Chad Layton

Shareholder

312.644.3533
312.645.7711 (fax)
clayton@smsm.com
233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 5500
Chicago, IL 60606
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Mr. Layton is a trial attorney and litigation partner with extensive experience handling products liability, commercial litigation, employment, transportation, and other litigation matters. Mr. Layton has represented various companies, including manufacturers of medical devices, vehicles, helmets, and electrical products. Mr. Layton also has considerable experience handling trials and arbitrations. He previously served as a co-chair of the Segal McCambridge Products Liability Practice Group Subcommittee.

Most recently, Mr. Layton successfully defended a software development company facing claims for fraud, punitive damages, and negligence. He also successfully prosecuted a cross-claim on behalf of that same company.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Recently gained dismissal, at the pleadings stage, of an entire lawsuit in a complex product liability matter involving a medical device.
  • Secured dismissal of a consumer protection claim, at the pleadings stage, in a complex products liability matter involving a medical device.
  • Successfully defended software development company at commercial arbitration, gaining a "not guilty" judgment for defendant and a favorable ruling on client's cross-claim.
  • Served as national counsel in nationwide pain pump litigation.
  • Gained entry of summary judgement on behalf of DNA testing corporation in breach of contract litigation.

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.A., 1994
The John Marshall Law School, J.D., 1997, cum laude

BAR ADMISSIONS

Illinois, 1997
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
U.S. District Court, District of Utah
U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina

PUBLISHED APPELLATE OPINIONS

Ishoo v. General Growth Properties, Inc., 966 N.E. 2d 1160 (1st Dist. 2012)
Heiden v. DNA Diagnostics Center, Inc., (2d Dist. 2009)

SPEECHES AND PUBLICATIONS

Author

  • "Protecting Your Company from Punitive Damages," The Illinois Manufacturer (Fall 2012).
  • "You've Been Sued, Now What?" The Illinois Manufacturer (Summer 2011).
  • "It's About the Evidence, Not the Verdict Form,"Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (June 3, 2009).
  • "The Hiring Process: A Primer On The Legal Do's and Don'ts," Workforce Management Online (March 2008).
  • "The Hiring Process: A Primer On The Legal Dos and Don'ts," Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney's Employment Law Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 1 (Winter 2008).
  • "No More Excuses: Abolishing the Defense of Voluntary Intoxication," John Marshall Law Review (Spring 1997).

Co-Author

  • "Thou Shalt Not Discriminate: An Overview Of Legal Principles & Practical Considerations For Avoiding Religious Discrimination Claims In The Workplace," Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney's Employment Law Newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 2 (Summer 2007).
  • "An Insurer's Guide to Vacating Default Judgments," Insurance Insight, The Journal of the Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (PIIAI), Volume XV, Number 2 (November 2006).

Speaker

  • In-house Claims Adjusters' Seminar, "Plaintiff's Injuries: Are They Real? How Can You Tell?" (September 25, 2008).
  • In-house Claims Adjusters' Seminar, "Federal Motor Carrier MCS-90 Endorsement" (August 27, 2008).
  • Business & Legal Reports' Human Resources Audio Conference, "Nine Deadly Sins of Hiring & Recruiting" (June 10, 2008).
  • Golden Rule Risk Control Workshop, Schiller Park, IL, "The Dos and Don'ts of the Hiring Process: How to Minimize the Risk of Litigation" (September 18-19, 2007).

PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
Defense Research Institute
American Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Judge/Evaluator for The National Criminal Justice Trial Competition, Co-Sponsored By The American Bar Association and The John Marshall Law School (April 2013)
Lawyer's Committee for Better Housing, Volunteer Attorney

OTHER HONORS

Former Co-Chair, Segal McCambridge General Litigation Practice Group, Products Liability Sub-Committee
Former, Co-Managing Editor of Legal Build, a construction law newsletter from Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney
2003 recipient of the Volunteer Attorney of the Year Award for pro-bono work on behalf of low-income tenants of the Lawyer's Committee for Better Housing
Member, The John Marshal Law Review

Practice Areas

Recent News, Articles & Publications