Mr. Vanek has practiced in the field of commercial litigation for over 30 years, with a particular focus in the fields of antitrust, intellectual property and commercial litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants.

In the antitrust arena, Mr. Vanek focuses on opt-out litigation by representing large corporate clients who have been overcharged for products or services because of violations of federal and state antitrust laws. He also has a broad commercial litigation practice that focuses on complex multi-district litigation. During his career, Mr. Vanek has embraced the opportunity to address new and challenging issues in emerging areas of the law. He has advised clients on a wide range of issues, including intellectual property, partnership, contract, Constitutional, antitrust, unfair competition, defamation, insurance coverage, and non-compete obligations.

Beyond the strict confines of the practice of law, Mr. Vanek has been involved in founding and fostering several companies. For example, in 2004, he co-founded AutoMark Technical Systems, LLC which designed and sold voting machine solutions for the disabled. In less than four years, AutoMark achieved a dominant market share, and Mr. Vanek was awarded two patents. AutoMark was then sold to a leading election company. He also co-founded Simple Truths, LLC, an inspirational book and mixed media company focused on personal and corporate development. Simple Truths was subsequently sold to a major publisher.

Education

• Creigton University (B.A. 1984)
  magna cum laude
• Boston College Law School (J.D. 1987)
  with Honors

Awards and Recognitions

• 500 Leading Litigators in America (Lawdragon, 2023, 2024)
• Honoree for the Antitrust Enforcement Award for Outstanding Antitrust Achievement in Private Law Practice (American Antitrust Institute, 2022)

Admissions

• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin