Steven T. Whitmer

Steve chairs the firm’s Insurance and IP Department and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and arbitration, representing clients in a wide range of disputes involving class actions, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, false advertising, fraud, and unfair business practices.

Steve’s notable achievements include securing multimillion-dollar verdicts for national insurance companies and serving as lead hearing counsel for health insurance companies in multibillion-dollar transactions. He has argued insurance disputes before the Illinois Supreme Court and federal appeals courts across the country, and also has extensive experience in cases involving temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions.

Steve is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an honor reserved for less than one-half of one percent of American attorneys.

• Obtained an $18 million verdict in a federal court jury trial for a national insurance company in an alter ego action.
• Secured a $9 million verdict in a federal court jury trial for a national insurance company in a breach of contract action.
• Hearing counsel for a retail pharmacy/health care company for a $70 billion transaction.
• Hearing counsel for a national health insurance company for a proposed $38 billion transaction.
• Obtained injunctions against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Treasury for a national insurance company in a dispute over immigration bonds.
• Litigated a dispute for a national bank as a trustee for bondholders in pursuit of a $500 million claim in state court rehabilitation proceeding.
• Argued a case before the Illinois Supreme Court for a state insurance guaranty fund over the definition of a workers’ compensation claim.
• Obtained a $30 million arbitration award and judgment in a breach of contract action on behalf of a national insurance company.
• Prevailed in multiple Seventh Circuit appeals on behalf of a national insurance company in cases involving breach of contract and bad faith arbitration conduct.
• Argued Seventh Circuit en banc appeal on behalf of a group of managed care organizations in landmark health care matter.
• Prevailed in a Ninth Circuit appeal on behalf of a state insurance guaranty fund in a dispute against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2023-2025) – independently rated lawyers
• Crain’s Chicago Business, Notable Gen X Leader in Law (2021-2022)
• Best Lawyers in America®: Commercial Litigation (2019-2026, Insurance Law (2022-2026)
• The Deal, Deal of the Year (2019)