Raj N. Shah, Esq. is a partner in DLA Piper's Litigation group, based in Chicago. Mr. Shah serves as lead counsel in complex commercial disputes for Fortune 500 and large privately held health care and pharmaceutical companies, airlines, retailers and banks, among many other leading companies. For his clients, Mr. Shah handles all nature of commercial and intellectual property disputes, class action and consumer protection litigation, product liability matters, and fraud, corporate governance, accounting and purchase price financial and valuation disputes. He has practiced extensively before numerous federal and state courts across the country and in arbitrations governed by the rules of various organizations. He also has developed a practice representing Indian companies as US co-head of DLA Piper's India Initiative.

Mr. Shah has been awarded the international Pride of India Gold Award by the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Institute. The NRI Institute is a prestigious international organization that encourages interactions between prominent nonresident Indians or persons of Indian origin who live outside India and those who reside in India. The Pride of India Gold Awards that year were given to only 16 nonresident Indians selected from across the globe for their significant contributions to the socioeconomic development of India and the Indian community in their adopted countries. Mr. Shah was recognized for his significant accomplishments and contributions in the field of law. He was among the youngest recipients of the award.

Mr. Shah was also previously named the Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyer of the Year. His accomplishments have been recognized in the national and international press, including, among many others, the Economic Times of India, Garavi Gujarat, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Lawyer, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Detroit News, India Abroad, IndUS Business Journal, India Tribune and India West. Mr. Shah also has been featured in the executive profile sections of the IndUs Business Journal and Biz India.

Mr. Shah currently or previously has served terms on DLA Piper’s Policy Committee, Compensation Committee, Hiring Committee, Diversity Committee, Pro Bono Committee for the Chicago Office and the Board of Advisors of the Marbury Institute, DLA Piper’s professionalism program.

In 2003, DLA Piper awarded the Pro Bono Associate of the Year award to Mr. Shah in recognition of his contributions to the community and civil rights. Mr. Shah is active in diversity issues relating to recruiting, retention and promotion of minority associates. His personal cause is the fight against breast cancer.

Recent Representative Matters

• Lead counsel for a leading global health care company in defense against a biopharmaceutical company’s multimillion-dollar claim for damages allegedly arising from breaches of a pharmaceutical licensing agreement for a late-stage pharmaceutical compound.
• Lead counsel for a leading global health care company in defense against a multimillion-dollar claim for royalties allegedly arising from sales of a medical device under consulting and know-how agreements.
• Lead counsel for a leading global health care company against a manufacturer and distributor of antibiotics under manufacturing and distribution agreements for payment obligations owed in excess of $10 million.
• Representation of a leading global health care company against a large pharmaceutical company for potential Lanham Act violations related to certain diabetes monitoring products.
• Representation of a medical device manufacturer of needle-free valves in defense against a multimillion-dollar patent infringement suit brought in the US District Court, Northern District of Illinois.
• Representation of a large pharmaceutical company in Cook County, Illinois, defending against product liability claims allegedly relating to ingestion of an anti-smoking cessation medication.
• Representation of a health care division of a large commercial finance company in a dispute concerning trade secrets and noncompete agreements in US District Court, Northern District of Illinois as part of multi-jurisdictional litigation. Preliminary injunction was granted in favor of our client in various jurisdictions and the matter was quickly settled thereafter on terms favorable to our client.
• Lead counsel for one of the world’s largest airlines in defense against a class action brought in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of plaintiffs asserting consumer fraud, negligence, breach of contract and other claims relating to the airline's ticket cancellation policies. Judgment was granted in favor of our client on all claims.
• Representation of a large retailer defending against a class action pending in Florida state court for an alleged violation of the Florida consumer protection statute for alleged overestimation of siding and insulation. After the class was certified, summary judgment was granted for our client on all claims.
• Representation of a large national credit bureau in defense against numerous class actions across the US for claims of violation of federal statutes, consumer protection statutes and state privacy common law throughout the US and in MDL proceedings and, separately, in an action for damages in excess of $150 million for alleged corporate fraud and breach of contract.
• Representation of a large accounting firm in a more than $100 million derivative action pending in Cook County, Illinois, which alleged, among other things, that the client’s audits were not in accordance with GAAP. Successfully obtained a dismissal with prejudice of all claims against our client.
• Representation of a subsidiary of a NYSE company in the US District Court, District of Massachusetts in a $30 million breach of contact and fraud action and accounting matters regarding an $90-plus million asset sale of five companies. The case was settled after partial reversal of a trial court's denial of our client's motion to compel arbitration was granted by the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Representation of a financial services organization in defense against a more than $20-plus million breach of contract and fraud action. After our client's motion to exclude experts was filed, the case was settled on terms favorable to our client.
• Representation of a large film laboratory in a multimillion-dollar breach of contract action in arbitration in Los Angeles tried before the American Arbitration Association, resulting in a multimillion-dollar verdict for our client.
• Representation of a manufacturer of film and plastic bags against a large frozen food company in a breach of contract dispute and defense against an alleged $18 million counterclaim. After a full evidentiary hearing was held, our client successfully obtained dismissal of all counterclaims; the case then was settled, with our clients’ fees paid in full.
• Regional coordinating counsel defending a brake lathe and brake grinder manufacturer in numerous product liability matters pending in Cook County, Illinois in a coordinated proceeding.
• Pro bono representation of plaintiffs in a highly publicized nationwide civil rights action brought against a national restaurant chain in the USDistrict Court, Northern District of Georgia. On behalf of more than 40 plaintiffs, among them the NAACP and various African American guests, the lawsuit alleged that the chain engaged in public accommodations discrimination in violation of Title II and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. This representation was recognized with an Outstanding Achievement Award in the area of Public Accommodations by the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, which termed the action "one of the finest examples of civil rights advocacy in the Committee's history." For this same representation, the General Counsel of the NAACP also wrote a special letter of gratitude.
• Pro bono representation of prisoners at TAMMS Supermax prison in retaliation and due process trials in the US District Court, Southern District of Illinois.