Allen Woolley

W. Allen Woolley is a Partner in the Litigation Department of Locke Lord. Over the course of his career, Allen has handled a wide variety of complex commercial, bankruptcy, environmental, employment, and product liability matters in both state and federal courts and has been recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Class Action/Mass Tort Defense Law, Toxic Torts Defense Law, and Products Liability Defense Law.

He has tried cases in both state and federal courts and has acted as lead counsel on litigation matters, appeals and arbitrations. As a commercial litigator, Allen has represented and counseled companies and individuals in contract, fiduciary duty, corporate governance, fraud and securities fraud, trade secret, and non-compete cases.

In the environmental area, Allen has defended major class action and mass tort lawsuits involving air and groundwater contamination, industrial accidents, and radioactive materials. Allen has also counseled and defended clients in products liability matters and employment cases, including high-profile EEOC and private class actions, wage and hour actions, and challenges to withdrawal liability assessments by multi-employer pension plans.

Representative Experience:

• Representing bankruptcy court-appointed Litigation Trustee in federal and state court cases against Comdisco’s former senior management to enforce more than $74 million in promissory notes executed in connection with funding an employee stock option program. Co-lead counsel in federal bench trial.
• Defended Motorola in securities fraud class action following the bankruptcy of the Iridium satellite telephone system. Managed discovery, development of expert case, and dispositive and Daubert motions. Case settled following discovery and motion practice.
• Represented global consulting firm in dispute with software developer and vendor following unsuccessful customization and implementation of treasury system intended to facilitate accounting functions between the consulting firm’s international subsidiaries.
• Represented limited partners of REIT that formerly owned numerous high-profile urban shopping centers throughout the U.S. in a derivative action alleging breach of fiduciary duties and breach of partnership agreement.
• Member of trial team during five-month trial of high-profile class action brought against contractors who operated the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility alleging diminution in property values due to alleged releases of plutonium.
• Represented operator of Uranium mill in personal injury action brought by 200 plaintiffs alleging exposure to radioactive materials from mill operations. All claims dismissed voluntarily or following summary judgment.
• Represented current employer of high-level telecommunications executive in non-compete litigation against former employer. Defeated former employer’s effort to prevent executive from being employed by current employer.
• Represented major securities firm in a high-profile EEOC class action alleging gender discrimination against female traders and salespeople. Case settled on the first morning of trial.
• Represented automotive engineer in investigation relating to allegedly defective automobile component.
• Represented manufacturer in class action alleging product defect in plug-in air fresheners. Defeated class certification and achieved settlements of individual actions.

Education :

• J.D., Duke University, 1991
• M.A., Duke University, 1991
• A.B., Philosophy, cum laude, Dartmouth College, 1987

Admissions :

• Illinois, 1995
• Colorado, 1991

Admitted To Practice :

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona