Samuel "Sam" Stempel

Terence M. Dunleavy is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Gaming Law. Terence M., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Terence M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Sean G. Wieber is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Consumer Protection Law. Sean G., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sean G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Deborah A. Laughton is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property. Deborah A., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Deborah A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Richard “Rush” Howell is a litigation partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office. Recognized as a trial lawyer companies call when the issues are too important not to fight, Rush has significant experience serving as trial counsel for companies in high-profile restructuring and product liability cases and representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a wide array of business disputes. His practice spans commercial litigation, restructuring, data security an...

James J. Lukas, Jr. is Co-Chair of the Chicago Intellectual Property & Technology Practice. He focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation with a particular emphasis on patent litigation and related client counseling. He has experience with complex patent litigation cases in federal district courts throughout the country, including both enforcing patent rights and defending against charges of infringement on behalf of clients. He has first-chaired trials and claim constructio...

Mr. Samson has represented management in all aspects of labor and employment law for over 27 years with a particular emphasis on traditional labor law. He has also litigated cases before federal and state courts as well as state and local agencies in employment discrimination and wrongful discharge actions. He routinely advises clients on a host of employment-related issues including employer investigations, claims of harassment, employment policies and social media. In the traditional labor ...

Kevin Desharnais, an environmental litigator and counselor with over two decades of experience, advises clients on environmental matters covering all environmental media, including such areas as air and water permitting and enforcement, hazardous waste management, Superfund liability, and remediation of contaminated sites. He has represented clients in numerous federal and state court proceedings and administrative tribunals, defended clients against citizen enforcement suits, and negotiated ...

Douglas Masters litigates and counsels clients primarily in the areas of intellectual property, advertising and unfair competition. He helps brand owners, sports leagues, athletes and advertisers protect and leverage their branding, marketing and other IP assets. Notably, he has worked with the National Collegiate Athletic Association for nearly 20 years on brand protection strategy, helping strengthen the organization’s ability to support college athletics. Doug has counseled major cor...

Mark E. Schmidtke represents clients in ERISA and Non-ERISA employee benefits matters in state and federal courts throughout the United States for nearly 30 years. He has been lead or co-lead counsel in ERISA litigation matters pending in the courts of 49 states. He has argued appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits, as well as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Minnesota Suprem...

Christopher Wilson, a partner in the firm's Litigation practice and managing partner of the Chicago office, represents clients in a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. He has represented a number of Fortune 500 companies in high stakes cases, including The Boeing Company in connection with shareholder derivative actions involving the Dreamliner 787, Microsoft Corporation in trade secrets and piracy matters, Amazon.com in qui tam actions arising under the Illinois Whistleblower A...