2026 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
“
STEVEN VANDERPORTEN His background gave him a level of procedural sophistication, strategic discipline, and motion-practice skill that truly sets him apart. ”
AGE: 39 FIRM : Gould Grieco & Hensley LAW SCHOOL : Georgetown Law School
AREA(S) OF PRACTICE: Mass tort, institutional sex abuse, big-tech child safety litigation
S teven Vanderporten has become a leading voice in litigation involving children's online safety following years of handling high-stakes commercial litigation for some of the state’s most notable businesses. His new focus is protecting children from one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms. Vanderporten helped initiate one of the first product design defect lawsuits against Roblox, litigation that has since become part of a multidistrict proceeding against the online gaming plat- form. Roblox is currently facing hundreds of lawsuits alleging the company failed to protect children from sexual predators and groomers. Vanderporten’s work has attracted national attention. Roll- ing Stone, “The Shawn Ryan Show” and Dr. Phil have all sought his insight on issues involving online child safety and litigation against the world’s largest technology companies. “Steve is an exceptional attorney,” said Jesse Footlik, partner with the Chicago office of Peck Ritchey. “He is intelligent, cre- ative, personable and extremely effective. Steve is now a lead- er in a critical area of expertise intended to benefit our youth; specifically, online child safety and holding big tech companies accountable for apps and games marketed to children.” Vanderporten's practice focuses on mass torts, institutional sex abuse cases, and lawsuits involving social media and gam- ing platforms alleged to place children at risk. He is a strategic
leader in the firm's litigation against for-profit youth residential treatment facilities accused of sexual abuse and institutional neglect. Vanderporten also serves as Gould, Grieco & Hensley’s General Counsel, providing operational advice to the growing firm of more than 60 employees. Before shifting to plaintiffs' work, Vanderporten handled business disputes involving shareholders’ rights, fiduciary du- ties, breaches of contract, and financial fraud. Colleagues say that Vanderporten’s experience in corporate work gives him the ability to analyze complex cases from multiple perspectives. “What makes Steven particularly effective is the unique path he took to this work,” said Scott Schonfeld, partner with Fox Swibel. “His background gave him a level of procedural sophisti- cation, strategic discipline, and motion-practice skill that truly sets him apart. He brings that same rigor and precision to some of the most significant mass tort and abuse cases being litigated today.” Those who have worked alongside Vanderporten describe an attorney who refuses to let emotionally charged disputes dic- tate his strategy. “Steven approached both with judgment and proportion,” one nominator wrote of two particularly challenging commer- cial disputes. “He thought carefully about the client's underly- ing business goal, not just the procedural posture, and tailored strategy accordingly.”
71
40 Under Forty 2026
CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
Powered by FlippingBook