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Geoffrey A. Vance is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP. He is a member of McDermott's Trial Department, and is based out of the Firm's Chicago office.
Recently named by his peers as one of the 40 Illinois Lawyers Under Forty to Watch, Geoffrey concentrates his practice in complex commercial litigation, focusing on product and professional liability litigation and insurance controversies. He has represented foreign and domestic clients in a number of state and federal courts and other dispute resolution settings. He assisted in and tried over 20 matters to conclusion.
Representative Client Work
Geoffrey is currently playing a leadership role in the McDonald's French fry litigation, and represents a major international aircraft manufacturer in a number of different product liability matters. In addition, Geoffrey is presently litigating numerous insurance disputes- for multiple major insurance companies in some cases and Fortune 500 policyholders in others-in a variety of criminal and governmental investigations and related civil lawsuits. Geoffrey also has been deeply involved in McDermott's representation of the major tobacco companies, having played an active role in a series of hotly contested arbitrations, and is currently involved in several securities matters, before the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal trial courts, on behalf of accountants and other professional services providers.
Lectures and Authorship
Geoffrey frequently speaks and writes on litigation topics, including the use of technology in the courtroom and the role that electronically stored information, such as e-mail, plays in today's complex litigation. In 2006, he co-authored the Discovery chapter of the Federal Civil Practice handbook published by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, as well as a book titled "Drowning in Zubulake: The Rules, Pitfalls and Benefits of Electronic Discovery," which discusses the use and exchange of electronic information in commercial lawsuits-a hot topic in the news and in the nation's courtrooms.
Law School and Bar Admissions
After completing his service in the U.S. Navy, Geoffrey attended the John Marshall Law School, where he served on the school's Law Review and currently teaches legal writing and research to first and second year law students as a member of the school's adjunct faculty. Upon graduating from law school, Geoffrey served as a law clerk to a federal judge, the Honorable Charles R. Norgle, Sr., a District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois located in downtown Chicago.
Geoffrey is currently admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of Illinois, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin and Northern District of Indiana.
Pro Bono Work
Geoffrey is the immediate past President of the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation, a prominent pro bono legal services provider in Chicago. He has served on CVLS's Board of Directors for over seven years, and currently serves in an ex officio capacity. Geoffrey is proud to have successfully represented more than a dozen members of the Chicago working poor community for no charge.
Education
John Marshall Law School, J.D. (cum laude), 1995
Michigan State University, B.A., 1992 | 