Illinois

Firm overview

Bartlit Beck has achieved an unparalleled record of success in complex litigation. The firm is renowned for delivering extraordinary results to clients in difficult situations. Our successes include trial wins, victories on motions and appeals, and creative settlements across the gamut of commercial litigation, including intellectual property, breach of contract, product liability, antitrust, and shareholder disputes.

As a result of the firm’s success at trial, Bartlit Beck was named 2020 Trial Firm of the Year by Benchmark and was identified as one of the top nine firms in the United States for “striking the utmost fear into the hearts of seasoned General Counsel and legal decision makers” in a survey conducted by consulting firm BTI of 350 in-house leaders.

The average Bartlit Beck lawyer has more than 17 years of experience and has participated in multiple high-stakes trials. This is a product of our unique structure in which more than three-quarters of our lawyers are experienced partners and fewer than a quarter are associates. Thus, each case team is comprised mainly of experienced partners.

Our trial experience informs our overall approach: we focus on the key facts and issues that will drive the outcome, we make complex things simple, we win by showing the evidence rather than telling why we should win, we use demonstratives to boil down the key concepts to a few memorable images, and we establish ourselves as the reliable source of information.

Our lawyers intensely focus on a small number of cases at a time, allowing each team member to have command of the entire case. We believe our approach ensures better quality and results for our clients because each team member has a thorough understanding of the client’s goals and the path to success.

Our success is also due to the way we align our clients’ interests with our own. Our fixed and success-based fee structure is designed to eliminate the usual and often conflicting incentives present in the traditional hourly billing model.

We have extensive experience partnering with other law firms and service providers as part of a “virtual law firm.” Our highly collaborative approach means that we view in-house counsel and co-counsel as invaluable members of the team.

The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. Please contact any of our lawyers using the contact information found at https://www.bartlitbeck.com

Content may include attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. 

Firm overview

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a global law firm with more than 3,000 attorneys representing clients in private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, restructuring, and intellectual property matters. The Firm has 18 offices around the world: Austin, Bay Area, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Paris, Salt Lake City, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.

Litigation: Kirkland & Ellis is renowned for its experience in complex litigation and arbitration. The Firm believes that the best litigation results occur when the lawyers are fully prepared to try the case through verdict. Because of Kirkland’s trial-ready philosophy and training, the Firm is able to offer clients a deep bench of lawyers who have been taking cases to verdict since the early stages of their careers. Whether in the courtroom, at the bargaining table or helping clients avoid risks without litigation, Kirkland has a long and proven track record of generating successful results for clients in their most high-stakes cases matters.

The Litigation Practice Group comprises approximately 600 attorneys throughout the firm’s worldwide offices. Kirkland represents clients in trial and appellate courts at the federal and state level, before administrative tribunals, and in arbitrations and other dispute resolution proceedings. The Firm also represents clients in connection with proceedings involving government agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, US Attorneys General Offices, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the New York Stock Exchange, the US Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the US Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service.

Kirkland litigators have successfully litigated cases in virtually every substantive area and business segment including accountant liability, antitrust and competition, appellate, class action, mass tort and toxic tort, insurance, data privacy, labor and employment, breach of contract and securities litigation.

Kirkland has been recognized by clients and the media for its achievements in litigation:

• For the 11th time, Kirkland was selected as one of the “Fearsome Foursome” in BTI Consulting’s 2022 Litigation Outlook report.
• In 2021, Kirkland ranked #1 in The Lawyer’s “Global Litigation Top 50,” the fourth consecutive year the Firm earned that distinction.
• Kirkland was awarded “Illinois Firm of the Year” at the 2021 Benchmark Litigation US Awards, the eighth straight year the Firm has earned that distinction.
• Law360 named Kirkland among the 2021 “Practice Groups of the Year” for Appellate.
• Kirkland was named “Law Firm of the Year” for Commercial Litigation by U.S. News and World Report and Best Lawyers in their 2022 “Best Law Firms” rankings.
• National Law Journal named Kirkland as a “2020 General Litigation Department of the Year” in Washington, D.C.

Intellectual Property Litigation: Kirkland & Ellis’ Intellectual Property Practice Group is one of the oldest such practices in a full-service firm in the country, having been an integral part of Kirkland since 1925. Kirkland has approximately 200 intellectual property lawyers who are experienced in a variety of technical disciplines and registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office. More than 70 percent of the lawyers are engineers and scientists trained with degrees and professional backgrounds in technical areas.

Kirkland has one of the most respected intellectual property litigation practices in the country, with particular experience in large-scale patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret misappropriation and advertising matters. The work of the group frequently extends to antitrust, securities/compliance, products liability and appellate matters.

Kirkland’s experience in venues where IP cases are most often litigated is extensive. The Firm tries cases before juries, judges and arbitrators in venues across the country including state courts, district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Kirkland has one of the most active trial practices in the country. Our success rate at trial is among the best, with only a few of losses over the last 10 years despite handling some of the most challenging litigation cases in history.

The Intellectual Property Practice Group has been recognized by numerous publications for its achievements:

• In Managing Intellectual Property’s 2021 IP Stars, Kirkland was named as a leading firm for Copyright, ITC, Life Sciences, Patent Contentious and Trademark Contentious.
• Kirkland was named to World Trademark Review magazine’s 2022 WTR 1000 list of the world’s top trademark law firms and was recognized as a Tier 1 firm for enforcement and litigation nationally and in New York.
• In 2021, Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine recognized Kirkland in Tier 1 for Litigation: United States - National in its IAM Patent 1000 guide. The firm was also Tier 1 for Litigation in Illinois, New York and Washington, D.C.
• The New York Law Journal named Kirkland as its 2021 “Intellectual Property Litigation Department of the Year.”
• Law360 named Kirkland among the 2020 “Practice Groups of the Year” for Intellectual Property.  
• Managing Intellectual Property named Kirkland “U.S. National Patent Contentious Firm of the Year” and “U.S. Northeast – Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year” at its 2021 Americas Awards.

Please visit our website at www.kirkland.com for additional information about Kirkland and office contact information.

Updated June 2022

Firm overview

DiCello Levitt was founded in 2017 as a new kind of law firm—one that starts with a basic philosophy: that everyone at the firm is a vital team member, with voices and talents that add value in any situation. The firm was founded to advance the law at regulatory, legislative, and policy levels, and to serve as a first of its kind law firm providing tireless advocacy with a steadfast commitment to justice for victims of injustice, ranging from institutional investors to individuals, businesses, and public clients in the nation’s largest and most consequential matters. The firm pursues complex litigation and arbitration matters with a vigor and dedication that is unparalleled in the legal industry. 

DiCello Levitt combines excellence in commercial litigation, class action litigation, mass tort litigation, catastrophic injury litigation, medical malpractice litigation, environmental justice, and civil rights litigation. Representing institutional investors, individuals, businesses, and public clients, the firm’s attorneys have successfully prosecuted and settled numerous complex cases and class actions, resulting in billions of dollars in recoveries for their clients and other class members. 

Co-Founding Partners Mark DiCello and Adam Levitt lead a top-notch team of recognized leaders who share a collective depth of experience and steadfast commitment to justice. Their tireless advocacy on behalf of their clients is well-known, led Mike Bowers, Georgia’s former Attorney General, to characterize a settlement obtained by partners Adam Levitt and Amy Keller on behalf of small business owners against a major credit card processor as a “work of art,” and “one of the best pieces of legal work I have ever observed.” Champs Sports Bar & Grill v. Mercury Payment Systems, LLC, No. 16-cv-00012 (N.D. Ga.).

Today’s Environment: The firm has been in the headlines recently as it remains at the forefront of unearthing “what’s next” in the marketplace and tirelessly pursuing meaningful and lasting change. Many of our cases have involved aggressive corporate governance reforms that have changed the way companies—and even industries—operate.

Venture Partner With Its Clients: DiCello Levitt has recovered more than $16 billion for our clients. The firm delivers results in innovative ways by venturing cases with our clients as venture partners. It aligns our collective interests and enhances our clients’ management of litigation risk.

Based on our successful track record, we have forged a reputation for success in complex litigation and arbitration—most recently being named “Trial Lawyers of the Year” by Public Justice. Because we venture cases with our clients, they can be confident that our interests are aligned with theirs and that we will assess their mission-critical needs as we would for ourselves. In our case analysis and preparation, we focus on the end result—a successful settlement or trial verdict. Our singular focus delivers cohesive and compelling thematic and evidentiary foundations. We don’t use a set playbook; rather, we adapt our broad toolkit to each client’s unique goals and needs. Correspondingly, our flexible billing arrangements demonstrate our commitment to every client’s particular circumstances and allow us to align incentives in joint venture relationships.

The firm’s attorneys have successfully led—and are presently leading—many large class and multidistrict actions, including against industry titans such as Boeing, Zurich, Coca-Cola, ADM, Apple, Intel, Abbott Labs, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Equifax, and representing businesses and investors in arbitrations and litigation in courts across the United States and internationally.  In the past five years alone, the firm has been appointed to lead close to twenty multidistrict litigations.  

DiCello Levitt is powered by experience, values, and commitment to client service. Our firm is built on the experience of some of the nation’s most prominent and successful plaintiffs’ attorneys, and unified in our collective devotion to justice through winning massive recoveries on behalf of individuals and companies at home and abroad.

Trial-First Focus: DiCello Levitt’s proven ability to try cases further distinguishes the firm from competitors. Through our trial-first approach—including more than 100 focus groups and several major trials since the firm’s inception—the firm crafts practical and effective legal and business solutions for our clients. Our thematic approach drives all strategic decisions to deliver optimal results. The firm’s in-house focus group and mock-jury practice—a unique and primary differentiator from other plaintiffs’ law firms—allows its attorneys to streamline cases by identifying case themes early on, ensuring that discovery is geared toward those themes and the individual elements that the firm will have to prove in any case. This distinctive focus group practice also assists the attorneys in preparing for trial, allowing the firm to capture the jury’s attention on issues that matter as they continuously hone oral and closing arguments, and simulate trials and oral arguments in a courtroom setting. The firm’s in-house operations allow for dramatic cost and resource savings in the cases that the firm’s attorneys handle and ensures that each case the firm takes on is “trial-ready.” These dramatic cost and resource savings benefit the firm’s clients (and, in class cases, the other class members), leaving additional funds to be distributed to them from any recoveries. 

If an action advances to trial, Bobby DiCello and Chris Stombaugh, one of the leading trial lawyers in the United States, joins the trial team. Bobby and Chris are invaluable additions with unparalleled trial experience and savviness in working with focus groups to prepare for trial. Powerful storytellers and trial lawyers, Bobby and Chris have secured multiple multi-million-dollar recoveries for victims, across a variety of fields. Other members of the firm’s trial team are consistent thought leaders on applying cognitive neuroscience techniques to trial advocacy, both as trial lawyers and as frequent instructors to other trial lawyers across the country.

Areas of Practice:

• Agriculture and Biotechnology
• Antitrust and Competition Litigation
• Class Action Litigation
• Civil and Human Rights Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Environmental Justice
• ERISA Litigation
• Insurance Litigation
• Labor and Employment Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Pharmaceutical Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
• Product Liability
• Public Client
• Securities and Financial Services
• Privacy, Technology, and Cybersecurity
• Whistleblower, Qui Tam, and False Claims Act

Updated Aug 2022

Firm overview

What a Law Firm Should Be: Polsinelli is a full-service, Am Law 100 firm with over 950 attorneys in 23 offices nationwide. The firm’s litigation practice encompasses business disputes, white collar investigations and enforcement, health care, intellectual property, bankruptcy, data privacy, real estate, financial services, products liability and toxic tort and labor and employment matters. Our reputation for dedicated client service and innovative business solutions is a benchmark for excellence in the legal profession.

Polsinelli approaches litigation The Polsinelli Way – with our clients and their business goals as our primary focus. The Polsinelli Way sees each dispute as unique and our lawyers work hand in hand with our clients to devise a litigation strategy from the outset of the matter that is laser focused on achieving the most efficient and effective resolution. The Polsinelli Way isn’t just a slogan. It’s the way we work on each and every matter entrusted to us by our clients.

Commercial Litigation: Polsinelli’s Commercial Litigation practice is composed of attorneys committed to providing practical, industry-specific business litigation strategies informed by substantive and procedural knowledge, real courtroom experience, and a keen awareness of how legal outcomes impact our clients’ bottom lines.

We focus on real estate litigation, disputes arising out of business relationships and contracts, mergers and acquisitions litigation, and class actions. However, we have a deep bench of litigation expertise with experience handling a broad spectrum of disputes including aviation and transportation, insurance matters, professional liability, retail and hospitality litigation, telecommunications, and manufacturing and distribution. We also have several lawyers who regularly handle statutory claims including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the Fair Credit and Reporting Act.

Government Investigations: Polsinelli’s Government Investigations team is highly qualified to quickly and effectively help companies and individuals respond to and defend against civil, criminal and regulatory government actions. Many of our attorneys are former federal prosecutors with specific experience.

Our team takes the guesswork out of navigating investigations involving the government. Clients seek out our team’s counsel at all stages of their interactions with government agencies, whether a client needs help responding to a subpoena or civil investigative demand, a comprehensive internal investigation, preemptive counsel on a compliance program, or a trial lawyer to defend against allegations of white-collar crimes. Our team has experience with governmental entities, including the Department of Justice, SEC, Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, EPA and States’ Attorney General Offices.

Health Care Litigation: Polsinelli Health Care Litigation attorneys combine their in-depth knowledge of the evolving health care industry with clients’ business needs to devise practical litigation strategies. We advise clients in managing risk and resolving complex disputes. When litigation is necessary, we collaborate with clients to effectively and efficiently protect their interests. Our attorneys are experienced in litigating government investigations and health care disputes in different forums, including lawsuits, arbitrations, administrative hearings, audits and investigations.

Our team is well known and respected by judges, regulators, arbitrators, health care industry leaders and the legal community. Members include former Department of Justice attorneys, including Assistant United States Attorneys, former experienced state Medicaid fraud unit attorneys, a former realtor attorney and former in-house counsel to private and publicly traded health care companies.

Intellectual Property Litigation: Polsinelli’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice take creative and strategic approaches to resolving intellectual property disputes for local, regional, national and global companies and individuals. With more than 1,300 intellectual property litigation filings over the past six years, we frequently try high-technology intellectual property cases tied to diverse subject matter including patent litigation, trademark, copyright & branding, anti-counterfeiting and grey markets, restrictive covenants and trade secrets litigation, ITC Section 337, IP litigation funding and design patent litigation.

Labor & Employment Litigation: Our attorneys defend clients before administrative agencies and in trials, mediations, arbitrations, and appeals of lawsuits arising over virtually every conceivable employment-related action including age, religion, gender, pregnancy, race, national origin, disability, harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, FMLA and OSHA violations.

Our Employment Litigation practice group has substantial experience representing management in the administrative charge and litigation phase of cases involving issues such as but not limited to The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), The Equal Pay Act (EPA), Whistleblower claims, work-related torts and wrongful termination.

Products Liability and Toxic and Mass Tort: Polsinelli’s litigators have deep experience defending and protecting our clients against defective design, defective manufacturing, premises liability, catastrophic injury, and toxic exposure claims that oftentimes go to the heart of our clients’ businesses. Our litigators approach each case the Polsinelli Way -- with a laser focus on our clients’ business goals and an eye towards case resolution that prioritizes those business goals.

Our experienced Products Liability and Toxic Tort team assesses cases early, identifying potential risks and working with our client’s legal, business, technical and regulatory teams to craft effective litigation strategies. Our electronic discovery (e-discovery) lawyers and other professionals are adept at coordinating and managing the often-burdensome discovery process that comes with defending these high-stakes cases. Our trial lawyers have the skills and experience to take cases to trial in any courtroom in the country. These trial teams work hand in hand with our certified appellate specialists, who identify appellate issues and represent clients at the appellate level in state and federal courts throughout the United States.

Updated Sep 2022