Dean’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and counseling in a wide range of industries and practices. Dean has represented and advised national companies, closely-held family businesses, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, emerging startups, and high-net-worth individuals in outcome critical situations. He is committed to working closely with his clients to help advance and protect their rights, minimize their business and litigation risk, and deliver results in a practical and cost-effective manner.
Dean’s litigation practice includes claims involving, without limitation, shareholder/member disputes, breach of fiduciary duty, contract rights, post-closing issues, fraud, tortious interference, trust rights, estate rights, intellectual property rights, restrictive covenants, defamation, wage/payment issues, injunctions, employee/employer issues, and other business-related torts and commercial matters. Dean regularly appears in federal and state courts, before arbitration panels, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and other governmental agencies. Dean also has extensive experience drafting a broad range of contracts, including, without limitation, employment-related agreements and vendor agreements, and he provides counseling to businesses on issues such as employee discipline, discharge and workplace investigation. Dean also counsels his clients in connection with entity formation and business acquisitions, dispositions, mergers and other transactional-related matters.
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- SuperLawyers – Rising Star
- Represented entities and officers defend against breach of fiduciary duty and contract claims regarding an alleged purchase, finance and advisement transaction involving multiple retail locations, assets, and debts. Filed a motion to dismiss all claims, which was granted and affirmed on appeal by the Appellate Court of Illinois.
- Represented two lenders for breach of contract and related claims against various debtors and guarantors for failing to perform under promissory notes. Filed a motion for summary judgment, which was granted and affirmed on appeal by the Appellate Court of Illinois.
- Represented an alleged judgment debtor defend against a substantial monetary foreign judgment filed in Illinois. Filed a Petition to Vacate, which was granted and the entire Illinois lawsuit dismissed, with prejudice.
- Represented a national corporate entity defend against alleged sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims by a former worker. The former worker chose to resolve the matter for a nominal amount, allowing for an efficient and cost-effective resolution.
- Represented an LLC Manager/Member against claims by minority Members regarding breach of an operating agreement, fiduciary duty and freeze-out. The parties resolved the dispute with the LLC Manager/Member purchasing the minority Member’s interest at a discount, thereby terminating the dispute and giving the Manager/Member sole company control.
- Represented a successor trust trustee enforce claims against the former trustee for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and related claims. The parties resolved their dispute by the former trustee preemptively paying almost the entire claim amount that would have been sought at trial.
- Represented a roofing contractor defend against a municipality’s fraud and false statement allegations regarding work performed at a major municipal facility. The municipality agreed to resolve the matter for a nominal amount after informal discovery of the merits.
- Represented a national distributor/installer against a manufacturer for breach of contract, fraud, indemnification, warranty claims and other claims regarding a flawed product. After preliminary discovery, the parties chose to settle the matter resulting in an efficient and cost-effective resolution.
- Represented an entity and principal involving breach of contract, intellectual property and consumer fraud claims regarding the companies’ operations, advertising, and processing systems. Successfully obtained summary judgment on the breach of contract claims, and defeated the intellectual property and consumer fraud-related claims after a hearing on the merits.
- Represented a sports athlete defend against breach of contract/unjust enrichment claims by her former agent for alleged commissions due. The Judge entered judgment in favor of the sports athlete on all issues after trial.