Michael Skokna
Partner
Michael concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation, class actions, white-collar criminal defense, and corporate internal investigations. He has significant experience in all aspects of litigation, including trials in state and federal court and hearings before arbitration panels.
Key Matters
- Member of a team that obtained an US$84.5M policy-limits verdict in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County in favor of a pharmaceutical company and against certain London-based insurers who provided product recall insurance to our client. Michael also helped successfully defend the verdict on appeal.
- Member of multiple teams that conducted internal investigations concerning, and on some occasions subsequently filed lawsuits arising out of, the alleged theft and misappropriation of our clients’ trade secrets and competitively sensitive information. During these matters, Michael has worked closely with outside computer forensic experts to uncover and develop evidence of the alleged thefts and misappropriations, including by developing digital trails of the thefts and identifying where and how misappropriated information has been relocated and misused. In one such matter filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, following extensive briefing and a two-day evidentiary hearing, the court granted a preliminary injunction in favor of our client and against the alleged wrongdoers.
- Member of two small teams that tried major white-collar criminal cases to jury verdict in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He assisted in the preparation of witnesses, cross examinations, opening and closing statements, and post-trial motion arguments.