Chris Gair

Practice Areas

Chris Gair is widely recognized as one of the preeminent trial lawyers in Chicago. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and has tried dozens of cases in federal and state courts and arbitrations. He is ranked by Chambers & Partners as one of Chicago’s top lawyers in General Commercial Litigation and White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations.

PRACTICE AREAS

• White Collar Defense

• Complex Civil Litigation

• Internal Investigations

Work Highlights

Private Practice

• Led the prosecution of the parties responsible for the collapse of Sentinel Management Group, recovering over $300 million from the Bank of New York Mellon following a trial.

• Defended the lawyer accused of the largest tax fraud in U.S. history.

• Defeated a $1 billion claim brought by one of the country’s largest hedge funds against its former head of high-frequency trading for alleged misappropriation of trade secrets.

• Tried and won a directed verdict for a defendant pharmaceutical manufacturer in the Brand Name Prescription Drugs Antitrust Litigation as well as a multi-million dollar fee sanction against class plaintiffs’ counsel.

• Defended many other high-profile cases, including the City Treasurer of Chicago and a prominent alderman on corruption charges and the Wrigley Field rooftop owners in the civil case brought against them by the Chicago Cubs.

• Won a $2 million compensatory and punitive damages verdict in a fraud case brought on behalf of his client, a physician who had been cheated by his managing partner and collected on the verdict after the defendant attempted to hide assets and claim insolvency.

• Defeated at trial a $5 million dollar whistleblower, fraud, and breach of contract claim by a trader against a prominent high-frequency trading company.

• Won a $1.5 million award in arbitration on behalf of a data analytics firm against a former joint venture partner.

• Litigated a number of nationwide antitrust price-fixing cases, including successfully representing major corporations as plaintiffs in three major suits: the Carbon Dioxide, Sorbates, and Bulk Vitamins antitrust cases.

• Defended healthcare fraud prosecutions.

• Successfully persuaded various U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the SEC not to indict or charge corporate officers and executives in a variety of fraud and public corruption investigations.

• Successfully defended Fortune 500 companies in SEC investigations and conducted FCPA investigations in Latin America.

U.S. Attorney’s Office

• Led the landmark prosecutions undertaken by the office during his tenure, including the conviction of the mayor, city council members, and appointed officials in Chicago Heights in connection with a long-running extortion, bribery, and racketeering enterprise.

• Prosecuted and convicted long-time Outfit boss Lenny Patrick for running an extortion crew that shook down restaurants, car dealers, and other prominent businesses in Chicago.

• Chris then flipped Patrick to convict Gus Alex, an Outfit leader since the 1930s who had never even been arrested in more than five decades of criminal activity. Alex was sentenced to 15 years in prison for extortion.

• Prosecuted and convicted the then head of Chicago’s organized crime syndicate, Sam Carlisi, and seven of his subordinates for racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, loan-sharking, and tax fraud.

Experience

Chris developed a project, funded by USAID, in which he coached prosecutors and police in Mexico in investigating and prosecuting cases for presentation under Mexico’s new system of oral trials. He has worked closely with the Procuradurías of the Mexican states of Baja California del Norte, Morelos, and Oaxaca and was a featured speaker at national conferences on justice system reform in Mexico.

Career

Chris started his career clerking for the renowned Illinois Supreme Court Justice Seymour Simon. He then served for seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago, eventually becoming Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Division.

Upon leaving the United States Attorney’s office, Chris went into private practice as a partner at two premier litigation firms. He spent 11 years at the well-known boutique Freeman, Freeman & Salzman.

Chris followed with seven years as a partner at Jenner & Block, one of the most prestigious law firms in Chicago, where he was one of the firm’s top trial lawyers in civil and criminal cases.

Chris founded Gair Eberhard in 2013.

Professional Memberships

Chris is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Education