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Jim is a highly regarded legal advisor and litigator who taps his extensive trial and appellate experience to help clients identify potential issues, prevent costly business disruptions and minimize the impact of complex commercial disputes. Over the course of his career, Jim has counseled entrepreneurs, startups, mid-cap companies and large, publicly traded corporations. He has represented businesses, owners, executives and directors in federal and state courts across the country, including in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New York and Oklahoma.

Jim discusses his career as a litigator and trial lawyer, and shares his thoughts about the profession and legal community.

Jim’s litigation, arbitration and settlement experience is as broad as the industries in which his clients operate. He has served as lead counsel on a wide variety of matters including: class actions under the Biometric Information Privacy Act ("BIPA") and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA"), trademark claims under the Lanham Act, single-plaintiff cases involving personal-injury claims, legal and medical malpractice, negligence, partnership disputes, shareholder derivative actions, foreclosures and construction contracts, and large, potentially catastrophic civil and criminal matters, including alleged product liability, breach of fiduciary duty, environmental contamination, toxic torts, securities violations, misrepresentation of defects and other claims. Among other sectors, Jim has represented clients in the insurance and reinsurance, manufacturing, distribution, environmental cleanup, utilities, entertainment, medical devices and real estate industries.

Jim’s breadth of experience is matched by the specificity and depth of his legal knowledge. He immerses himself in each matter to ensure that he has a full understanding of the business and legal issues at hand, and is committed to providing clear, meaningful counsel delivered in terms his clients understand.

Jim obtained a jury verdict for his client in a complex breach of contract case filed in Queens County, New York Supreme Court by a prominent mechanical contracting company that, at one time, was publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Jim obtained crucial admissions from the CEO of the company on cross examination, which led to a successful closing argument and an ultimate verdict in his client’s favor. The case took almost two weeks to try.

Jim also successfully tried to verdict an indemnity case filed in federal court by a Fortune 500 corporation in which the jury found favorably for his client, a former publicly traded company. In 2019, Jim secured a trial victory involving a case of specific performance of a complex commercial lease, where the presiding Judge of Cook County Chancery issued a 50-page memorandum opinion in his client's favor. That same year, Jim also prevailed in a complex breach of fiduciary duty case, where he secured a directed verdict (meaning, the case was dismissed after the plaintiff rested her case and before Jim's client even put on his case) on behalf of his client. He has secured summary judgment, declaratory judgment and dismissal with prejudice in a broad range of cases and has also prevailed at the appellate level in cases of first impression. As a legal counselor, he meets regularly with CEOs, CFOs, in-house counsel and other corporate executives to review and develop risk-management strategies and goals.

Jim serves as an adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law where he teaches “Legal Negotiation—Theory and Practice.” He also is the author of publications on topics such as discovery issues in reinsurance disputes and ISO additional insured endorsements.

Jim is also a member of “100 Men Who Give a Damn,” a grassroots movement comprised of professionals from various industries, all focused on assisting and improving local charities.

Illinois Super Lawyers, 2020-2024
Illinois Super Lawyers–Rising Stars, 2009-2017
Leading Lawyers Network–Emerging Lawyers, 2015-2016
Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow, 2015
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, AV Preeminent®
Forty Under 40, Law Bulletin Media, 2014
American Registry, Outstanding Lawyer
Member of the Society of Trial Lawyers (2019)
Marquis Who’s Who Honored Listee (2023)

James L. Wideikis

Rated by Super Lawyers

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