Mr George Lombardi > Winston & Strawn LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Winston & Strawn LLP advises a diverse client base consisting of pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices producers on matters ranging from patent, product liability and broader commercial litigation, to M&As and private equity investments in the sector. Leading the team is Washington DC’s Reed Stephens, a specialist in FCA and Anti-Kickback proceedings, and with further expertise in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement proceedings. Chicago-based George Lombardi offers extensive experience litigating patent disputes. May 2023 saw the practice reinforced by the arrival of a three-partner group from Reed Smith LLP, with government contracts lawyers Lawrence Block, Elizabeth Leavy and Lawrence Sher arriving in the capital.

Drawing upon the expertise of lawyers across the US with significant product liability expertise and also leveraging the firm’s overarching litigation pedigree, Winston & Strawn LLP is well-positioned to defend leading manufacturers and brands against high-profile consumer class action and product liability claims in the tobacco, oil and gas, and food and beverage sectors. Vastly experienced Chicago-based duo George Lombardi and Dan Webb are recognized for their versatility, with Lombardi having a particularly strong track record across product liability matters. In Miami, David Coulson has a formidable reputation for defending clients against consumer class actions, including claims in the food and beverages space. In Chicago, the ‘excellent’ Christopher Essig is noted for his ‘collegiate approach’ and is increasingly involved in cases brought against major consumer product companies. San Francisco-based Sandra Edwards chairs the product liability practice, which also includes Washington DC-based John Rosenthal, who is ‘one of the foremost thought leaders in e-discovery’, and Stephanie Clouston, who joined the firm’s Dallas office in June 2023 from Alston & Bird LLP; she is noted for her broad litigation practice.

George Lombardi, based in Chicago, has a broad practice, with distinguishing features including mass torts and product liability. Lombardi is co-chair of Winston & Strawn LLP‘s litigation department and has acted in lead trial counsel in many significant trials such as successfully defending Monsanto as lead trial counsel in a roundup product liability trial, a case which attracted a great deal of media attention. A standout recent matter was the first part of an ongoing IP dispute for Corning. Inc.

Winston & Strawn LLP is praised for fielding a team that is ‘standout in patent litigation‘. The group is knowledgeable in a wide variety of high-tech industries and has particular expertise in the biotech, pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors. The firm’s intellectual property and patent litigation practices are co-chaired by Los Angeles-based attorneys David Enzminger, who focuses on the intellectual property aspects of tech litigation, and Nimalka Wickramasekera, who is an expert in patent and licensing disputes in the medical device and high-tech space. Washington DC-based trial lawyer Chuck Klein is experienced in patent, antitrust and commercial disputes, and George Lombardi in Chicago is an experienced patent attorney with experience in a wide variety of tech-related matters. The group also includes Tom Melsheimer in Dallas, who covers a broad range of contentious matters, New York-based Krishnan Padmanabhan who has extensive experience handling patent infringement cases in the telecoms space, and Jovial Wong in Washington DC, who focuses on patent litigation and counseling in the life sciences industry.

With in-depth procedural and substantive law expertise, as well as drawing upon vast scientific knowledge, Winston & Strawn LLP is regularly active in high-profile toxic tort class actions/MDLs in federal and state courts throughout the country. Many of these are in the role of lead trial counsel, where the firm is able to call upon the skill of a vast reservoir of highly acclaimed first-chair trial lawyers among its ranks, including many who are adept at handling complex toxic tort cases. For example, both San Francisco-based team head Sandra Edwards and the vastly experienced George Lombardi in Chicago, continue to handle many of the key trials for Monsanto as defendant in the long-running Roundup litigation. Lombardi is also involved in relation to PFAS litigation, particularly where trials are set. At a more junior level, Chicago-based Bryce Cooper is also key to the firm’s success in many of the highest-profile toxic tort MDLs and has a core involvement in the aforementioned Monsanto matter, as well as for Abbott Laboratories in relation to the infant milk mass tort litigation. The arrival in February 2023 of both Eric Knapp and Troy Yoshino from Squire Patton Boggs enhances the firm’s growing status in the Bay Area, with both regularly involved in toxic tort/environmental class action litigation in the immediate geographical area and beyond.

Winston & Strawn LLP fields a deep bench of trial lawyers who are adept across all types of litigation, with a demonstrably strong track record acting as lead trial counsel, as well as MDL coordinating counsel, and on class actions and appeals. Praised for its ability to ‘collaborate seamlessly’, the practice group draws from the firm-wide strengths in M&A, finance, tax and real estate matters to undertake a broad range of disputes that arise out of these areas. Based out of Dallas and Chicago respectively, Thomas Walsh and Samantha Lerner co-chair the complex commercial litigation practice. Also in Chicago, Steve D’Amore is a key name for breach of contract, fraud, false advertising and RICO violations, whilst George Lombardi is an important name to note for patent litigation. Pre-eminent Chicago trial lawyer Dan Webb remains in high demand for major commercial, civil, regulatory, and white-collar criminal cases. Managing partner of the Dallas office Tom Melsheimer runs a broad practice which encompasses securities and IP litigation and trade secret matters, among other areas. In Houston, experienced litigator Denise Scofield comes highly recommended for being ‘very attentive and creative in her legal strategies’.