As a former management consultant and now litigator, Thomas J. Dammrich, II combines business experience with strategic legal thinking when handling disputes for clients. He enjoys discussing business strategies and analyzing how the law can be used to protect, advance and defend client interests. T.J. has served as lead litigation counsel in several matters and has litigated across the country in federal and state court as well as arbitration.
His work covers diverse subject matter, including contract, product liability, class action, fraud, insurance coverage, and intellectual property disputes.
Prior to his legal career, T.J. was a management consultant in the Strategy Group at Accenture, where he advised on business plans, financial analysis and business process management for Fortune 500 companies.
While there, he learned quantitative skills and analytical tools that he employs when approaching client matters.
For more than 10 years, T.J. has served on the board of directors of Urban Initiatives, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering Chicago’s underserved children to adopt healthy lifestyles, improve academic performance and build strong character through sports-based youth development programs.
Commercial Litigation. T.J. has helped companies in a variety of fields to fulfill their business litigation needs. His work includes serving as:
- lead counsel for a California construction company in a breach-of-contract dispute with an equipment manufacturer;
- counsel for a Chicago manufacturer of architectural glass in copyright infringement and defamation actions;
- counsel for a technology firm in litigation over rights to a patent for locking software; and
- counsel for a private equity firm in fraud litigation relating to the purchase of a manufacturing business.
Product Liability. T.J. represents clients in product and general liability litigation, including as:
- counsel for an aviation services corporation in a matter involving asbestos exposure; and
- counsel for a major pharmaceutical manufacturer related to drug injury claims.
Class Actions. T.J. has also defended corporate clients against class actions, including serving as:
- lead counsel for residential properties in tenant class actions; and
- counsel for SiriusXM Satellite Radio in a putative class arbitration concerning lifetime subscriptions.
Insurance Coverage. T.J. has focused especially on representing insurers in coverage disputes, including serving as counsel for:
- several insurers in a Minnesota coverage and good faith and fair dealing lawsuit against 3M, leading the allocation analysis involving hundreds of millions of dollars in limits over six decades;
- several insurers in asbestos and environmental coverage litigation in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Ohio;
- CNA in a California mass tort coverage action involving construction and bankruptcy issues;
- CNA in related coverage actions involving asbestos and silica claims against a number of alleged successors to the former Signal Companies conglomerate in Ohio, New Jersey and Texas; and
- an insurer in an Illinois coverage action relating to underlying automobile claims.
Intellectual Property. T.J. has represented software companies in copyright and patent litigation. He has also advised clients on trademark and trade dress issues.
Education:
- J.D., Northwestern University School of Law, 2007
- Membership Editor, Journal of International Human Rights
- A.B., cum laude, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs, 2001
Bar Admissions:
- Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Community Involvement:
- Urban Initiatives, Board of Directors
- Princeton University Rugby Football Club, Endowment Board Member
- Loyola Academy Bar Association
- The Economic Club of Chicago, Member
Cost
Rate : $$$