40 Under Forty 2022

2022 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH

JAMES P. LOOBY

W hat has fueled James Looby's suc- cess as he has become one of the most respected labor and employment specialists in Chicago? Looby's peers cites this young attorney's attention to detail, legal knowledge and ability to identify those strategies most likely to result in successful results for his clients. Looby's fellow attorneys say that he boasts a deep knowledge of the mechan- ics of the Fair Labor Standards Act and other federal and state laws, and applies their rules to predict outcomes in situa- tions where no case law exists. Looby also possesses detailed knowledge of the vari- ous damage theories in these cases, which allows him to provide the best possible advice to his clients concerning potential exposure and how best to defend the case. It's all added up to a long list of satis- fied clients who trust Looby to handle their most complex labor and employment issues. Karin Ashford, currently Group Vice President / Legal & Chief Counsel for Greenwood Racing, Inc., first met Looby when he was one of two attorneys repre- senting Penn National Gaming in a compli- cated wage-and-hour class action case. "James was instrumental in getting a series of complex cases settled," Ashford said. "His analytical skills were essential in understanding the areas of potential liability and the various approaches to cal- culating damages. His attention to detail and his ability to think creatively helped us successfully settle these matters." In addition to his legal skills, Looby boasts a passion for serving his clients. No one outworks him. Because of this, Looby's clients trust him to handle their

most sensitive and critical labor and em- ployment issues. "James' dedication, intelligence and ability to identify the germane issues in dispute, and how to appropriately resolve them, are impressive by any standard," said a judge with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Curt Kramer, former General Counsel of Navistar, similarly remarked, “James gets the issues we are trying to solve and laid out a strategy to accomplish that. Far too often do outside counsel think all issues we bring to them are le- gal issues but most of them are business issues in sheep’s legal cloth. James gets that which is a tremendous asset to folks like me.” Sean Crotty of Chicago law firm Crotty & Schiltz met Looby through a complex commercial case in which he and Looby were adversaries. In this ERISA case, Crot- ty's client's case was consolidated with the case of a second client represented by a different attorney. This meant that Looby was basically required to defend two cas- es in one. Crotty said that Looby excelled while facing this challenge. Crotty said that in his writing, Looby presented complicated facts and challeng- ing legal concepts with an unusual clarity. His skill in taking and defending deposi- tions was second to none. "But what was most impressive about James' handling of this case was the total professionalism that he displayed through- out," Crotty said. "James always confined the adversarial aspects of litigation to their proper place and never allowed them to spill over into his interactions with his op- posing counsel or the court. He is, in short, a lawyer's lawyer."

“ He is, in short, a lawyer’s lawyer”

AGE 36

FIRM Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP LAW SCHOOL DePaul University College of Law AREA OF PRACTICE Labor and employment law

40 Under Forty 2022 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN