Michael Forde
Michael Forde focuses his practice on litigation. He handles complex, commercial litigation in state and federal courts and before various regulatory agencies, with especially extensive experience in the Illinois and Delaware courts, in cases involving contracts, partnership disputes, securities, consumer fraud, real estate, and hospitality. He was previously an equity partner at Mayer Brown LLP, where he co-chaired that firm’s Commercial Litigation practice. From 2019-2023, he was a member of the board of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, a position to which he was appointed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. From 2011-2019, he served as Chairman of the Illinois International Port District Board, a position to which he was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He was also a member of Governor-Elect J.B. Pritzker’s Transition Committee on Capital & Infrastructure. Michael is also a member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute. He has been quoted in various publications and news outlets including Bloomberg, The Real Deal, Crains Chicago Business, Fox News Chicago, Law 360 and various other publications
Experience
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Board Member, Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, 2019-2023
Chairman, Illinois International Port District Board, 2011-19
Economic Club of Chicago
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Board of Trustees, 2008-14; Chairman, Leadership Advisory Council, 2005-08
St. Xavier University, Board of Trustees, 2008-11
St. Ignatius College Prep, Development Committee, 2006-present
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“The White House Counsel and Whitewater: Government Lawyers and the Scope of Privileged Communications” 16 Yale Law and Policy Review 109 (1988).
“The Exclusionary Rule at Sentencing: New Life Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines?” 33 American Criminal Law Review 379 (1996).
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2012-present. Managing Partner, Forde & O’Meara LLP
1999-2012. Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago, Illinois (including serving as a co-chair of its commercial litigation practice group)
1999. Chief Legal Counsel to Illinois Comptroller Daniel W. Hynes
1998-99. Chief Counsel to the Transition Team for the Illinois Comptroller-Elect
1997-98. Law Clerk to the Honorable Mary Ann G. McMorrow of the Supreme Court of Illinois
1996-97. Law Clerk to the Honorable Charles P. Kocoras of the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinoi
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University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, M.B.A. 1998
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude 1996; Articles & Notes Editor, American Criminal Law Review
Georgetown University, A.B. 1993
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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.
Rahm Emanuel Residency Litigation: We were trial and appellate counsel for then-candidate Rahm Emanuel in the litigation challenging his qualifications to run for Mayor of Chicago. The Supreme Court of Illinois unanimously reversed the Appellate Court and affirmed the Hearing Officer’s recommendation that Mr. Emanuel was qualified to run for Mayor.
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.
Leading Global Law Firm: We were co-counsel for one of the world’s largest law firms in a series of related cases filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. We obtained summary judgment for our client in one, and the others settled promptly.
Sprint Affiliate Litigation Arising from Sprint-Nextel Merger. Tried two cases on behalf of three Sprint affiliates in Delaware and Illinois arising out of Sprint’s acquisition of Nextel, a competing telecommunications company, in breach of the parties’ affiliate agreements. In Delaware, the Court of Chancery issued an injunction barring Sprint Nextel from engaging in certain marketing activities. In Illinois, the Circuit Court of Cook County issued an injunction requiring Sprint Nextel to divest itself of the Nextel network and assets in our client’s service area.
Sprint Affiliate Litigation Arising from Sprint-Clearwire and Sprint-Virgin Mobile Transactions. Represented three Sprint affiliates in litigation in Delaware and Illinois that sought to enjoin the closing of an $11 billion transaction in which Sprint planned to acquire a majority interest in a new competing telecommunications company in breach of the parties’ affiliate agreements. When Sprint announced that it was acquiring Virgin Mobile USA, Inc., we filed another lawsuit on behalf of the affiliates in Illinois seeking to enjoin the closing of the Sprint-Virgin transaction.
Price v. Philip Morris: We acted as co-counsel in a successful appeal to the Supreme Court of Illinois, obtaining a reversal of a $12 billion judgment that had been entered by a downstate Illinois court against Philip Morris.
Chicago Board of Trade Demutualization Litigation: We successfully represented the Chicago Board of Trade and its Directors in litigation in the federal, Illinois, and Delaware courts over the CBOT’s demutualization.
CME Group, Inc., et al. v. Chicago Board Options Exchange, Inc. et al.: We represented the class of CBOT members in this lawsuit that arose when the CBOE attempted to terminate the CBOT members’ ownership and trading rights on the CBOE. The litigation involved proceedings in the Delaware Court of Chancery and before the SEC. We obtained a settlement for our clients of cash and stock worth $1 billion.
LAMPERS v. CBOT Holdings, et al.: We represented the CBOT and its Directors in this shareholder lawsuit litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery resulting from the CBOT’s Board approval of the merger with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and rejection of a competing proposal. The case settled, the merger closed, and the merger created the largest futures exchange in the world and one of the largest companies in Chicago.
Bates v. LP Manager, et al.: We represent the investors in this lawsuit against the management companies for the Maple & Ash family of restaurants.
Boeing v. Ten Oaks Management, et al.: We represented this very successful family office in a lawsuit that Boeing filed in the Western District of North Carolina. After protracted motion practice and discovery, Boeing settled the case.
RMG Sports Group v. Merrill Lynch, et al.: This was a business tort case brought by a prominent sports agent against Merrill Lynch and one of its former employees. Merrill Lynch hired us to represent its former employee. The plaintiff settled on the eve of trial.
City of Chicago v. DoorDash: We are co-counsel for DoorDash in this regulatory enforcement case filed by the City of Chicago, currently pending in the Northern District of Illinois.
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.