Fortune 100 and FTSE-listed companies regularly turn to Winston Taylor for its strong track record in commercial disputes, intellectual property and trade secret cases, and mass torts and product liability trials. The litigation practice is co-led by Dallas’ Tom Walsh, who brings deep experience in commercial disputes, energy and infrastructure litigation, supply chain matters, and other bet-the-company cases, and Chicago’s Samantha Lerner, who has expertise spanning business litigation, antitrust disputes, trade secret matters, and large-scale class actions. The department is also co-chaired by Dallas’ Tom Melsheimer, recognized for trying complex commercial and energy-related cases, and Chicago’s Linda Coberly, whose work centers on critical motions and appeals in commercial, IP, and mass tort litigation. The team is bolstered by Dan Webb in Chicago, who handles disputes across sports, technology, aviation, and product liability. In 2025, the practice experienced senior departures, including those of Alan Stevens, Katherine Preston, Eric Knapp, and William Forman.
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Key clients
- Patrick Fitzgerald
- MLB Players, Inc.
- Alphatec Holdings, Inc.
- Smart City Infrastructure Fund
- Corning Inc.
- Versata Software, Inc.
- MH Sub I LLC dba Internet Brands and its portfolio company WebMD Health Corporation
Work highlights
Represented famed former Northwestern University football coach Patrick (Pat) Fitzgerald in a $130m breach of contract and wrongful termination/defamation case adverse to Northwestern University, achieving a favorable resolution.
Successfully achieved a third favorable trial outcome on behalf of Alphatec in a long-running and bitter series of lawsuits claiming breach of fiduciary duty and violation of alleged non-competition covenants filed by competitor NuVasive.
Representing Versata Software as plaintiff ‘s counsel in its litigation against Ford, which includes trade secret and breach of contract claims, alleging the car manufacturer misappropriated Versata’s technology to create a “like-for-like” replacement and breached the parties' licensing agreement.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Practice head
Tom Walsh; Samantha Lerner; Tom Melsheimer; Linda Coberly
Other key lawyers
Dan Webb; Steve D'Amore; Michael Murphy; Laurens Wilkes; Brett Johnson; Kelly Librera