Robert M. Foote

Coming from a family of attorneys, Robert M. Foote’s career path could be viewed as predetermined back to the days he followed his father into courtrooms. “I never thought I’d do anything else,” Foote said.

Born in Massachusetts in 1954, Foote earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard in 1976 and his law degree in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1979 and has spent more than three decades as an accomplished trial lawyer who has collected in excess of a billion dollars for his clients. With hundreds of jury and bench trials to his credit, Foote came together with his current firm which gave him a opportunity to delve deeper into complex litigation and class claims across the country.

Foote has experience representing plaintiffs in complex class action litigation, with service in leadership positions. He is currently part of the Steering Committee of In Re Text Messaging Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1997, No. 08-CV-7082 (N.D. Ill.), a Sherman Act antitrust action in the Northern District of Illinois, as appointed by Judge Matthew F. Kennelly. Additionally, he was on the Steering Committee of In Re Managed Care Litigation, MDL No. 1334, Case No. 04-CV-21589 (M.D. Fla.), appointed by Judge Frederico Moreno of the Southern District of Florida, and where settlements totaling approximately $1 billion dollars to date have been obtained on behalf of healthcare providers. Foote is on the court-appointed Executive Committee of In Re Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1663, Civ. No. 04-518(FSH) (D.N.J.), where settlements have accumulated to over $400 million dollars to date.

Foote has successfully served in leadership roles for class actions throughout the country: Court appointed as lead counsel in resolving a $58 million dollar consumer claim by Judge G. Patrick Murphy of the Southern District of Illinois in Tipsword v. I.F.D.A. Services, Inc., et al., Case No. 09-CV-00390(GPM) (S.D. Ill.); court appointed class counsel by Judge Peter J. Corrigan in Westgate Ford Truck Sales v. Ford Motor Company, Case No. 02-CV-483526 (Ohio Cir. Ct.); court appointed co-lead counsel in Havlish v. bin Laden, Case No. 03-MDL- 1570 (S.D. NY) by Judge Frank Maas, resulting in a judgment in excess of $6 billion dollars on behalf of families of victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and lead class counsel in Lee v. Allstate, Case No. 03-LK-127 (Ill. Cir. Ct.), resulting in an approximately $30 million dollar settlement in an insurance dispute.