Overview

Mike Gill is an experienced litigator in high-profile civil and criminal matters. He has been trial counsel in more than 40 jury and bench trials in federal and state courts. He also regularly represents clients in arbitrations. In recent years, Mike has frequently called upon his broad range of experience to evaluate, through internal investigations, companies’ criminal, regulatory and civil exposures and advise them on risks and remedies.

Mike’s trial work emphasizes complex cases involving financial disputes, technology issues, contract breaches, and trust and estate disputes. He has tried cases arising from mergers & acquisitions, new technologies, bank fraud, financial services, construction projects, and purchases and sales of real estate and goods.

Mike also handles cases involving insurance and reinsurance, and has litigated these cases both in the courts and in arbitrations. Mike also served for many years as claims counsel for the Accountants’ Liability Assurance Company (a mutual insurance company incorporated in Bermuda).

Spoken Languages

  • English
Highlights
Electronic Discovery Deskbook
Securities Investigations: Internal, Civil and Criminal

Experience

Trials and Arbitrations

  • Objections to the Candidacy of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of City of Chicago. The Chicago Board of Elections overruled challenges of objectors who argued Emanuel was not a resident of the City of Chicago because he had lived in Washington D.C. as President Obama’s Chief of Staff. The decision was affirmed by the Illinois Supreme Court.
  • Standard Chartered Bank v. FDIC. Judgment in favor of SCB for the full amount of its loss in a fraudulent international wire transfer scheme.
  • Ross Computer Systems v. Norand Corporation. Defended Norand Corporation in a lawsuit alleging breach of a computer reseller agreement, resulting in a nominal damages award.
  • Tenneco Automotive Inc. and Pactiv Corporation v El Paso Corp. and Lloyds. A Delaware Chancery Court preserving the historical property and casualty insurance coverage of Tenneco and Pactiv.
  • Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois v. Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. Trial court denied LPCI’s motion for preliminary injunction to prevent MPEA from proceeding with McCormick Place expansion that required demolition of a landmark building. The decision was affirmed on appeal.
  • The Central National Insurance Company of Omaha v. The Greyhound Corporation. A suit on behalf of Central National to enforce Greyhound's guarantee of its subsidiary's reinsurance obligations to Central National, resulting in a substantial settlement for our client after trial.
  • Bear Hunter v. CTC. An arbitration panel awarded our client sole ownership of a specialist trading post on the American Stock Exchange.
  • Alliance Insurance Company v. Certain London Reinsurers. Alliance was awarded the full amount of its claim plus interest in an arbitration against its reinsurers.
  • United States v. Commonwealth Edison Company. A federal court jury found ComEd not guilty of criminal violation of the Atomic Energy Act.
  • Confidential arbitration.  Arbitrator found managing member of LLC guilty of fraud and awarded our client control of LLC.

Other Engagements

  • Represented AT&T in Congressional, DOJ and FCC investigations concerning its participation in the federal E-Rate program.
  • Obtained successful resolution for HK Systems of a lawsuit involving a $50 million property loss by Quad Graphics resulting from the collapse of a building housing automated paper storage facilities.
  • Negotiated a settlement for BNSF with its insurers with respect to its historic environmental liabilities across the United States.
  • Resolved without penalty an SEC investigation with respect to United Stationers’ sales practices in Canada.
  • Successfully defended a lawsuit by the City of Milwaukee seeking to enjoin AT&T’s launch of U verse television in Wisconsin.
  • Represented Allied Waste in Delaware shareholder litigation that sought to enjoin its $6 billion merger with Republic Services, which was resolved without any delaying to the merger.

Education

Northwestern University School of Law, JD, magna cum laude
Order of the Coif
Editorial Board, Law Review

Northwestern University, BA

Admissions

  • Illinois

Court

  • Illinois Supreme Court
  • US District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

Activities

  • Adjunct Professor, Government and Internal Investigations, Northwestern University School of Law
  • Adjunct Professor of Trial Practice: Northwestern University School of Law, 1987 to date
  • Best Lawyers in America - Commercial Litigation
  • Illinois Super Lawyer - Business Litigation