Jeffrey Kessler Recognized as Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer

Winston & Strawn partner Jeffrey Kessler was named Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer in their April 17, 2026, column.

The recognition stems from his win for a coalition of states against Live Nation in the nation’s first civil monopolization case brought before a jury by government regulators. Federal jurors found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for violating federal and state antitrust laws, concluding they illegally monopolized key segments of the entertainment industry. 

When asked what surprised him most over the course of the trial, Jeffrey said, “It was the documents that were most surprising and told the story. We had a treasure trove of e-mails, chats and messages that revealed the unvarnished way that Live Nation executives spoke about the company’s abuse of monopoly power, which I believe was very compelling to the jury. As I argued in closing, witnesses don’t always tell the truth, but documents don’t lie.”

The Winston trial team also included Eva Cole, Johanna Rae Hudgens, Jeanifer Parsigian, Josh Hafenbrack, Michael Toomey, Zach Alexander, Caroline Beckmann, Tyler Dato, Melissa Iannuzzi, Nick Sloan, Neha Vyas, Dylan Russian, Madeline Virga, Rachel Benjamin, Corinne Kyritsopoulos, and Ramona Van Ness. 

Reflecting on the trial, Jeffrey noted, “Like most trials, I will remember the camaraderie of our trial team, which in this case was a partnership between Winston and the States. Going through a major antitrust trial such as this is akin to going through a battle together―you make strong personal connections that you never forget. I also will never forget how proud I was of this jury, each of whom gave up six weeks of their personal lives for this trial and who then spent four days carefully deliberating over all the evidence before returning a verdict in favor of the States. That inspirational effort by ordinary citizens is why our jury trial system is the best system of justice in the world.”

Read the full Litigator of the Week Q&A.