McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

Daniel has argued before the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Illinois First and Third District Appellate Courts. He has first-chaired or second-chaired more than a dozen bench trials, arbitrations, evidentiary hearings, and jury trials. Daniel recently first-chaired a five-day jury trial in a police brutality case, and first-chaired a stage-three evidentiary hearing in a post-conviction actual innocence case. Daniel has taken several private equity disputes to arbitration or trial in various venues, including a two-week bench trial in a purchase price adjustment dispute. His commercial trial experience includes cross-examining C-Suite executives in federal and state courts and conducting direct examinations of fact witnesses and key expert witnesses. Daniel has taken or defended in excess of 100 fact and expert depositions in large commercial actions in state and federal court. Daniel has argued and won numerous dispositive motions in state and federal court including motions for summary judgment, class certification, Daubert and Frye motions, motions in limine, TRO and preliminary injunction motions, among others.

Daniel has significant aviation industry experience, including representing clients in complex aviation (fixed-wing and rotorcraft) disputes, mass disaster and accident disputes, and further advising defense industry clients on complex interactions with government authorities. He also advises clients on maintenance, repair, and overhaul issues, including disputes.

Daniel has vast Illinois state court litigation experience, including drafting and filing substantive briefs and arguing key motions, such as motions for summary judgment and motions for temporary restraining orders, and trying evidentiary issues. Additionally, he has worked on government contracts vendor disputes, aviation product liability, bankruptcy, tax, and trust and estate litigation. Daniel advises clients on compliance with the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, and represents clients in defense of actions brought under the Act.

While in law school, Daniel served as associate editor of The Elder Law Journal and as a Moot Court executive editor. He also won various American Bar Association (ABA) client-counseling competitions. In addition, Daniel served as a legal clerk for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and as lead counsel/advanced clinic student for the University of Illinois College of Law Federal Civil Rights Clinic. In this role, he won a case on a civil constitutional claim after a three-day jury trial he first-chaired in federal court, as well as obtained a favorable settlement and substantial fee awards in two other cases. Daniel first-chaired a total of four cases and two jury trials in federal court while attending law school.

Daniel regularly contributes to legal education articles and guides. He has co-authored articles for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s Federal Civil Practice 2024 Edition and authored a comprehensive guide for clinic students at the University of Illinois College of Law for the Federal Civil Rights Clinic. He also leads certain boot camp seminars on impeachment and refreshing recollection, as well as serving as a guest lecturer for the trial advocacy program on the “Use of Technology in the Courtroom” and “Closing Arguments” and as part of the Fundamental of Law Practice course at the University of Illinois College of Law.

Daniel serves on the firm’s technology committee.

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• Co-chaired a two-week bench trial in private equity purchase price dispute in Miami state court
• Co-chaired, and prevailed in, an evidentiary hearing on a motion for preliminary injunction in a trade secrets case alleging theft of software and source code trade secrets where plaintiff alleged more than $120 million in damages –; cross examined plaintiff CEO and directed key expert witness at hearing in obtaining favorable result
• First-chaired an arbitration in a dispute for a high-end senior living facility
• First-chaired and prevailed in a three-day Section 1983 jury trial
• First-chaired a five-day Section 1983 jury trial
• First-chaired a stage three evidentiary hearing in a wrongful conviction case –, including a direct, a cross, and a closing during a two-day hearing (handling appeal)
• Briefed and argued a Seventh Circuit appeal of trial victory at the district court
• First-chaired a complex COVID-19 vendor dispute alleging fraud and breach of contract, including handling all pretrial motions and briefing and arguing summary judgment, Daubert, and motions in limine in California federal court
• Defeated a motion for class certification, obtained exclusion of plaintiffs’ expert witness and obtained summary judgment for James Hardie Building Products Inc. in class action MDL
• Defeated a motion for class certification, and prevailed on summary judgment for a large eyeglasses manufacturer and retailer in class action relating to the use of buy one get one free promotions in Florida
• Obtained class action settlement approval and appointment as plaintiff class counsel in a housing discrimination action impacting Chicago’s subsidized housing residents
• Obtained class action settlement approval of a putative biometric class action on behalf of a preeminent digital display client
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice, and Seventh Circuit affirmance of a putative class action brought against a large healthcare client by payment vendors of nursing homes in Illinois
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice, and Seventh Circuit affirmance of a putative class action on behalf of a major technology company in a dispute over streaming service franchise fees
• Obtained the dismissal of three putative BIPA class actions
• Advised a major healthcare company on a biometric information collection policy and consent
• Obtained summary judgment and complete dismissals in Illinois state court of four separate airplane crash product liability collective actions on behalf of major aviation and aerospace defense client based on the product line exception of successor liability
• Obtained favorable class-wide settlement after a long-term matter for a manufacturer of asphalt roofing shingles in a multidistrict litigation proceeding where plaintiffs have asserted claims for breach of warranty and consumer fraud under the laws of seven states
• Represented a pharmaceutical and therapy services client in a case involving alleged theft of trade secrets and breach of confidentiality agreements
• Obtained summary judgment and damages of nearly $25 million for a client in a guaranty enforcement action
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a trust client in Delaware Chancery Court that was later affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of trust client in Illinois state court
• Successfully compelled arbitration and enforced class action waiver for a manufacturer of asphalt roofing shingles in a case filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania where plaintiffs asserted class claims for breach of warranty and consumer fraud
• Obtained a complete dismissal of breach of fiduciary duty and class claims brought against the directors of a major travel company in a shareholder derivative and class action case
• Obtained a temporary restraining order for a client that was purportedly fired from association where that client was about to be acquired by a competitor of the association; successfully argued that the termination was improper and premature until the acquisition of the client by the association’s competitor was complete
• Won a case at Illinois Supreme Court after successfully arguing that a self-represent relator in a False Claims Act case could not recover attorneys’ fees for work performed by the relator-law firm’s own attorneys. This case represented a matter of first impression in Illinois and is now the law of the state
• Taken or defended in excess of 100 depositions
• Argued numerous dispositive motions in state and federal courts

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• McDermott Will & Schulte Partner Pro Bono Award, 2025
• McDermott Will & Emery, Professional Development Outstanding Mentor Award, 2017
• McDermott Will & Emery, Outstanding achievement and Commitment to Pro Bono and Service in the Community Award, 2017
• University of Illinois College of Law, Rickert Award for excellence in trial advocacy

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