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Find Lawyers in Illinois, United States for Commercial Litigation
Practice Area Overview
Litigation increasingly occurs in various venues, from state and federal courts to private arbitrations and administrative hearings. Proceedings can involve business-to-business disputes or any number of government agencies. Understanding the motivations and outlook of each of the litigation participants is important for determining weak points to exploit and strong points that will persuade the audience in question. During the past decade, commercial litigators have seen a dramatic uptick in multidistrict and inter-disciplinary litigation, making the stakes higher, the cases more complex, the parties more numerous and the discovery more complicated and unwieldy. Firms that are able to develop and implement a creative legal approach to each individual problem, efficiently focus on the key legal and factual issues, and master and manage the various aspects of these complex matters will be the busiest in the years to come.
In the current challenging economic climate, commercial litigators are under increasing client pressure to keep costs in check, which has both sides testing the efficacy of alternative fee arrangements and the scope of reasonable discovery. Whether the “death of the billable hour” is ultimately realized, the keys to a commercial litigator’s success will continue to be strong client relationships, thought leadership, practical management skills, deep experience, and personal commitment.
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Sergio Acosta is Co-Chair of Akerman’s White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice. A former federal prosecutor and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers with over 70 jury trials to his credit, he has extensive experience defending companies and individuals in criminal and regulatory proceedings, conducting internal investigations, and counseling clients on compliance programs and related issues. Sergio represents companies and individuals in regulatory, civil, a...
Mr. Anderson is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with 37 years of experience at Winston & Strawn LLP. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers who has tried many cases to verdict before federal and state courts and who has has argued many times before federal and state courts of appeal, including two arguments before the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Anderson served for many years as the General Counsel and Member of the Executive Committee of Winston & Strawn LLP.
Gabor Balassa is a senior litigation partner and trial lawyer. Gabor has successfully tried significant commercial disputes in federal and state courts and in arbitrations across the country, including in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, Tampa, and Wilmington. He represents a diverse client base, ranging from big-four accounting firms, to oil & gas, telecommunications, and pharmaceutical companies, to private-equity firms. Gabor’s broad experience encompasses class ac...
As a commercial litigator and counselor with more than 20 years of experience, Matt brings a creative, pragmatic, and efficient approach to helping clients resolve complex legal and business problems. Matt is co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Group. He has significant, first-chair trial experience in a wide variety of business disputes. He regularly represents clients in matters involving breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, non-competes, and post-closing disputes. Matt ...
Craig Boggs has more than 25 years of experience representing clients in a vast array of labor and employment issues. Craig has extensive experience in successfully prosecuting and defending litigation matters involving temporary restraining orders and injunctions related to non-compete agreements, other restrictive covenants and trade secret misappropriation. Craig also routinely counsels employers on resolving such disputes amicably in advance of litigation and on drafting effective restric...
Dan Boho has a national trial and mediation practice with verdicts in Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and appearances as pro hac vice counsel in 18 states. Mr. Boho, State Chair of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers and Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (600 top trial lawyers from the US and 30 other countries), handles high-profile, media-intensive matters. He served as General Counsel of the 22,000 member Chicago Bar Association,...
Nick wins cases for clients and helps them favorably resolve disputes, including complex partnership, corporate governance, finance, and deal disputes. As a first-chair trial lawyer who has tried more than 30 jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations, when a rare business case goes to trial, other law firms and clients ask him to join or lead the trial team. Nick splits his time between BFKN’s Minneapolis and Chicago offices, although he regularly appears in courts across the country....
Jack Carriglio represents clients in commercial disputes, including the prosecution and defense of cases relating to contracts, business torts, bankruptcy, securities, product defects, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, partnership disputes, malpractice and professional disciplinary matters, and real estate litigation. In addition, Jack has a substantial practice in representing corporations and individuals at the federal grand jury, trial, and appellate courts in various criminal matters in...
Bob Clifford is the founder of Clifford Law Offices, which concentrates its practice in helping victims of personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, mass torts and class actions, consumer and health care fraud, product liability, and aviation and transportation disasters. Bob regularly handles complex damage cases and routinely receives multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. He was named one of America's Top 200 Lawyers in Forbes' inaugural list in 2024. Clifford Law Offic...
Ron Damashek recognizes that litigation is a place very few people want to be, but all too many people end up. Operating from that mindset makes Ron a practical lawyer, working to get to the bottom line quickly and enabling his clients to make educated, cost-effective decisions. Regardless of whether the path leads to settlement, arbitration, or trial, Ron stands side-by-side with each client, prepared and ready to succeed. As counsel to secured creditors, Ron regularly litigates and works ou...
Martin G. Durkin is a trial lawyer whose practice includes antitrust and commercial litigation. He has successfully litigated business and transactional disputes, and tried many complex commercial matters. Mr. Durkin's practice is focused on commercial matters, including breach of contract, business torts, RICO, securities fraud and consumer fraud. Mr. Durkin has also represented a number of Fortune 500 companies in the defense of class actions and mass actions. Representative Matters Class A...
Mark Filip, a former federal judge and high-ranking Justice Department official, helps to lead Kirkland’s government enforcement defense and internal investigations group, and serves as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. As a partner in the Firm’s Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices, Mark has successfully guided numerous Fortune 100 companies and financial institutions through complex mission-critical moments, counseling leaders and Boards of Directors on high-stak...
Ian H. Fisher represents commercial clients ranging from small entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies. Ian has successfully litigated cases involving real estate, antitrust, trade secret misappropriation, restrictive covenant, consumer, contract, and business tort disputes. Ian has substantial experience defending against class action and navigating multidistrict litigation proceedings. He has successfully defended on appeal many of his trial court victories. He is skilled at identifying stra...
Scott is a trial lawyer who concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on class actions. He was formerly managing partner of the firm, and served on its Executive Committee. Scott has considerable jury and nonjury trial experience, and represents clients in state and federal courts throughout the United States. He has advocated for clients in a broad range of matters, including antitrust, fraud and business torts, health care, breach of contract and...
Michael P. Foradas is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is Of Counsel in Kirkland’s Chicago office and was a litigation partner from 1987–2019. Michael is also a former member of the firm’s Management Committee. Michael has broad trial and appellate experience in all aspects of major case litigation, including commercial, insurance coverage, mass tort and product liability and shareholder litigation in federal and state courts around the country. Chambers...
Paul T. Fox focuses his practice in commercial litigation for more than 30 years. He regularly represents litigants in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate level, as well as before arbitration panels, mediators and other alternative dispute resolution forums. An experienced trial lawyer, Paul typically tries cases every year. He has been a member of the Trial Bar for the United States District Court in Chicago for the past 20 years. He also teaches trial advocacy at Northw...
Jim Gaughan is a tough, talented, and experienced commercial litigator who has used his considerable experience and equanimity to successfully represent clients in a wide range of complex and challenging class action lawsuits in jurisdictions across the country. He is relentless about preparation and tactics, constantly weighing and analyzing the respective strengths of his clients, as well as their adversaries, in order to create the most effective and efficient legal strategies.
Matthew Gehringer focuses his practice in the area of professional liability and complex commercial litigation. He regularly represents attorneys and law firms in matters involving professional negligence and other related claims, and now also serves as General Counsel for Perkins Coie LLP. In his years of practice, he has successfully represented law firms in claims alleging professional negligence; parties in complex contract litigation, ranging from acquisition agreement disputes to insura...
John F. Gibbons has more than 25 years of experience handling a broad range of civil and criminal matters for national corporations, financial institutions, brokerage houses, pension funds, real estate entities, and individuals, including fraud, breach of contract, trade secret, class action, RICO, civil rights, commercial and criminal securities cases, grand jury investigations, white collar defense, FCPA issues, corporate internal investigations and appeals. He has advised many corporate cl...
An accomplished trial lawyer, Tery Gonsalves draws on his prior roles as a police detective and deputy general counsel to provide strategic guidance to clients facing investigations and complex litigation matters, including regulatory and compliance counseling. As chair of the Education Team, he regularly counsels public and private institutions through the issues they face in a highly regulated landscape. Tery is a seasoned trial lawyer who has tried more than 20 cases to verdict. He represe...
John Hartmann is a partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s litigation practice group, where he focuses on shareholder, professional liability and business litigation matters, as well as regulatory enforcement proceedings and corporate internal investigations. John has represented leading corporations, professional services firms, private investment firms, as well as their directors, officers and partners, in numerous securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, disputes over co...
There’s not much in the law that RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes hasn’t done. A former state court judge, experienced prosecutor, and defense lawyer, Judge Holmes was recruited from the bench after nine years’ service in Cook County, Illinois, and is renowned for impeccable judgment, brilliant strategy, and sage counsel. She is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 clients and others facing high-stakes commercial disputes and litigation; class actions; investigations ...
Nick Kahlon’s approach to litigation is straightforward: out-think and out-prepare the other side. His ease in court is grounded in the knowledge that he has thought through and planned for every detail, and his ease with clients comes from a deep understanding of their business needs. Nick’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including noncompetes, class actions, patent cases, and other significant business disputes. He has represented some of the largest companie...
Hariklia (Carrie) Karis is a Kirkland trial lawyer who has extensive lead trial experience in jury and bench trials and arbitration involving personal injury in a broad range of high profile personal injury, product liability and other commercial cases throughout the country. Hariklia was recently recognized by various legal publications as a first class trial lawyer in mass tort and commercial litigation. She was awarded Law360 MVP for Trials in 2022. The American Lawyer named Hariklia &ldqu...
Matthew R. Kipp concentrates in complex commercial litigation and governmental investigations. His experience includes representing clients in federal, state and arbitral tribunals, and in all phases of litigation, at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Kipp has represented a variety of companies or their audit committees in investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission into alleged accounting irregularities and improper business practices, including General Mills, Inc., The H...
John C. Kocoras is a partner in McDermott Will & Emery LLP’s White Collar & Securities Defense practice group and is based in the Firm’s Chicago office. John focuses his practice on internal investigations, white-collar criminal defense matters including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) cases and complex litigation. Prior to joining McDermott Will & Emery, John served as Managing Director and Regional Counsel of the global investigations company Kroll, where he dir...
Over the past 25 years, Bob Kopecky has represented leading U.S. corporations and professional firms, as well as their officers, directors and partners, in numerous securities class actions and shareholder derivative suits throughout the United States. Robert also represents clients in SEC investigations, disputes over corporate transactions, ERISA class actions, antitrust suits, and breach of contract actions. Among the clients for whom he has successfully defended such matters are General M...
Josh is a first-chair trial lawyer and counselor. Many of the world’s highest profile companies trust him to resolve disputes in ways that align with their business goals. Clients also seek Josh out before disputes arise, helping them to calibrate business strategies to reduce the risk of litigation or maximize leverage from potential claims. Many of Josh’s clients are in the retail, manufacturing, and real estate development industries. He has championed their rights in a host of...
Scott Mendeloff combines an 11-year tenure as a former federal prosecutor with more than 19 years of experience in private practice. He focuses his practice on commercial trials and white collar criminal litigation. Scott has been consistently recognized by Chambers USA in the area of commercial litigation and by Leading Lawyers in the areas of commercial and white collar litigation. Scott has tried to conclusion more than 50 cases in a wide array of areas in both the civil and criminal arena...
Cathy Miller focuses her practice on business litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts and arbitrations. Her experience includes representing clients in Telephone and Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) class action matters, real estate litigation, and routinely litigating commercial breach of contract, tortious interference, and restrictive covenant disputes. A significant portion of her practice involves handling empl...
A trial lawyer since 1998, Tom Mulroy joined Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., in January of 2018. Tom brings a unique perspective to the firm, having extensive experience conducting trials by jury on behalf of defendants in negligence cases. As such, he has inside understanding and mastery of the strategy and tactics used by our opponents. In fact, during his two decades as a defense trial lawyer, Tom never lost a single trial. He brings that same level of intensity and competitiveness t...
Emily Nicklin has been lead trial counsel in both jury and bench trials, as well as arbitrations, in various state and federal venues including Arkansas, California, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Her practice includes cases (both individual and class actions) concerning professional liability for accountants and consultants, securities and common law fraud, contract, tort (including product ...
Steve Patton is of counsel to the Litigation group in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Steve has extensive experience trying cases and arguing appeals in federal and state courts throughout the country in a wide variety of commercial disputes. He has also served as an advisor to senior management in a number of “bet the company” exposures and negotiated several multibillion settlements in complex disputes. Steve is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers a...
Steve is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department, where he represents clients in complex civil litigation matters before state and federal courts throughout the country. He has considerable experience with commercial disputes, constitutional challenges, statutory interpretation issues, and defamation and invasion of privacy suits. He is skilled at representing municipalities in cases involving so-called “locally undesirable land uses” such as airports, music amphitheat...
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