Shawn M. Taylor, Associate

Shawn Taylor is an associate in the firm’s Chicago office. His practice is concentrated in areas related to complex commercial and intellectual property litigation. Before entering law school, Mr. Taylor was a high school history teacher. 

Mr. Taylor has handled cases in all phases of litigation:  from filing or answering a complaint to appeal. He has also successfully represented clients as plaintiffs and defendants, in state and federal court, on matters ranging from civil RICO litigation to litigation under the Lanham Act and Hatch-Waxman Act. 

In representing pro bono clients in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Mr. Taylor successfully briefed and argued a contested motion for reconsideration, in which the court reversed its own previous ruling and adopted his argument in full, and a contested motion to vacate an agreed order entered between a pro se tenant and her represented landlord. Mr. Taylor successfully argued for the reversal of two state administrative agency decisions, convincing the circuit court that each decision was against the manifest weight of the evidence.       

Activities

Mr. Taylor is actively involved in pro bono representation in both state and federal court. His recent pro bono experiences include representing clients in federal court in section 1983 actions.

Mr. Taylor is a member of the American Bar Association, the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, and the Legal Assistance Foundation’s Young Professionals Board. 

He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Blue Sky Inn, a Chicago non-profit organization that provides employment skills and education to homeless and at-risk youth through employment opportunities at its bakery. 

Education

Mr. Taylor received a B.A., with honors, in History in 2000 and a Master’s in Secondary Education in 2001 from the University of Florida. He received a J.D., cum laude, in 2009 from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. As a member of The Florida Moot Court Team, Mr. Taylor won the award for best oral advocate in the 2007 Final Four Competition.

Speeches and Publications