John F. Grady

Partner

John Grady is a founding member of Grady Pilgrim Christakis Bell LLP and carries with him more than 12 years of commercial litigation experience. John's practice involves a broad range of complex business and tort litigation involving, among other things, claims for breach of contract, business fraud, consumer fraud, deceptive business practices, insurance coverage, premises liability, product liability, and shareholder, director and officer liability. John has also litigated consumer finance cases, employment claims, and real estate related claims. An experienced trial attorney, John has tried four cases to verdict in the past three years, including a six-week jury trial in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He has also successfully argued numerous appeals in Illinois state and federal courts.

In addition, John's practice involves a proactive "preventive law" approach that helps businesses eliminate legal risks before they turn into costly and time-consuming legal problems. Drawing on his extensive experience in litigating commercial disputes, John regularly performs "legal audits" of businesses to identify the legal risks that affect them. He then develops solutions that are specifically tailored to the particular needs and circumstances of each client, protecting the business from legal risk to the greatest extent possible.

 

Professional Activities

  • Member, Illinois State Bar Association
  • Member, Chicago Bar Association

 

Education

Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1996)
University of Iowa (B.A. cum laude, 1992; Phi Beta Kappa)

Bar Admissions

State of Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Publications & Speeches

John frequently writes and lectures on topics involving complex civil litigation matters. Most recently, John was a featured speaker at the Practicing Law Institute's "Federal Practice" seminar; he was the moderator of a PLI panel discussion entitled "The View of In-House Counsel: Managing Complex Federal Litigation"; he authored an article entitled, "A Dozen Tips for the Care and Feeding of Your Non-Compete Agreements," which suggests ways that businesses can implement and strengthen their restrictive covenants; and he has written and lectured extensively on Federal and Illinois Civil Procedure.

John F. Grady
“We always get to the heart of the matter in the quickest way. We’re always looking to advance the ball.” — John Grady
  • Phone: (312) 939-0964
  • Fax: (312) 939-0983