In 40 years of experience, Stanley Adelman has tried more than 90 cases and has handled cases in almost every area of commercial litigation, including antitrust, securities fraud, RICO, fraud, consumer fraud, distributorship and franchise terminations, other franchise disputes, contracts, legal malpractice, trade regulation, patent, trademark and copyright, trade secrets, covenants not to compete, employee raiding, construction, real estate, partnership and corporate dissolution, foreclosures, lender liability, banking, business torts, bankruptcy, UCC, ERISA and MPPA, environmental, secured lending, estate and tax matters, receiverships and various class actions.

Mr. Adelman is currently one of DLA Piper's pro bono partners, spending up to one third of his billable hour commitment on pro bono matters. He recently finished a major public accommodation discrimination case in federal court in Georgia representing the NAACP and various individuals against a national restaurant chain. Mr. Adelman is currently working with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and US AID, drafting legislation relating to the courts and a code of civil procedure as well as working on legal training issues in Kosovo. In 2009, the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice honored him with its Unsung Hero award for his pro bono work and leadership. In 2007, he received the Seeds of Justice Award from the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest for his work on the federal case seeking changes in the Nebraska foster care system. He is currently representing one of the defendants in the much publicized Jena 6 case in Jena, Louisiana. Mr. Adelman helped develop the Chicago office's signature Juvenile Justice Project and remains involved in that project, both providing direct representation of juveniles in the Cook County Juvenile Courts on a pro bono basis and working on problems relating to the relationship between the juvenile justice system and the school system. In 2007, he received DLA Piper's national Pro Bono Partner of the Year award. He is currently President of the Board for the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice.

Mr. Adelman has been listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law for approximately 15 years. He has been designated an Illinois Super Lawyer every year since 2005.

His current caseload involves extensive practice on a variety of commercial matters in federal and state courts and before arbitrators nationwide. He has also served as an arbitrator for the International Chamber of Commerce. In the appellate area, Mr. Adelman has recently handled franchise and trademark cases in the Seventh Circuit and contract, class action consumer fraud, contract construction, partnership disputes, and patent license cases in the Illinois Appellate Court.

Significant Cases

• Three-and-a-half-month Illinois state court jury trial in Chicago on various claims asserted by a supplier of a national franchisor claiming over $180 million.
• A two-week federal court jury trial in Denver involving the defense of a $10 million contract action.
• Successful defense of an attempt to enjoin a $230 million tender offer in the Delaware Chancery Court.
• Representation of a major national franchisor in a federal court suit by one of its largest Illinois franchisees challenging the company’s method of doing business by building corporate stores near franchised operations and claiming a breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing and various commercial torts based on the alleged encroachment.

Recent Cases

• A multimillion-dollar rescission trial for a major national franchisor.
• Dismissed an Internet gambling RICO suit against a national credit card issuer.
• Dismissed a RICO class action suit against a consumer lender.
• Successful defense of a national drug store chain in an emotional distress and invasion of privacy suit.
• Representation of an alleged co-conspirator in one of the nation's largest criminal international antitrust price-fixing cases.
• Representation of a national publicly held company as lessee and claimant in a case involving the purchase and leaseback of approximately $185 million of computer equipment.
• Representation of a national bank, which is an issuer of credit cards, in a class action suit claiming a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Act and Truth in Lending Act, and alleging violations in defendant's attempts to collect bad debts in a portfolio purchased from another lender, and many other cases involving these statutes against lenders and title companies.
• Representation of plaintiffs in a major public accommodations/discrimination case against a national restaurant chain in federal court in Georgia.
• Representation of the plaintiff corporation in a trade secrets, employee raiding, and defamation case in federal court in Louisiana.
• Representation of defendants in several class actions involving Fair Credit Reporting Act issues.

In the last several years, Mr. Adelman has handled:

• The defense of a broker in disciplinary proceedings brought by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
• A multimillion-dollar class action against a national bank by defeating class certification.
• A major construction arbitration trial involving one of Chicago's largest buildings.
• The trial of a securities arbitration claim brought against a brokerage firm.
• A jury trial relating to international letters of credit.
• A several million dollar lender liability bench trial.
• A million dollar-plus broker's commission bench trial.
• An injunction and bench trial involving partnership disputes over the development of a major Chicago building.
• A class action involving alleged forced placement of insurance to cover car loans.
• The defense of the officers and directors of a publicly held corporation in a securities fraud action related to an offering of $150 million of debentures.