Dan K. Webb, Partner

Dan Webb, a partner in the litigation department, serves as firm chairman and is a member of the Executive Committee. His trial practice concentrates in the areas of major commercial, civil, regulatory, and white-collar criminal cases.

Mr. Webb has tried more than 100 jury cases, including numerous successful commercial and white-collar criminal trials. In recent years, he has tried numerous complex commercial cases, representing large corporations in jury trials lasting two months or longer. Mr. Webb joined Winston & Strawn in 1985 as a partner, after serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Mr. Webb has spent his entire professional life as a courtroom trial attorney and litigator. He received international attention for his successful prosecution of retired Admiral John Poindexter in the Iran-Contra affair. As the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, he spearheaded the “Operation Greylord” investigations into judicial corruption in Cook County, Ill. He received national attention for his work as lead trial counsel for General Electric, successfully defending it against criminal price-fixing allegations, as well as for his representations of Microsoft Corp. in its antitrust litigation and Philip Morris in its tobacco-related litigation. In addition, Mr. Webb represented the New York Stock Exchange in connection with an internal investigation over compensation to the former Chairman Richard Grasso and currently represents the NYSE in subsequent litigation.

Most recently, Mr. Webb served as lead counsel in the six-month jury trial of former Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan on public corruption charges, including racketeering, mail fraud, and income tax fraud. The charges were related to actions Ryan took while serving as Illinois Secretary of State and later as governor. While the publicity was heaviest in Chicago, the indictment also garnered nationwide attention, including articles in The New York Times.

Mr. Webb’s corporate clients have included Abbott Laboratories, Alcoa, Altria Group, Inc., American Airlines, Caremark International, Cisco Systems, Commonwealth Edison, General Electric, Microsoft, the NYSE, Owens Corning, Pfizer, Philip Morris USA, Verizon, and Wyeth.

Honors and Awards

• Euromoney's Guide to the World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers – Ranked as the No 1. litigator in the United States
• Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers – Best of the Best 2008 – Ranked as the top litigation expert in the United States and one of the top 25 litigation experts in the world
• Corporate Crime Reporter – Ranked as the No. 1 white-collar criminal defense attorney
• Expert Guides to the World's Leading Litigation Lawyers - Identified as an expert; received more nominations than any other expert in the world
• Leading Lawyers Network – Ranked as the No. 1 business litigator in the Chicago area, the No. 1 business lawyer in Illinois, and the No. 1 lawyer in all areas of law
• Chambers & Partners USA – 2009, ranked as a top attorney in antitrust, general commercial litigation, products liability, and white-collar crime; 2006, ranked No. 2 nationally in Product Liability and listed with exceptional recommendations in Illinois in Commercial Litigation and White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations; 2005, listed with exceptional recommendations in Illinois in Commercial Litigation; 2004, listed with exceptional recommendations in Commercial Litigation, and ranked third in Antitrust Litigation in Illinois; 2003, listed with exceptional recommendations in Illinois in Commercial Litigation 
• The National Law Journal – Verizon Services Inc. v. Vonage Holdings Corp., in which Mr. Webb represented the plaintiff, ranked No. 25 among the top 100 verdicts of 2007
• Leading Lawyers in America – Named in the 2008 edition of “Lawdragon 500: Leading Lawyers in America,” an annual guide to the nation’s top lawyers
• The Best Lawyers in America – Ranked for both business litigation and criminal law; 2010 White-Collar Lawyer of the Year - Chicago Criminal Defense
• National Law Journal – Selected as one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” and as a “Winning Attorney”
• Chambers & Partners Global – Listed as first tier for litigation in the United States for 2006
• Chicago Lawyer - Named “Person of the Year” for 2008

Mr. Webb is also listed in The Legal 500, The Euromoney Guide to the World’s Leading White-Collar Crime Lawyers; Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition; The International Who’s Who of Business Crime Lawyers; The Guide to the World’s Leading Competition & Antitrust Lawyers; and as one of the top 10 with the second-highest number of points in Illinois’ Super Lawyers, 2007, 2008, 2009.

Activities

Education

Speeches and Publications

Mr. Webb is the co-author of Corporate Internal Investigations (Law Journal Seminars Press, 1993-2004) and “Up The Ladder: Litigator Responsibilities Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,” 30 Litigation 22, Summer 2004 (with Scott P. Glauberman). He also co-authored a series of articles in The National Law Journal, including “Fact Witness Preparation,” December 2008; “Trial Teams,” May 2008; “Demonstrative Evidence,” March 2008; “Prior Statements,” December 2007; “Jury Voir Dire,” July 2007; and “The Opening Statement,” April 2007 (all with David Reich).

In addition, Mr. Webb has been the subject of numerous articles, including:

“Profiles in Power – The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” National Law Journal, June 19, 2006

“Closing Arguments As Real-Life Theater,” Chicago Tribune, March 9, 2006

“The Man Who Talked His Way Into Law School,” Illinois SuperLawyers, January 2006

“Witness’ Calm No Match for Ryan Lawyers’ Tenacity,” Chicago Sun-Times, December 13, 2005

“Ryan’s Trial a Battle of Heavyweights,” Chicago Tribune, September 26, 2005

“Racketeering and Fraud Trial Begins for Illinois Ex-Governor,” The New York Times, September 20, 2005

“Big Tobacco, In Court Again, But Stock Is Still Up,” The New York Times, August 14, 2005

“Ex-Governor Pins Hopes on ‘Aw, Shucks’ Guy from Bushnell,” Associated Press, March 20, 2005

“Pritzkers Settle Family Lawsuit; Cost: a Fortune,” The Wall Street Journal, January 7, 2005

“Crain’s List: 2004’s Big Litigation,” Crain’s Chicago Business, November 15, 2004

“Being Dan Webb,” The American Lawyer, September 2004

“Need a Superlawyer? Take a Number,” The New York Times, June 13, 2004

“Lead Tobacco Lawyers Some of Nation’s Best,” Winston-Salem Journal, September 21, 2004

“Tycoon’s Estate Meant Overtime for Executors – Jack Kent Cooke’s Will Sparked Fights, Big Fees; Redskins Handoff Fumbled,” The Wall Street Journal Europe, July 13, 2004

“Familiar Firepower Is Reunited in Grasso Case,” The Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2004

“Interview with Dan Webb,” Litigation, Volume 20, Number 2, Winter 2004

“In Ryan’s Corner: Top U.S. Defender,” Chicago Sun-Times, December 21, 2003

“Webb Set to Defend ‘Ryan the Man‘ – Ex-U.S. Attorney a Top Litigator,” Chicago Tribune, December 19, 2003

“Peers Vote Webb Top Defense Lawyer in White-Collar Cases,” Chicago Sun-Times, May 28, 2003

“Who Do You Call When the SEC IS Knocking at Your Door? The White Collar Winner,” Corporate Legal Times, January 2003

“Webb Steps Up to Celebrity Bar – Welch Case Gives Lawyer Shot at New Kind of Stardom,” Crain’s Chicago Business, November 4, 2002

“Judge Permits a Litigator to Join Welch Divorce Team,” The New York Times, October 31, 2002

“Jack Welch to Add Top Trial Lawyer Webb to Divorce Team,” USA Today, October 30, 2002

“For Rivals, Change of Venue – Microsoft Case Puts Familiar Opponents in Unfamiliar Territory,” The Washington Post, April 15, 2002

“30 Tough Lawyers,” Chicago Magazine, March 2002

“Legal Heavyweights Add Punch to the Microsoft Case,” Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2002

“Who’s Who Among Practice Group Leaders Survey,” Chicago Lawyer, September 2001

“Can Dan Webb Pull Big Tobacco Out of the Fire?” Business Week, October 13, 1997

“Presumed Guilty,” Vanity Fair, October 1996

“GE Crushes the Trustbusters,” The American Lawyer, January/February 1995