2026 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
“
Jaime's trial vision is that of a chess master, one who is always strategizing and thinking many moves ahead of her opponent. ”
JAIME SIMON AGE: 39 FIRM : Sidley Austin LLP LAW SCHOOL : Harvard Law School
AREA(S) OF PRACTICE: Trials, product liability and mass torts, white collar defense
J aime Simon has the rare ability to distill complex evidence into clear, jury-friendly narratives. This skill has helped her become one of the top litigation attorneys in the Chicago area. An example? In 2025, Simon served as trial captain for Sidley’s team defending Novo Nordisk in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, overseeing a 14-member team that secured the first-ever complete defense verdict for a phar- maceutical company in an False Claims Act jury trial. Marc Fish- man, Novo Nordisk's head of global litigation, touted Simon’s skills as a trial specialist. “Jaime's trial vision is that of a chess master, one who is al- ways strategizing and thinking many moves ahead of her oppo- nent,” Fishman said. Bryce Cooper, a partner in Winston Taylor’s Chicago office, worked with Simon on the first Monsanto Roundup trial in 2018. Cooper said no member of the team outworked Simon. “Her ability to synthesize complex factual and legal issues, an- ticipate opposing counsel's tactics and contribute meaningfully to real-time trial strategy was deeply impressive,” Cooper said. Skadden partner Manuel Cachan, who has worked on multiple cases with Simon, called her one of the finest young trial lawyers he has ever worked with. Cachan said she joined the Evard v. Monsanto trial team only days before trial in Chicago and quickly became indispensable, helping secure
the first ever defense verdict in a case involving both Roundup and PCBs. “She thinks around corners,” Cachan said. "She can see the whole chessboard of a complex trial while still mastering the de- tails that decide whether an witness examination, expert presen- tation, or evidentiary argument will succeed.” Cachan also cred- ited Simon with coordinating multi-firm efforts in a 22-plaintiff action in Washington State alleging injuries from PCB exposure at the Sky Valley Education Center. Simon led preparation for trial testimony of key scientific ex- perts, including the cross-examination of plaintiffs' experts and the direct examination of defense experts on PCB exposure. “This work required her to synthesize years of history and complex scientific data” another nominator who worked with Simon on the Sky Valley litigation said. “She has an impressive command of the science underlying PCB exposure claims, and she consistently translates dense material into clear, compelling themes that juries can understand and apply.” The nominator also praised Simon’s unique ability to unite a trial team. “Jaime coordinated lawyers and paralegals across multiple defense law firms and kept everyone aligned on trial strategy and execution. This was a substantial leadership undertaking that she executed with exceptional skill.”
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40 Under Forty 2026 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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