practice areas
honors + affiliations
Director, Chicago Children's Museum
Member, Chicago-Kent Alumni Board of Advisors
Treasurer, Illinois State University Attorneys Advisory Board
Former Chair, Insurance Law Committee, Chicago Bar Association (2005–2006)
Former Member, Board of Advisors, DePaul University Center for Justice in Capital Cases (2004–2006)
Listed, Future Star, Benchmark Litigation (2010–2011)
Listed, Illinois Super Lawyer (2005–2011)
Recipient, 2005 Chicago-Kent Young Alumnae Awardbar admissions
- Illinois
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and Ninth Circuits
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- Chicago
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77 West Wacker Dr.
Chicago, IL 60601-5094
Phone: 312.324.1773
Fax: 312.324.1001
Scott T. Schutte is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Litigation Practice, Managing Partner of the Chicago office, and a co-chair of the firm's Class Action Group. He focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on class action defense.
Mr. Schutte has successfully defended consumer service providers, banks, and product manufacturers in class action lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout the United States. He has handled a broad array of complex commercial litigation, including claims involving breach of contract, insurance coverage, unfair competition, product liability, lender liability, and breach of fiduciary duty.
Mr. Schutte has had first-chair responsibilities in jury trials, arbitrations, and mediations. His first-chair experience includes a jury trial over insurance coverage for a trade dress claim and an international arbitration over the attempted rescission of a property policy after a hurricane loss. He also participated on trial teams for a jury trial that resulted in one of the largest defamation verdicts ever in the state of Tennessee, a jury trial relating to insurance coverage for alleged brain damage based on exposure to cleaning solvents, and an arbitration relating to insurance coverage under a directors and officers policy.
Mr. Schutte is active in pro bono matters. In 2007, Mr. Schutte obtained a landmark victory for his client, James Andrews, when he convinced a Chicago judge to grant Mr. Andrews' post-conviction petition and vacate two murder convictions for which Mr. Andrews had served 24 years in prison. It was the first time that a Cook County judge had granted this relief based on claims of torture at the hands of police detectives at Chicago's Area 2 police headquarters. Mr. Schutte also has handled death penalty cases in Illinois and Texas.
Mr. Schutte earned his J.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1995, where he was editor-in-chief of the Chicago-Kent Law Review and graduated as valedictorian. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Schutte was a writer for the State Farm insurance companies, and a sportswriter at the Bloomington Pantagraph. He received his B.S. in journalism in 1988 from Illinois State University.
Mr. Schutte is admitted to practice in Illinois and before various federal courts.
Selected Representations
- Represented one of the nation's largest tax preparers in a variety of class action lawsuits and other matters brought by consumers or State Attorneys General based on claims of deceptive or unfair practices
- Represented some of the country's largest banks in class action lawsuits relating to mortgage lending practices, and in single-plaintiff lender-liability lawsuits.
- Represented a large computer manufacturer in class action claims relating to its advertising and marketing practices.
- Acted as lead counsel for a large product manufacturer in a multi-defendant class action lawsuit. Mr. Schutte subsequently served as national coordinating counsel for more than 100 related lawsuits and claims that were outside the scope of the class action settlement.
- Represented a company that provides software for personal lines insurance carriers in numerous class action lawsuits asserting RICO and conspiracy claims.
education
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 1995, J.D.
- Illinois State University, 1988, B.S.