Suzanne Milne Alexander

Suzanne Milne Alexander

Counsel
"Working closely with our clients to provide creative and dynamic representation and deliver the best outcome and solutions are the things I love most about practicing law."

Overview

Suzanne Milne Alexander concentrates her practice on complex litigation with an emphasis on business, employment and catastrophic tort litigation. She has been a member of trial teams responsible for cases that have gone to verdict in state and federal courts, including in Illinois, Texas and Louisiana. She has represented Fortune 100 companies in product liability defense, toxic tort defense, environmental disaster claims, defense of securities class actions, defense of patent infringement and other intellectual property claims, defense of inventorship claims as well as trade secrets and breach of contract claims.

Suzanne was a member of the trial team that defended BP in In Re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico, which resulted in eleven deaths and environmental damages claims approaching $50 billion. She focused on issues of civil liability and government regulations, and helped prepare and produce witnesses appearing at deposition, investigated and secured complex expert witness testimony, and conducted factual investigation surrounding the explosion and resulting spill.

In addition to her courtroom experience, Suzanne advises clients on matters involving risk management and employment liability, and on matters at the pre-suit stage of litigation with a focus on helping her clients avoid costly discovery disputes and trials.

Suzanne received a B.S. in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University in 1996. She graduated summa cum laude from DePaul University College of Law in 2004, where she served as the Editor in Chief of the DePaul Law Review and received Order of the Coif.

Experience

  • Represented BP in both civil action and Marine Board investigation. Involved in multiple aspects of fact and expert discovery. In Re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010.
  • Member of National Coordinating Counsel team for a Fortune 50 company responsible for all asbestos matters. Developed a national trial strategy for premises litigation/asbestos exposure docket.
  • Member of trial team obtaining judgment for clients on trade secret and conversion claims, and limited damages to a $1.00 verdict on breach of contract claim in a six week intellectual property jury trial in Illinois state court.
  • Member of trial team obtaining the first defense “not guilty” verdict in the history of the State of Louisiana for an asbestos premises liability claim on behalf of a multi-national corporation.
  • Defended Fortune 50 company in significant asbestos premises case in Tacoma, Washington. Case settled favorably for client the day before trial.
  • Managed discovery, including the oversight of a team of 10 lawyers, responsible for establishing and managing the document depository, consisting of millions of pages of documents, for a consortium of 7 individual defendants in complex patent litigation.
  • Successfully obtained judgment on the pleadings in a high stakes securities class action lawsuit.

Professional Activities

Bar

  • Women’s Bar Association of Illinois – 2018-present
  • Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in the Law – Associate’s Committe, 2016-present

Community

  • Response Center, a Jewish United Fund Organization – Lay Response Board Committee Member 2015-2016
  • Lincoln School Parent Teacher Association – Vice President, 2017-2018, General Executive Board Member 2016-2017
  • Indian Trail School Parent Teacher Organization – Vice President, 2018-present
  •  Briarwood Country Club – Tennis Chair, 2016-present

Practice Areas

  • Complex Litigation & Appeals
  • Employment Counseling & Litigation

Education

  • J.D., DePaul University College of Law, summa cum laude, 2004
  • B.S., Northwestern University, 1996

Admissions and Qualifications

  • U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois

Prior Experience

  • Kirkland & Ellis, LLP - Associate, Partner (2004-2014)