Best Lawyers Near You in Chicago, Illinois for Litigation - Securities
Practice Area Overview
Regardless of the setting, a securities litigator must be a persuasive advocate who works to achieve the best possible outcome for the client. To do that, an attorney practicing in the area of securities litigation must understand the client’s legal and business needs, and also have a comprehensive understanding of federal and state securities laws and regulations, and related common law. Securities law has evolved dramatically over the past two decades and continues to develop. For example, just recently in June 2011, the United States Supreme Court in Janus Capital Group, Inc. v. First Derivative Traders, No. 09-525, narrowed the scope of primary liability in federal securities fraud actions to those with “ultimate authority” over the allegedly false statements.
Securities disputes frequently spawn parallel civil, regulatory or even criminal actions or investigations. Effective securities litigators rely on experience and judgment to zealously represent clients while remaining sensitive to the potential implications of positions or strategies to those clients in other settings.
Corporate Law & Commercial Litigation Legal Guide 2025
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Nick is of counsel in the firm’s Securities Litigation & Regulatory practice group. A trial lawyer with 40 years of experience, he defends financial services firms and their employees in securities matters all over the country. Nick’s practice encompasses the full range of investor-based disputes and regulatory enforcement proceedings, as well as disputes arising out of employment practices in the financial services industry. He also handles internal investigations and investi...
Mark Filip, a former federal judge and high-ranking Justice Department official, helps to lead Kirkland’s government enforcement defense and internal investigations group, and serves as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. As a partner in the Firm’s Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices, Mark has successfully guided numerous Fortune 100 companies and financial institutions through complex mission-critical moments, counseling leaders and Boards of Directors on high-stak...
John Hartmann is a partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s litigation practice group, where he focuses on shareholder, professional liability and business litigation matters, as well as regulatory enforcement proceedings and corporate internal investigations. John has represented leading corporations, professional services firms, private investment firms, as well as their directors, officers and partners, in numerous securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, disputes over co...
Matthew R. Kipp concentrates in complex commercial litigation and governmental investigations. His experience includes representing clients in federal, state and arbitral tribunals, and in all phases of litigation, at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Kipp has represented a variety of companies or their audit committees in investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission into alleged accounting irregularities and improper business practices, including General Mills, Inc., The H...
Over the past 25 years, Bob Kopecky has represented leading U.S. corporations and professional firms, as well as their officers, directors and partners, in numerous securities class actions and shareholder derivative suits throughout the United States. Robert also represents clients in SEC investigations, disputes over corporate transactions, ERISA class actions, antitrust suits, and breach of contract actions. Among the clients for whom he has successfully defended such matters are General M...
Steven (Steve) S. Scholes is the global head of McDermott’s Litigation Practice Group. His practice focuses on SEC investigations, shareholder litigation, including class and derivative actions, and internal investigations. Steve is an experienced trial lawyer, and he has tried civil, criminal and administrative cases in federal and state courts. He regularly represents clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission, state securities regulators and self-regulatory organizations, ...
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