Firm Overview
Areas of Practice
Attorneys
Representative Clients
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Thomas D. Brooks, Partner
Mr. Brooks is an experienced lead trial counsel with a broad background in civil litigation, arbitration, mediation, government investigations and contested regulatory proceedings. He has expertise in complex matters involving issues of contract, fiduciary duty, lender liability, business tort, securities, insurance and other law. He has practiced at both the trial and appellate level in federal and state courts nationwide, and in both domestic and international arbitrations and mediations. His experience includes matters related to various industries, including banking, futures, real estate, pharmaceuticals and utilities, among others. Prior to joining Sperling & Slater in 2000, Mr. Brooks was with the Chicago office of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.
Education
J.D., cum laude, Northwestern University School of Law, 1995 (Articles editor, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology)
B.A. in Philosophy, Yale University, 1988
Representative Matters
Commercial Disputes
Mr. Brooks has served as counsel in a variety of business disputes, often of a complex nature. Examples include: - Lead counsel for defendant in a one-week bench trial in which the court rejected plaintiff’s claims that Mr. Brooks’ client owed plaintiff a brokerage commission for a stock transaction.
- Lead counsel for real estate investors in joint venture disputes related to commercial and/or distressed property and loans.
- Counsel for U.S. commercial vehicle distributor found, in international arbitration, to have been terminated in bad faith.
Lender Liability
Lead counsel for plaintiff, a European investment firm, in a two-week federal jury trial involving claims that defendant, which was the settlement bank for a futures brokerage, improperly interfered with plaintiff’s contract to purchase the brokerage.
Directors and Officers
Mr. Brooks has represented corporate directors and officers faced with allegations of fiduciary breach, securities fraud, insider trading and other wrongdoing. Such representations often entail issues of insurance coverage and indemnification for the individual director/officer. While such insurance issues usually do not require formal litigation, Mr. Brooks and the firm are prepared to litigate them to the extent necessary, as reflected by Robertson-Ceco Corp. v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., 292 F.Supp. 2d 1082 (N.D.Ill. 2003), in which our client obtained a multimillion-dollar award finding that a major D&O insurer had breached its obligations by failing to provide coverage for the settlement of a shareholder action.
Bankruptcy and Insolvency
A substantial portion of Mr. Brooks’ work has involved representing both plaintiffs and defendants in the context of corporate bankruptcies and receiverships. This has included litigating cases brought by trustees, creditors and shareholders, among other matters.
Intellectual Property
Experience includes defending a seller against a buyer that was seeking indemnification for a substantial post-sale patent infringement judgment; and coordinating discovery and other pretrial matters for the plaintiff in patent infringement cases pertaining to the pharmaceutical industry.
Regulatory
Served as counsel for a public utility that sought Illinois Commerce Commission approval to modify a multimillion-dollar coal supply contract. Approval obtained after contested regulatory hearings, and ultimately affirmed by Illinois Supreme Court.
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Thomas D. Brooks
312-641-3200
tdbrooks@sperling-law.com
Sperling & Slater
55 West Monroe Street
Suite 3200
Chicago, Illinois 60603
312-641-3200
fax: 312-641-6492
info@sperling-law.com
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