Edward J. Pelican

Clients rely on Kara’s more than 20 years of experience to handle complex litigation from beginning to end, including through trial and appeal, and excels at helping juries grasp complex scientific theories and defenses. Kara focuses her practice on defending companies in class actions and products liability, mass tort, toxic tort, and other complex litigation disputes, including multidistrict proceedings. She regularly defends against claims involving personal injury, wrongful death, e...

Todd Schafer is recognized as one of the best trial lawyers of his generation. As the son of founding partner Timothy Schafer, Todd was immersed in the courtroom at an early stage of his career and was given an opportunity to try many cases at a young age. Demonstrating exceptional skill and tenacity, he quickly earned a reputation for winning challenging cases and achieving remarkable results, even in conservative jurisdictions. At just 30 years old, Todd secured a landmark $32.5 million ver...

Ross M. Kwasteniet is a partner in the Restructuring Group. His practice is centered around the representation of distressed companies in all aspects of Chapter 11 reorganizations and out-of-court restructurings. Ross also has considerable experience representing both buyers and sellers of distressed assets. Most recently, Ross was recognized in the 2021 edition of IFLR1000. In 2019, Ross was recognized as a Dealmaker of the Year by The American Lawyer. Ross was also recognized in the 2018&nd...

Abbie Peluso is a trial lawyer who focuses on complex commercial litigation, government enforcement actions, internal and external investigations, and white collar criminal matters. Abbie has a keen ability to distill complicated facts and evidence into understandable, simple concepts. Abbie is also adept at preparing witnesses to testify under challenging circumstances and conducting investigations involving potentially high-profile and sensitive allegations. Prior to returning to private pr...

John O’Neil’s legal knowledge, business savvy, and leadership of complex transactions have earned him a reputation as a global leader in private equity fund matters. John heads the Investment Funds Practice Group, the Firm’s leading-edge global platform that provides innovative and bespoke legal strategies to sponsors and funds of all kinds. John is also a member of the Firm's Executive Committee. John has been recognized by Chamber’s Global, Chambers USA, IFLR 1000, L...

Ben Whiting is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs. Ben practices law in Chicago, Illinois Best Lawyers has recognized Ben Whiting since 2026. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Ben Whiting is held by other lawyers.

Scott Mendeloff combines an 11-year tenure as a former federal prosecutor with more than 19 years of experience in private practice. He focuses his practice on commercial trials and white collar criminal litigation. Scott has been consistently recognized by Chambers USA in the area of commercial litigation and by Leading Lawyers in the areas of commercial and white collar litigation. Scott has tried to conclusion more than 50 cases in a wide array of areas in both the civil and criminal arena...

Jeffrey Morof has spent his career defending aerospace clients in product liability and commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts throughout the United States and abroad, handling matters in such countries as Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Japan. He was a member of the trial team that defended the aerospace manufacturer in a 19-month jury trial in Detroit, Michigan arising out of the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 MD-80 accident. He has also litigated lawsuits ar...

John represents large publicly traded and privately held businesses in controversies, transactional matters and tax planning involving state and local corporate income/franchise taxes, gross receipts taxes, sales and use taxes, and other business privilege taxes. He also defends clients in state tax audits and litigation before courts, administrative agencies and departments of revenue throughout the country. In addition to his state and local tax practice, John is also one of the nation&rsqu...

Jason is a litigator and strategic counselor in all aspects of labor and employment law. He litigates unfair labor practices before the NLRB, arbitrates labor grievances, negotiates and administers collective bargaining agreements, and develops long-term labor strategies to maximize the value and effectiveness of each client’s workforce. He also litigates and provides daily counsel on matters arising out of the numerous federal and state counterpart statutes governing employers, includi...