Jeffrey Singer

Shareholder

312.645.7807
312.645.7711 (fax)
jsinger@smsm.com
233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 5500
Chicago, IL 60606
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Jeffrey Singer, a partner in the General Litigation department, serves as firm co-chairman and is a member of the Executive Committee. His trial practice concentrates in the areas of major commercial and civil cases.

Mr. Singer has tried more than 60 jury trials to verdict. Over the years, he has tried numerous complex cases, representing large corporations in jury trials throughout the United States. Mr. Singer joined Segal McCambridge as a founder of the firm and has served on the firm's management committees throughout the years of its success and growth. Mr. Singer earlier served as an Assistant State's Attorney of Cook County, Illinois, having tried numerous violent crime jury trials to verdict.

Mr. Singer has spent his entire professional life as a courtroom attorney. He received national attention for his successful prosecution as lead trial counsel for the anti-trust case entitled JamSports, LLC v. Clear Channel Communications, gaining a $90 million verdict for the firm's client and setting the highest punitive damages award in the history of the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Singer has also defended several domestic and multi-national companies as their primary or lead trial attorney for the defense of design defect product liability claims for members of the automotive and medical device industries in class actions and individual lawsuits throughout the United States. His national counsel responsibilities for a wide array of companies began in the mid-90's and continue today.

In late 2010, Mr. Singer led a trial team to a triple defense verdict in a consolidated trial of three product liability lawsuits in the federal court in Portland, Oregon, involving a medical device which is the subject of hundreds of like lawsuits brought in federal and state courts against the firm's client and members of its industry.  He serves as national trial and national coordinating counsel for that medical device company.

Mr. Singer's corporate clients have included Boston Scientific Corporation, CNA Health Pro, CryoLife, Chubb & Sons, HJC Corporation, I-Flow Corporation, Isuzu Motors America, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Navistar, Inc., PACCAR, Inc., Porsche Cars North America, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Subaru of America, Tokio Fire and Marine Insurance Co., Toyota Motor Corporation, Volvo North America and Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Co-Chairman, Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney (2005 to date)
  • As lead counsel, obtained a $22.5 million settlement with the City of Chicago, the largest settlement for a single plaintiff in the City's history, in a complex civil rights case seeking damages for our client, a young woman who suffered permanent catastrophic injuries after the Chicago police department failed to provide access to mental healthcare while she was in police custody.
  • Successfully obtained bar of class certification in federal trademark case involving Internet commerce.
  • Obtained $90 million jury verdict in federal court (N.D.Ill.) on behalf of plaintiff JamSports and Entertainment, a complex case involving tortious interference with contract and antitrust issues.
  • Past or current national counsel retentions:  pain pump litigation, human cadaver tissue litigation, latex glove allergy litigation, intra-uterine pressure catheter litigation, diet drug litigation, diesel fuel litigation

EDUCATION

Drake University, B.A., 1972
Drake University School of Law, J.D., 1975

BAR ADMISSIONS

Illinois, 1975
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
More than 30 pro hac vice court admissions

PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

The Economic Club of Chicago, Member
Center for Wrongful Convictions, Board Member
Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Member
Product Liability Advisory Council, Sustaining Member
American Bar Association
Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
Defense Research Institute
Japan-American Society of Chicago
Mealey Publications Pharmaceutical Defense Advisory Council, 2006
Omicron Delta Kappa National Service Fraternity
Recording Academy of America 
Director's Circle of the Steppenwolf Theater, Member

SPEECHES AND PUBLICATIONS

Author

  • "Federal Agency Records: Restricting Their Discovery and Use in Product Liability Litigation," DRI's Strictly Speaking Newsletter (January 2006).
  • "Parties to Product Liability Cases," Handbook of Product Liability Practice, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (2003).
  • "Declaratory Relief," Illinois Civil Practice, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (2003).
  • "Recent Developments in Products, General Liability and Consumer Law," 35 Tort & Ins. L. J. 553 (Winter 2000).
  • "Parties to Product Liability Cases," Handbook of Product Liability Practice, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (1999).
  • "Defeating the Plaintiffs Automotive Products Case," Daubert Revisited, Defense Research Institute (1998).
  • "Declaratory Relief," Illinois Civil Practice, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (1997).
  • "Parties to Product Liability Cases," Handbook of Product Liability Practice, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (1996).
  • "Preemption of State Law Product Liability Claims by Medical Device Amendments of 1976," Product Safety and Liability Reporter, Volume 23, Number 38 (September 29, 1995).
  • "Attacking Accident Reconstruction Testimony," For the Defense, Volume 34, Number 4 (April 1992).

Co-Author

  • "FOIA Disclosures: Restricting Their Discovery and Use by Opposing Counsel," Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney's Toxic Tort Newsletter, Volume 4, Issue 1 (Spring 2005).

Speaker (Last 10 Years)

  • Law Bulletin Seminars' Annual Judges Symposium: Examining How We Can Improve the Litigation Process in Illinois, Chicago, IL (November 14, 2012).
  • Perrin Conferences' National Complex Litigation Conference: A Symposium on Current & Emerging Issues, Chicago, IL, "Class Actions: New Risks and New Defenses," panelist (June 27, 2012).
  • Law Bulletin Seminars' Case Evaluation 2011, Chicago IL (November 17, 2011).
  • Pharmaceutical Litigation Crash Course, HB Litigation Conferences (October 28, 2009).
  • American Conference Institute's Defending and Managing Automotive Product Liability Conference, Chicago, IL, "Jury Communication and Advocacy: Using Themes, Telling a Detailed Story, and Overcoming Sympathy for Plaintiffs and Bias Against Manufacturers" (October 29, 2008).
  • Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC) 2007 Fall Conference, Tucson, AZ, "The Disgruntled, Hostile, or Discredited Employee" (October 17-19, 2007). 
  • Defense Research Institute's Strictly Automotive Seminar, San Diego, CA, "Patience, Persistence and a Personal Touch - A Practical Approach to Settling Product Liability Cases" (September 6-7, 2007).
  • Mealey's Defense Strategies in Pharmaceutical Litigation Conference, Dana Point, CA, panelist, "Responding Effectively to an Industry Under Attack," and "Defusing Punitive Damages at Trial" (January 26-27, 2006).
  • 2005 Billboard Roadwork Touring Conference & Awards, New York, NY, panelist, "I Fought The Law" (October 25-26, 2005).
  • Orthopaedic Manufacturing & Technology Exposition and Conference, Rosemont, IL, "Medical Device OEM and Supplier Contracts--A Study of the Legal Relationship" (June 21-22, 2005).
  • Product Liability Advisory Council, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, "FOIA, Attorney - Client Privilege waiver in the European Community and Other Issues" (April 22, 2004).
  • Mealey's Innovative Defense Strategies in Drug & Medical Device Litigation Conference, Scottsdale, AZ (March 22, 2004).
  • Product Liability Advisory Council, Orlando, FL, "Applying the Lessons of the Past to the Litigation of the Future" (November 6, 2003).
  • Mealey's Emerging Drugs and Medical Devices Seminar, Naples, FL (December 19, 2002).

OTHER HONORS

Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent­® Peer Review Rated

Recognized as an Illinois Leading Lawyer (a designation limited to less than 5% of all lawyers licensed to practice law in Illinois), nominated and selected by peers in the legal community

Selected for inclusion in the Illinois Super Lawyers list (no more than 5% of lawyers in the state are selected), nominated and selected by peers in the legal community (2005-2013)

Who's Who in American Law (1991-present)

International Who's Who of Life Sciences Lawyers (2013)

International Who's Who of Product Liability Defense Lawyers (2012-2013)

Who's Who in North America (2009/2010)

Who's Who in Finance and Business (2007)

Recognized in Lawyers Weekly regarding Top Ten Trial Verdicts (2006)

Recognized by National Law Journal regarding Top 100 Jury Trial Verdicts (2005)

MEDMARC "Defense Attorney of the Year" (1994)

Frequent lecturer at seminars sponsored by Defense Research Institute (DRI), MEDMARC, Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), and Mealey's Publications.

Frequent speaker at local and national attorney seminars and association meetings regarding the defense of product liability lawsuits, cost effective methods of defending catastrophic injury cases, techniques to prevent product liability claims, product safety warnings and effective measures representing client companies in complex jury trials.

 

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