Editorial: Arbitration in Illinois
Commercial arbitration is once again one of the largest chapters in this publication, reflecting its continued popularity as an alternative to settling disputes in the courtroom. We identify 25 as leaders in the field, with specialities encompassing work as both counsel and neutral in domestic and international matters.
The law firms Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and Gardner Carton & Douglas LLP merged in January 2007. Gordon Nash was rated by one source as "hands-down-the-best in Chicago", and as former president of the city's Bar Association, his local renown is high. David Kay is "well connected internationally" and deemed "very smart" and "extremely prominent" by his peers. He is a member of the LCIA and sits as arbitrator for the AAA and ICC.
Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon LLP also has multiple representatives in this chapter. The "very able and knowledgeable" Roderic Heard has served as arbitrator for the AAA and CPR in a range of domestic and international cases. He also garnered praise for his work as adjunct professor at Northwestern University Law School and is rated as a "top-notch professional". Jerald Esrick currently serves on the AAA's national large complex case panel and he has handled over 100 cases as either sole arbitrator, chair or member of a panel; he recently arbitrated a first-impression antitrust health-care case between a large health-care insurer and hospital system involving alleged price-fixing.
Two further experts appear from Bell Boyd & Lloyd LLC in Chicago. Stanley Sklar once more appears in this chapter (he is also listed for construction), and is "extremely well known and substantially experienced". A former president of the American College of Construction Lawyers and member of the board of governors of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, he has chaired more than 40 separate panels for construction cases concerning delay or construction defects claims in excess of US$1 million. He is joined in this edition by new entry Victor Grimm. An individual of "considerable repute", he is known for his work on a range of disputes in the antitrust and franchise sectors, among others.
Paul Lurie at Schiff Hardin LLP appears in the construction chapter, and he is regarded as "quite the guru" by his peers. A member of the AAA's large complex case panel, he is "immensely knowledgeable" - "what he doesn't know about construction arbitration isn't worth knowing", in the words of one of our sources.
Alexander Vesselinovitch at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is regarded as a "first-class practitioner" with a "wealth of international experience", and his profile is further lifted through his work as vice chair of the international commercial dispute resolution committee of the American Bar Association (ABA) section of international law.
Reed Smith LLP made an entrance into the Chicago market in March 2007 through a merger with Sachnoff & Weaver. This saw the addition of 130 lawyers, including Lowell Sachnoff himself, who gives his new firm a presence at the head of the research. Counsel to the firm, he is a "very fine lawyer and arbitrator" with a "profound depth of knowledge".
Kimball Anderson is general counsel of Winston & Strawn LLP and "should clearly be on any list of the best". An "expert in all fields of dispute resolution", he appears in our chapter of leading litigators, and is also an advocate and mediator as well as a "distinguished neutral" for the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution.
This edition identifies two further new entries from leading commercial firms. Michael Morkin of Baker & McKenzie was recognised by respondents internationally for his "outstanding practice". He was commended for his work in ICC, AAA and UNCITRAL arbitrations. Paul Freehling at Seyfarth Shaw LLP is "very able and respected" and has been certified as an arbitrator by the AAA, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the National Futures Association, as well as earning an appointment to the roster of distinguished neutrals by the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution.
Interviewees speak very highly of Gerald Saltarelli, founding partner of Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP. A "thoughtful and effective arbitrator", he is a member of the AAA's commercial and large complex case panels and also arbitrates claims for its International Centre for Dispute Resolution.
At Schopf & Weiss LLP, Peter Baugher is a "very fine advocate and arbitrator", and "everyone thinks the world of him". He has arbitrated disputes for the AAA, the National Association of Securities Dealers and independently, and is particularly well known locally for his role as president of the Chicago International Dispute Resolution Association (CIDRA), and as the principal drafter of Illinois's 1998 International Commercial Arbitration Act.
Kent Lawrence of Lawrence Kamin Saunders & Uhlenhop LLC is regarded as "excellent, especially for securities-related matters". He has served as arbitrator in more than 70 cases, obtaining full or partial agreement more than 75 per cent of the time, as an arbitrator under the auspices of the AAA, NASD, NFA and CBOE, among others. Also recognised for his skills as a mediator, he "definitely deserves a place on this list".
Miller Shakman & Beem LLP sees two of its partners featured. The "very smart" Stuart Widman has been sole arbitrator or panel member in multiple arbitrations with claims totalling in excess of US$365 million across an array of industries and commercial issues, including class actions. With experience as an arbitrator for the AAA, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, National Arbitration Forum, National Futures Association and Mercantile Exchange business conduct committee, he is rated as "extremely knowledgeable" by his peers. Alongside him, Michael Shakman is a "revered figure" in the Illinois legal market, recognised for his work in both litigation and arbitration.
Elsewhere, several sole practitioners earned multiple recommendations. William Jentes is a former litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and an "entirely able arbitrator" who "gets a large number of good appointments". Praised for work on both domestic and international disputes, he is also a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. With experience of AAA, ICC, CPR, NASD and CIDRA arbitrations relating to the banking, construction and manufacturing industries, he is "one of the most eminent figures in the state" for this type of work.
The only individual in this chapter to be based outside Chicago, John Morrison hails from Evanston and is, like Jentes, a former partner at Kirkland and current member of CIDRA. Repeatedly described as a "first-class arbitrator", he is a member of the LCIA and has experience of proceedings at the ICC International Court of Arbitration and CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution. He is "particularly active and well regarded" in the International Bar Association, and finds a place at the highest levels of our research.
Brian Crowe is a former judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and now practises at Shefsky & Froelich. Revered for his "effective, no-nonsense style", he is "extremely good at what he does" and was repeatedly recommended to us. Richard Neville is another former judge of the Cook County Circuit Court, and he now practises out of the JAMS Resolution Centre in Chicago. "Clearly a top-tier arbitrator", he is known for his work on product liability, construction defect, insurance coverage, employment and IP matters. Also from JAMS, James Sullivan is listed for the first time in this edition and completes a triumvirate of former Cook County judges. Recognised for his chairing of a panel on a construction defect case relating to a public stadium project, he is "very highly regarded" in the local arbitration community.