Experience 

Sheila Finnegan is co-leader of Mayer Brown’s Chicago Litigation practice. She is a skilled trial attorney who has handled approximately 40 civil and criminal jury trials, and was recognized in 2009 as among the top 50 women lawyers in Illinois by Super Lawyers.

Sheila has represented companies and individuals in accounting fraud, health care fraud, consumer fraud, securities fraud, antitrust and other investigations initiated by the Department of Justice, various US Attorneys’ offices, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Attorneys General offices in Illinois and New York. In addition, she has conducted numerous internal investigations on behalf of Mayer Brown clients, and she has used her investigatory and trial skills in defense of class actions alleging product defects, securities fraud and consumer fraud brought against major corporations in the pharmaceutical, insurance, financial and retail sales industries.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Sheila served as Chief of the Criminal Division in the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. As a federal prosecutor, she successfully prosecuted cases involving public corruption, complex bank fraud, commodities fraud, tax offenses, money-laundering and racketeering. Sheila oversaw all health care fraud cases and personally handled the largest parallel criminal/civil health care fraud case in the Northern District of Illinois, for which she received a Director’s Award for Superior Performance from the US Attorney General (2000). She also served for several years on the Financial Fraud Task Force. Previously, Sheila served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Milton I. Shadur, US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Sheila is an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University Law School, and has served as a Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School on ethical issues arising during internal investigations. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and has been ranked by Chambers USA since 2006 as a leading lawyer in general commercial litigation. She has also been selected for inclusion by Best Lawyers in America and Illinois Super Lawyers. She is the author of "The First 72 Hours of a Government Investigation: A Guide to Identifying Issues and Avoiding Mistakes," National Legal Center for the Public Interest, 2007, and is co-author of "Internal Investigations" (chapter from "Credit Market & Subprime Distress: Responding to Legal Issues," PLI 2009).

Notable Engagements 
Products Liability, Class Actions and Other Litigation

• Medical device class action and trial: Represented a pharmaceutical company in product liability suits alleging in vitro beta-hCG blood serum pregnancy tests were defective  and warnings of the potential for false positives were inadequate. Multiple lawsuits were filed in federal and state courts, including a  federal class action seeking medical monitoring.  Conducted a three-month jury trial of one of these cases which was featured on Primetime Live and other news programs.
• Asbestos (Mesothelioma) trial: Represented a company that formerly mined asbestos in a jury trial in Cook County, Illinois. Jury rejected plaintiff's product liability claims and found no liability.  Defended clients in other asbestos product liability lawsuits that settled prior to trial.
• Medication Error case: Currently defending drug manufacturer in lawsuit filed by actor Dennis Quaid in Cook County, Illinois, alleging that the manufacturer is liable for medication errors made by hospital clinicians.
• Medical food warnings case: Represented pharmaceutical company in lawsuit alleging inadequate warnings that tube-feeding formula contained allergenic substance (milk protein), leading to patient's death from allergic reaction. 
• Defamation case: Represented a company and its CEO in defamation suit brought by the former president of a major division of company after he was terminated and CEO made public statements at analysts' meetings concerning reasons for termination. 
• Securities fraud and ERISA class actions: Represented telecommunications company in shareholder class action following drop in stock price. Represent a financial institution in an ERISA class action following a drop in stock price.  Represented a major insurance company in class action lawsuit filed on behalf of putative class of long-term investors in annuity products, alleging diminution in value of investment from failure to prevent market timing and correct stale pricing.
• Madison County class action: Represented a company in class action filed in Madison County, Illinois, alleging consumer fraud in connection with sale of tire balancing and shaving service.
• Injunction hearing: Represented a global foodservice retailer in a TRO and preliminary injunction hearing, gaining the requested relief through settlement after an evidentiary hearing and successful cross-examination of franchisee.

• Health care fraud cases: Represented former district manager of pharmaceutical company (TAP) charged by a federal grand jury with paying kickbacks to physicians through various marketing programs. Represented pharmaceutical company in federal investigation of drug marketing practices. Handled anti-kickback self-disclosure matter stemming from employee misconduct for a large, international medical device manufacturer. Represented health care transportation companies investigated by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and federal grand jury for alleged fraudulent billing. Represented pharmaceutical company investigated by state Attorney General’s Antitrust Bureau in connection with the pricing of a drug.
• Public corruption cases: Represented a sitting State’s Attorney in investigations by federal grand jury, a Special Prosecutor, and the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission for alleged bribery scheme prior to taking office. Represented state treasurer in federal grand jury investigation of alleged use of state employees for campaign activities while on the state payroll.
• Accounting fraud: In parallel SEC and federal grand jury proceedings, represented employees of manufacturer who signed auditor confirms for customer which allegedly overstated funds owed to the customer at year end and were used to inflate income on financial statements. Conducted internal investigation of large public company accused of accounting improprieties by anonymous employee.

Education 

University of Chicago Law School, JD, cum laude, 1986; Order of the Coif; Member, Law Review • Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, BSFS, 1982

Admitted

• Trial Bar for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2002
• US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1988
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1986
• Illinois, 1986