Joe Callaghan is a litigation partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Large corporations turn to Joe for his deep experience in product liability, including mass torts, MDLs and class actions, as well as environmental, complex commercial and other sophisticated litigation in state and federal courts and ADR proceedings nationwide. Joe provides counsel in all phases of litigation, from pre-suit investigations and negotiations through trial and appeal. He has represented clients including Fortune 100 multinational conglomerates, chemical and automotive product manufacturers, and life sciences, healthcare and tech companies.
Joe guides and supports clients as national counsel in expansive and cutting-edge product liability and toxic tort litigation. Clients have sought him out for his experience in the development, implementation and execution of complex litigation strategies in thousands of lawsuits in jurisdictions across the country. He coordinates the efforts of local and regional counsel, and oversees discovery, motion practice and trial preparation. Joe also works closely with fact and expert witnesses who are central to the defense of these mass actions. Corporations facing high-stakes lawsuits seeking damages awards ranging from millions to billions of dollars have also repeatedly tapped Joe to work on trial teams in bellwethers and other key proceedings.
Joe also serves as a risk manager and corporate counselor to high-level business, legal and regulatory compliance contacts, advising throughout all stages of complex internal and external matters. He has been involved in several complex, high-stakes internal and governmental investigation matters for multinational clients in highly-regulated industries. Joe has also routinely performed complex litigation analysis and diligence in the M&A setting, including with respect to environmental and product liability exposure assessments.
Prior to joining Kirkland’s market-leading practice group, Joe was a member of another Chambers Band 1-rated group in Product Liability: Toxic Torts, “a highly regarded litigation group” noted for “strong strategic capabilities,” and with “notable experience acting as national coordinating counsel in major litigation.”
