Welcome
I am a commercial litigation attorney, with twenty-nine years of
trial and appellate court experience and success. My clients hail
from the Chicago area and from across the country. I typically counsel
and represent individual entrepreneurs and small to medium size
businesses, and I devote considerable attention to the representation
of franchisees, dealers and distributors. Every commercial, franchise
and distribution case presents unique challenges, and I approach
each with commitment, integrity and a focused effort on achieving
the client’s desired goals.
More often than not, my clients come to me when they are locked
in a David versus Goliath battle for survival. To succeed in these
cases requires skill and experience. I have a deep understanding
of the law as it applies to individual client situations and a
passion for going up against “the big guys”. I take
pride in my ability to provide creative and sensible counsel to
my clients, to set realistic and achievable goals and to aggressively
pursue those goals in a court of law.
Recent Successes
Two recent decisions reflect the great success my team and I are
able to achieve for our clients. In Minnesota Supply Company
v The Raymond Corporation, the United States Court of Appeals
for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict of more than 12.8
million dollars, plus attorneys’ fees, we won for our client,
a Minnesota lift truck dealer that had been wrongfully terminated.
In Girl Scouts of Manitou Council v Girl Scouts of the USA,
the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ordered
the extraordinary remedy of preliminarily enjoining the national
Girl Scouts organization from interfering with or removing any
of the territory or jurisdiction of our client, the local Girl
Scout council in southeastern Wisconsin.
Typical of the matters we handle, both of these cases broke new
ground for dealer and franchisee rights. The Girl Scout
case is the first appellate decision in the nation to apply a
state’s franchise or dealership statute to nonprofits.
Recognitions and Acknowledgements
For several years running, I have been named an Illinois “Super
Lawyer” and an Illinois “Leading Lawyer”. Franchise
Times Magazine has designated me a “Legal Eagle,”
and I have been named in Who’s Who Legal, the International
Who’s Who of Business Lawyers published by the International
Bar Association. I am honored and flattered to have attained acknowledgment
by these prominent publications.
About this Site
I encourage you to browse this site for a complete review of
my commercial litigation services. Should you have a particular
legal issue or feel you may have a potential case please consider
contacting me to discuss the matter.
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