Senior Counsel
Chicago
• Acted as first or second chair in more than 20 jury and bench trials in state and federal court, mediations and arbitrations • Conducted and defended more than 100 depositions including numerous expert witnesses • Reviewed, interpreted and modified over 200 business contracts and purchase agreements • Managed a team of seven attorneys on complex legal projects to achieve successful results for clients on over 20 different cases• Developed an in-house training program on civil procedure and presented to attorneys• Served as chair person for diversity committee to create programs for increased diversity within the firm and upper management• Directed a project for minority law students to provide a two-day panel of attorneys for students to ask questions in an open forum and obtain mentorship• Managed complex commercial litigation cases in high profile environment including breach of contract, fraud, class action, advertising, marketing, copyright, trademark, intellectual property, health care, franchise disputes, employment, regulatory, UCC, FCRA, TILA, products liability, tort, insurance defense, construction, partnership, directors and officers, shareholder, securities, personal injury, and workers’ compensation issues • Advised clients directly on strategy development and creation of litigation budget • Worked with clients, opposing counsel, and claim representatives to negotiate settlements • Enhanced compliance within the firm by developing and conducting in-house training for 120 attorneys regarding procedural rule changes • Contributed to talent development through candidate interviews, serving on diversity committee and mentoring and supervision of associates and paralegals