lucky ones who loves being a lawyer.”
Cheryl Luce Fuga
“You have to make sure you’ve got accurate and well-thought through information. You’ve got to understand the organization’s larger goals—understand how to communicate things clearly and concisely and to explain risk in an objective way that helps everyone get on the same page,” she says.
From there, Fuga moved to Hyatt Hotels Corporation. She was drawn to the company’s values and strong legal team. As senior counsel of labor and employment, she’s been focused on bringing the Hyatt’s labor and employment practices “to the next level.”
“This role has been a great fit,” she says. “It’s given [me] an opportunity to help the organization become well poised to be the employer of choice going forward. It’s also a chance to be a subject-matter expert and to be someone the company trusts to give sound and reasoned advice.”
Since stepping into her role in 2023, Fuga has helped create internal investigation training to ensure the company is investigating all workplace concerns in a fair and consistent way. She and her colleagues have created an investigations toolkit with template summaries, working with HR teams to align on what its contents should be. Additionally, Fuga is helping the company respond to increased labor organizing activity, which has involved “going back to the basics.”
“Focus on positive employee relations,” she advises. “Make employees feel like they work for a company that cares about them and that they can trust. Our ethos is to care for people so they can be their best. So, creating that culture of care is central to connecting with our colleagues and making sure they understand our commitment.”
Fuga believes her success has been hinged on a powerful perspective—viewing her career as a marathon, not a sprint. She advises new attorneys to do the same if they wish to enjoy a successful career.
“Try to handle each issue consistently, show up, and give the best advice you can. That pays off because it allows you to build credibility over time,” she says.
That statement ties into another piece of advice she offers.
“Your reputation is earned. It’s not something people will give you automatically. You need to have the mindset of showing people who you are,” Fuga says.
“Cheryl is a true asset to Hyatt. She’s whip smart, unafraid to learn new things, and takes a practical bent to managing employment, labor, and benefits matters – and all with a sense of humor.”
–Noah Finkel, Partner
