Ellen M. Carey

Ellie Carey has been recognized by Leading Lawyers as one of the Top Women Lawyers in Chicago for commercial litigation. She focuses on complex, commercial litigation in state and federal courts. Ms. Carey has represented major corporations, partnerships, LLCs and individuals in disputes involving claims for breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, violation of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, defamation, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, class action claims, wage payment and whistleblower actions, public contract bids, zoning matters, real estate disputes, declaratory judgment actions, claims seeking emergency injunctive relief, and appeals. Ms. Carey has first and second chair trial experience, extensive experience in brief writing, complex motion practice, and electronic discovery management.

Experience

    • Illinois

    • California

    • Oregon

    • Arbitrator for Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Team, 2001-2018

    • Attorney Coach for De La Salle Institute’s Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Team, 2011-2015

    • Volunteer for the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Lawyers in the Classroom Project, 2005-2008

    • Tips From The Inside – How To Make It Easier For The Judge To Rule In Your Favor, The Circuit Rider, The Journal of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association (April 2010).

    • Student Article, Affirmative Recovery Under The FTC Holder Rule, 13 Loy. Consumer L. Rev. 129 (2001)

    • 2011-Present. Forde & O’Meara LLP

    • 2008-2011. Associate, Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago, Illinois

    • 2004-2008. Law Clerk to the Honorable Michael T. Mason, Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

    • 2001-2004. Associate, Crisham & Kubes, Ltd., Chicago, Illinois

    • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois, Juris Doctor, cum laude, 2001

      • Consumer Law Review, staff editor (2001)

      • Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Vienna, Austria (2000)

    • University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, B.A., English, cum laude, 1997

    • Holly Blaine Vanzant, et al. v. Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc., et al.: Represent plaintiffs in an Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act class action about defendants’ false marketing of prescription pet food. The district court originally dismissed the case. Ellie drafted the appeal, argued before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and obtained a reversal of the district court’s dismissal. On remand, the district court granted plaintiffs’ motion for class certification against defendant Hill’s. The case is pending.

    • Tamara Moore, et al. v. Mars Petcare US, Inc. et al.: Represent plaintiffs in a class action under California’s consumer protection statutes about defendants’ false marketing of prescription pet food. Plaintiffs’ motions for class certification against some of the largest pet food manufacturers in the world, including Hill’s, Mars, and Royal Canin, are pending.

    • City of Chicago FOIA Litigation:  We were Mayor Emanuel’s personal counsel in two lawsuits in which various organizations sued under FOIA to obtain access to Mayor Emanuel’s personal emails and text messages.  The judge required Mayor Emanuel to produce only a small fraction of his emails but largely upheld our objections to producing anything more.

    • Wexford Property Consultants v. Martin, et al.: We represented a company owned by prominent real estate developer Sean Conlon in this dispute with a joint venture partner in the Cook County Circuit Court.  We obtained a default judgment against the lead defendant, and severe sanctions against his co-defendants, when we uncovered a series of years-long discovery violations.

    • Frost v. DMMD II LLC, et al.: We represented the real estate developer defendant in this trial in the Circuit Court involving claims of breach of contract, negligence, and nuisance.  We obtained a judgment in favor of our client on all counts.

    • HP-A Berkeley v. DevorahCo, et al.: We represented the plaintiff joint venture (co-owned by Apollo Global Management) in this $20 million post-closing dispute over a large industrial real estate transaction.  After we prevailed on a string of important motions, the defendants settled.

    • CME Arbitration (parties’ identity confidential). Represented a Chicago Mercantile Exchange member and his brokerage firm in a CME arbitration trial involving claims for breach of contract and tortious interference with business expectancy. Prevailed on the tortious interference claim and reduced clients’ potential exposure by more than $7.9 million.