Jeffrey R. Rosenberg
Jeff Rosenberg is a partner at OKGC Law, LLC and has been with the firm since 2007. Jeff heads the commercial litigation department. Throughout his career he has represented and counseled small and mid-sized businesses, educational and governmental institutions, and individuals in a broad range of commercial litigation matters as well as general business issues. Jeff’s practice focuses on contract disputes of all types, employment law and litigation, tortious and fraudulent business practices, enforcement of employment agreements and restrictive covenants, and shareholder, officer and ownership disputes.
Jeff’s approach to litigation is practical and efficient. He understands the financial and emotional costs of litigation and strives to minimize those costs while achieving a beneficial outcome. Jeff has a friendly and engaging demeanor that generally leads to a satisfactory resolution of a problem. However, when faced with an intractable or unreasonable opponent, his competitive instincts come out and he is unsatisfied with any outcome short of total victory.
Jeff has had an incredible run of success at OKGC. He has resolved and settled hundreds of disputes either without the need for litigation or during the early stages of litigation. However, when settlement proved impossible or impractical, he has not hesitated to take a case to trial and has won every case he has tried at OKGC. His cases have included bench and jury trials, in federal and state court, in Illinois and other states. Some representative cases include:
- A verdict on behalf of the defendant in a three-week bench trial involving five separate parties on the plaintiff’s claims for rescission and breach of contract in connection with the purchase and sale of $6 million worth of allegedly defective mobile generator units. Jeff also prevailed on the appeal of the matter, successfully arguing the case before the Illinois Appellate Court.
- A recent verdict on behalf of the plaintiff in a federal bench trial resulting in a $1.2 million judgment on the plaintiff’s claim for breach of contract in connection with an incentive compensation agreement.
- A verdict on behalf of the defendant in a jury trial on the plaintiff’s claims for fraudulent conveyance in connection with the alleged transfer of $700,000 from a family trust.
- Jeff represented a defendant on the plaintiff’s claim for $400,000 for breach of lease and distraint for rent. Jeff’s client counterclaimed for breach of lease and tortious interference with contract. At trial, the judge denied the plaintiff’s claims in their entirety and entered judgment in favor of the defendant in the amount of $250,000.
Jeff has also had tremendous success in obtaining judgment prior to trial through the summary judgment process. Jeff’s victories include several summary judgments on behalf of a large Chicago university on employment discrimination claims. In one of the cases, the plaintiff, claiming she was discriminated on the basis of her national origin, appealed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Jeff argued before the Court and the judgment was affirmed. Jeff successfully argued another appeal before the Illinois Appellate Court after obtaining summary judgment on behalf of the defendants on the plaintiffs’ claims for fraud, breach of contract and spoliation relating to an alleged agreement for the sale of a company. In another noteworthy and well-publicized case, Jeff obtained summary judgment on behalf of a defendant/landlord on a claim for housing discrimination.
Jeff also focuses on, and has successfully obtained, many temporary restraining orders — generally on behalf of employers seeking to prohibit ex-employees from unfairly competing or breaching restrictive covenants but also in other contexts. As one example, Jeff obtained an order restraining the president of a company owned by two families from hiring or firing employees without the consent of the other family. Jeff’s clients in this area include nationwide financial institutions, such as Edward Jones, and a wide variety of small to mid-sized businesses.
Jeff graduated cum laude from Loyola University-Chicago Law School in 1997, after earning placement on the Dean’s List each semester from 1994-1996, membership on the Loyola University-Chicago Law Journal and a Decalogue scholarship. He is licensed to practice in Illinois and several federal and appellate courts throughout the U.S. and is an active member of both the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations.
Jeff is a regular volunteer with Adaptive Adventures, an organization that enables and helps individuals with physical disabilities to participate in active sports such as kayaking, skiing, and biking. Jeff enjoys participating in those activities and is an avid basketball and softball player. Jeff resides in Northbrook with his wife and two children
Areas of Focus
Commercial Law and Litigation including:
- Contract enforcement and defense.
- Employment law and litigation.
- Tortious and fraudulent business practices.
- Enforcement of restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements.
- Shareholder, officer and ownership disputes.
- Real estate and securities litigation.
- Insurance coverage and defense.
Legal Education
- Loyola University School of Law, J.D., 1997 (cum laude; Dean’s List 1994-1996; Member, Loyola University Chicago Law Journal; Recipient, Decalogue Scholarship; Recipient, Corpus Juris Secundum Award for Scholastic Excellence)
Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Chicago Bar Association