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David M. Rownd

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David M. Rownd is a Partner in Thompson Coburn's business litigation group, handling cases involving breach of contract, fraud and deceptive business practices, interference with business relationships, restrictive covenants and trade secrets, partnership and shareholder disputes, real estate and land use matters, class actions, complex injury claims and insurance matters. He has tried bench and jury trials in state and federal courts, conducted hearings before administrative agencies and represented clients in arbitrations and mediations before domestic and international alternative dispute resolution tribunals. He has substantial experience prosecuting and defending emergency proceedings for injunctive relief.

David received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He is admitted to practice before the Illinois state courts, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and federal district courts in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and he has been admitted pro hac vice for various cases in numerous courts across the country. He has been selected for inclusion numerous times in the annual Illinois Super Lawyers®  in business litigation, and in 2009 he was invited to become a Fellow of the honorary trial lawyer society, Litigation Counsel of America.

David represents clients in the telecommunications, real estate, manufacturing, technology, financial services and insurance industries. In addition to handling litigation matters for large publicly traded companies, David represents a number of closely held companies and individual entrepreneurs, drawing on his experience to counsel clients on business strategy, financing, risk management, dispute resolution and finding creative solutions to difficult business problems.

American Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
Illinois State Wireless Association
North River Commission
Treasurer
Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association
President
On behalf of a buyer of a business, obtained summary judgment on fraud, breach of contract and duress claims filed by seller, in which seller claimed that buyer purchased business for purpose of eliminating a competitor and failed to use good faith efforts to generate expected royalties.
Obtained dismissal of $5 Million claim against the liquidator of an insolvent insurance company for commissions allegedly due an insurance agent.
Obtained temporary restrictive order against financial consultants prohibiting them from using customer information belonging to their former employer in connection with their new employment.
Obtained half-million dollar award in arbitration involving an insurance agent’s failure to turn over contingent commissions to which it was not entitled.
Successfully intervened in federal court action in which Illinois plaintiff had obtained a temporary restraining order against our client’s non-resident employees, prohibiting the employees from working for our client. Because our client’s intervention destroyed diversity of citizenship, the court dismissed the entire action and dissolved the restraining order.
Obtained million dollar award in an arbitration involving whether the former stockholders of a company that the client acquired were obligated to indemnify the client for taxes that were accrued but unpaid at the time of closing.
Won motion for summary judgment on behalf of cell tower owner in action against landowner, holding that cell tower owner had the right under its agreement with landowner to add additional wireless providers to the tower without paying additional compensation to the landowner.
Represented the Illinois Director of Insurance in trial that determined that an insurer should be liquidated because of its insolvency.
Successfully defended cable television provider against a temporary restraining order sought by municipality to prevent closure of production studio.
Represented a school bus company which had received a three year, $3 million contract from a suburban Chicago school district. An unsuccessful bidder sought to enjoin the school district from awarding the contract to our client, alleging that its bid was invalid and should have been rejected as a matter of law. Successfully opposed the plaintiff's motion for preliminary injunction and preserved the contract for our client.
Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers®
(Top Five Percent) in Business Litigation, Law and Politics - Illinois Super Lawyers® (2006, 2009 - 2012)
Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
Establishing a Protectable Interest, Forward Thinking for Clients that Use Restrictive Covenants Illinois State Bar Association, Corporation, Securities & Business Law Forum, Vol. 46, No. 3 (April 2001)
Co-Author, Corporate Relationships and Coverage Coverage, Vol. 8, No. 6 (1998)
Co-Author, Court Decisions Favor Federal Preemption in Medical Device Litigation Legal Backgrounder, Washington Legal Foundation. Vol. 10, No. 13 (1995)
Co-Author, Federal Preemption is Powerful Antidote to Product Liability Explosion Against Medical Device Manufacturers Legal Backgrounder, Washington Legal Foundation, Vol. 9, No. 21 (1994)
Muting The Commercial Speech Doctrine, Fox v. Board of Trustees Washington U. Jour. Urb. and Contemp., 38, L. 275 (1990)
David M. Rownd
Washington University in St. Louis
J.D. (1991)
Articles Editor, Washington University Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law (1990-91)
Northwestern University
B.A. (1987)
Illinois (1991)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (1991)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar (1992)
U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois (1992)
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (1993)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin (1996)
U.S. Supreme Court (2006)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana (2008)