Feature

Morgan Lewis Chicago: Winning Trial Team Gets Stronger With New Partners

Monday, January 25, 2016

With the arrival of two strong litigators in our Chicago office, Morgan Lewis underscores our firm’s commitment to grow where our clients need us. Prominent litigator Elizabeth “Beth” Herrington and her colleague Mark Altschul joined us as partners in January from another global law firm. Beth and Mark focus on complex commercial litigation and dispute resolution for leading companies in Chicago and across the United States.

MEET BETH

Beth is a “go-to” litigator for a diverse set of global companies, a recognized leader in the Chicago legal community, and a lawyer with law firm management experience. A frequent first-chair litigator, she has recently specialized in representing eCommerce companies, serving as national lead counsel for Orbitz Worldwide and its affiliates in more than 90 cases and related consumer class actions. She has also acted as advisor for international financial services companies, private equity portfolio companies, and one of the world’s largest medical device companies in a variety of cases. “With her wide range of experience, [Beth] adds significant depth to our firmwide litigation and dispute resolution team and will be a leader at the firm,” said J. Gordon Cooney Jr., leader of Morgan Lewis’s litigation practice in a press release.

MEET MARK

Mark represents clients in complex litigation and counsels companies on business strategy and dispute resolution. He handles commercial disputes involving breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, tax controversy issues, and trade secret disputes. “Beth and Mark are a tremendous addition to our team,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon, “and they will be valuable resources for clients across the firm.”

OUR CHICAGO TEAM

The duo joins our vibrant group of Chicago-based litigators whose ranks include other prominent leaders in the Windy City: Merri Jo Gillette, co-leader of the Morgan Lewis securities enforcement and litigation practice, joined us after serving as director of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Chicago Regional Office from 2004 to 2013. Chicago partner Peter Chan came aboard after serving as assistant regional director of the SEC’s Chicago Regional Office for 14 years. More recently, Morgan Lewis welcomed partner Undray Wilks, who focuses on product liability, toxic tort, and insurance coverage matters. Our litigators collaborate with the Chicago office’s other core teams, which include top-ranked labor and employment, intellectual property, corporate and business transactions, employee benefits, and investment management lawyers. Chicago is an important part of our global network, which makes the growth in this market a key enhancement of our firm’s global reach (learn also about our recent growth in London and Washington, DC).

Q&A WITH BETH

Beth sat down with us to discuss joining Morgan Lewis and how our combined efforts raise our game in terms of client service.

What attracted you to Morgan Lewis?

Morgan Lewis is a firm that is doing all the right things. I joined because of its true collaborative culture among partners, outstanding leadership that has set a clear direction, and dedication to top client service. There is a reason why clients seem to really love Morgan Lewis. The firm always focuses on clients’ needs first and has a strong international platform from which to practice. Clients’ feedback on my move has been overwhelmingly positive.

Tells us about some of your biggest cases and wins.

I have tried many cases, but one of my favorite wins was a “bet-the-company” jury trial for an engineering firm. It was a tough case in a tough venue with challenging facts. The client’s founder and CEO was so happy with the win that he actually cried when the verdict was read. Helping that company solve a big, difficult problem was a real high point in my career. For more than seven years, I have served as lead national defense counsel for online travel companies in more than 90 related tax disputes. I partnered with my clients to develop and implement defense strategies to successfully defend these matters, working collaboratively with other outstanding defense counsel from around the country. It has been very gratifying to help pioneer cutting-edge defense strategies for companies in the new economy.

What will you focus on at Morgan Lewis?

I will be handling clients’ complex commercial litigation, class actions, and dispute resolution throughout the United States. Morgan Lewis has an incredibly deep litigation bench and I am excited by the opportunity to try cases with such great lawyers. I’ll also be helping to grow the firm’s litigation group in Chicago. We are poised to take things to the next level as one of Chicago’s premier trial teams. It is a very exciting time to be joining Morgan Lewis.