Litigation

The WilliamsMcCarthy LLP litigation team has been recognized by U.S. News – Best Lawyers© by being named to the “Best Law Firms” Tier 1 List of premier law firms in the field of commercial litigation. The Litigation Group concentrates its practice in the area of complex litigation, at both the trial and appellate levels of the federal and state courts, as well as administrative proceedings, throughout the Midwest. The Group also represents clients in more singular, direct and local matters. The Group has established precedents in important areas of the law and has developed a reputation for aggressive, cost-efficient representation. Attorneys in the group have extensive expertise in the following areas:

Administrative Law: Our litigators are well-versed in guiding clients through the process of responding to investigations conducted by various state and federal administrative agencies as well as providing representation in adversarial hearings and trials before hearing officers and administrative law judges. Such matters include: assisting with OSHA inspections and hearings; defense of wage and hour issues before the federal and state departments of labor; proceeding through discrimination investigations and hearings in the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Equal Rights Division and the EEOC; responding to Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) inquiries for federal contractors; representation and defense of management in the National Labor Relations Board and the Illinois Labor Relations Board; environmental hazards, environmental audits and environmental compliance in real estate transactions with the EPA, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Office of the State Fire Marshall (underground storage tanks); advising on compliance with accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and, advising health care facilities, skilled nursing homes, and other providers of services to the disabled and aged in licensure and compliance with the myriad regulations

Alternative Dispute Resolution: arbitration and mediation

Appeals: representing appellants and respondents in courts of higher jurisdiction

Banking: providing a full range of legal services to financial institutions, including the defense of lender liability suits, structuring work-outs and full representation of major creditor collection actions

Business/Commercial Litigation: representing businesses, directors and officers, and individuals in the trial and appellate branches of the state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings relating to disputes involving contracts, claims of tortious interference, misrepresentation and fraud, non-compete agreements, unfair competition, shareholder disputes, trade secrets, will and trust contests, corporate governance, real estate development, zoning, trademark and trade regulation, franchise claims, privacy issues, land use, civil rights, construction and suits for injunctive relief

Collection actions and replevin

Corporate control and derivative suits

Copyright, Patent and Trademark Litigation

Criminal Defense

Director, Officer and Partnership liability

Distributor, franchise and dealer termination

Employment Litigation: defense of discrimination claims; employment contracts; covenants not to compete; wrongful termination; workers’ compensation; employee benefit disputes

Insurance: defending personal injury, product liability, professional misconduct and related matters, as well as insurance coverage litigation

Environmental: providing a full range of litigation and administrative services related to land-use planning including environmental issues such as hazardous waste disposal and super-fund litigation

Estate, Trusts and Fiduciary Litigation: we represent beneficiaries, trustees, executors and other personal representatives in disputes relating to wills and estates, with respect to such matters as: the validity of a will in a will contest proceeding, including allegations of undue influence or incapacity of the deceased; breach of trust actions and applications to interpret provisions of a trust or will. We also routinely represent corporate fiduciaries in contested matters

Family, Juvenile law, Guardianships and Adoption matters

Health Care

Labor and Employment Relations

Lender Liability Claims

Municipal Law

Local Counsel: acting as local counsel for firms outside of our federal district in complex litigation involving class-action, unfair competition, trade secrets, patents, antitrust and the like

Personal Injury: premises liability, product liability, transportation liability, construction liability, wrongful death

Products Liability Litigation: coordination of claims on a national basis; product liability defense; product recalls; regulatory compliance; insurance coverage analysis; safety management

Real Estate & Construction Litigation: land use; zoning; condemnation; foreclosure

Risk Management: contract review; employment practices audit; trade-secret audit; product liability risk assessment; insurance coverage assessment

Software and Information Technology Litigation

Tax Disputes

Whistleblower/Qui-Tam Litigation: such claims involve the representation of “insiders” who may be knowledgeable about fraud being carried out against the government. Often times it is the whistle blower’s own employer engaged in the fraudulent scheme complained of. If the claim is successful, the whistleblower can be entitled to 15% to 30% of the recovery, plus attorney’s fees and costs. Such claims could include: fraud concerning federal construction projects and public works; fraud concerning federally funded research programs; fraud concerning the undervaluation of goods in order to avoid paying U.S. Customs duties; overcharging the government for the cost of cleaning up environmental contamination; fraud concerning federal loan guarantees; and fraudulent schemes to secure agricultural subsidies or funds from agricultural programs. If you are aware of such conduct contact, contact one of our skilled litigators in this group. Initial consultations are always free of charge, whether your case is taken or not