Shermin Kruse

Sher concentrates her practice on intellectual property disputes, antitrust litigation, and general complex commercial contract and tort disputes for a wide variety of domestic and international corporations. Sher’s practice extends to federal, state and appellate courts throughout the country. She is the co-author of the 2006 and 2008 editions of the Contract Law Handbook, published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. She is also a columnist for the Chicago Lawyer Magazine, advising younger attorneys on ways to succeed in a large law firm environment.

Sher is an active corporate partner of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she advises women business owners on every aspect of their business. Sher is also a frequent lecturer and commentator on NPR on foreign policy issues. In addition, she works with a number of non-profit entities on a pro bono basis in both civil and criminal cases, has received an award for her pro bono efforts by Illinois Legal Aid Online, serves on several non-profit boards, and has formed her own non-profit entities. She has also published creative writing pieces in several national anthologies.

Representative Clients

• Bank of America
• Fendi
• Louis Vuitton North America
• LVMH
• Motiva Enterprises
• Shell Oil Company

Representative Matters

• Fast Break Foods, LLC v. Saudi Aramco Corp.
  

  Represented Motiva Enterprises (a joint venture of Shell and Saudi Aramco) in three consolidated actions brought in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, alleging Sherman Act violations in the refined petroleum products market.

• Siegel v. Shell Oil Co.
  

  Represented Shell in consumer class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging oligopolistic control over prices in retail gasoline market.

• Smith as Plan Trustee for and on behalf of the Estates of Boston Chicken v. Arthur Andersen LLP; Beck v. Bank of America
  

  Represented Bank of America in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in connection with third-party action seeking recovery of more than $1 billion in damages allegedly arising out of national restaurant chain's insolvency.

• Trademark Infringement: Appellate
  

  Represented Louis Vuitton Malletier, a division of LVMH, in successful appeal to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from denial of Louis Vuitton Malletier’s motion for preliminary injunction against Dooney & Bourke in trademark infringement action.

Charitable and Community Involvement

• Co-founder and director of Pasfarda Arts & Cultural Exchange, October 2008 – present
• Former director of the Lincoln Park Community Shelter
• Active Corporate Partner, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), 2008
• Named "Pro Bono Attorney of the Month" by Illinois Legal Aid Online, May 2008

Publications

• Climbing the Ladder: Should working moms network?
• Climbing the Ladder: I'm pregnant! Now what?
• Climbing the Ladder: The Rules of Evidence
• Climbing the Ladder: To Try or Not to Try
• Climbing the Ladder: Braving the Economic Downturn
• Climbing the Ladder: Assisting Your Assistant
• Climbing the Ladder: Mastering the Chess Game
• Climbing the Ladder: Discovering a Work-Life Balance
• Co-Author, "Rights, Legal Remedies, and Calculating Damages for Breach of Contract," Chapter 13, IICLE Contract Law, 2008 and 2006 editions
• Editor of and contributor to Dicta, the Michigan Law School literary journal, 2001
• Associate Editor, Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 2001
• Shermin has also published creative writing pieces in various poetry journals, is working on her first novel, and is a candidate for Masters in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Events & Speaking Engagements

• Shermin Kruse on "Standards of Admissibility"