Winston & Strawn

With nine offices nationally (and an additional nine overseas), Winston & Strawn has, over the course of its 160-year history, grown from its Chicago roots and expanded strategically to the point of being entrenched in most of the world’s major financial markets. “Winston is making its way in this market,” observes a peer. “On the litigation side of things, they have really come a long way even just within the past few years.” Appreciative clients offer their own glowing assessments: “We have received excellent service from our counsel at Winston & Strawn. The high-level of expertise and responsiveness is unmatched.”
     The firm has flexed its muscle in some particularly high-profile litigation matters that have grabbed headlines of late. Chicago-based intellectual property, white-collar and commercial litigation star (as well as co-chair of the firm’s 500-person litigation team) George Lombardi scored big on behalf of Teva in May 2015, when the Supreme Court denied certification for further review regarding an infringement complaint concerning the patent on the drug Baraclude. Lombardi succeeded in securing the Federal Circuit’s earlier decision that the plaintiff’s patent on a new chemical compound in drug was invalid as it could be construed as obvious. “George pulled it off and finally got Teva out of that hot mess once and for all,” applauds a peer. “And why not? Teva was right!”
     New York antitrust partner and fellow litigation co-chair Jeffrey Kessler has also seen a banner year. “Jeffrey Kessler and his partners are the best in the world in the labor law and sports practice, and they get results,” testifies a client. One matter of considerably high profile over the past year is a landmark antitrust suit, filed in 2013, against the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) and the five NCAA “power conferences.” On behalf of a group of current college football and basketball athletes, and a class of similarly situated players, Kessler charged the defendants with illegally restraining competition for the services of players, challenging under federal antitrust laws the limits the NCAA and the conferences impose on the remuneration that top division football and men’s basketball players are permitted to receive apart from their athletic scholarships. The case seeks permanent injunctive relief against the restraints on a class-wide basis, and individual damages for the player plaintiffs. Kessler defeated a motion to dismiss. In another headline-worthy sports law-related matter, Kessler scored a victory for the NFL Players Association when the Southern District of New York vacated the four-game suspension imposed on New England Patriots quarterback and Winston client Tom Brady by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with the so-called “Deflategate” scandal.
     A Winston & Strawn partner who is no stranger to high-stakes and hotly contested lawsuits, Chicago “trial lawyer extraordinaire” Dan Webb still routinely receives near-unanimous praise. “Dan is still the man! He is that rare seasoned lawyer that continues to bring his ‘A-game’ to all trials and doesn’t start coasting on his reputation nor does he do the ‘autopilot’ thing after getting overburdened by taking on too much work,” commends a peer. “He’s focused, and very ‘old-school’ in the best possible way. He is the dean of the white-collar bar.” Indeed, Webb’s gravitas in the community earned him the distinguished honor of being retained the City of Chicago to conduct a comprehensive, independent investigation and review of the Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division of the City’s Law Department. Acting entirely independently, Webb is to review the FCRL Division’s policies, procedures, and practices and recommend any changes necessary to ensure that such policies, procedures, and practices conform to the highest professional and ethical standards and best litigation practices. Webb’s “easygoing temperament” was also called into service when he was retained by the City of Ferguson, Missouri to represent it following the US DoJ Civil Rights Division’s pattern or practice investigation into the Ferguson Police Department and Ferguson Municipal Court. In the commercial sphere, Webb represented Verizon Wireless in the In re Text Messaging Antitrust Litigation MDL, which consolidated more than 35 putative class actions filed in federal courts throughout the country in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Plaintiffs alleged that Verizon Wireless and other US wireless carriers conspired to fix prices for pay-per-use text messaging services in the US. In 2014, Webb successfully argued for summary judgment, which was affirmed by the Seventh Circuit in May 2015. New York’s Gerald Shargel is another white-collar partner who is revered almost without exception. A peer raves somewhat hyperbolically, “I think Gerry Shargel could rule the world if he also did civil work. But he’s strictly criminal! He wants to stick with that and he’s obviously one of the best at it and has , so it would appear he sees no reason to change up his game.”
     The firm has generated buzz through its Houston office as well. The firm has managed to strategically build upon its long-term talent, including award-winning litigation stalwart Melanie Gray, with new partners that it has managed to attract from local offices of competing firms. In one such example, John Strasburger joined the firm from Weil Gotshal and conducts what peers observe as “a fair bit of work in bankruptcy litigation, as well as an environmental tort docket and cases regarding high-end employment disputes.” Another auspicious acquisition, Paula Hinton came to the firm from Vinson & Elkins in 2013, with a practice being very heavily focused on energy and pipeline disputes. Hinton receives a resounding level of peer acclaim: a contemporary insists, “Paula has a great beat on the market, is very active, and is a great person to get to know.” Another testifies, “Paula has great people skills and a delightful personality, she is hard working and has done very well on developing business. She recently got a great jury victory in an environmental case against [Harris] County.”