The Drug and Device Law Blog, one of the premier legal blogs, posted an article by Blackwell Burke P.A. attorney Brendan M. Kenny analyzing recent decisions by Illinois appellate courts regarding civil defendants’ forum non conveniens motions. This is the second article that Mr. Kenny has written for the blog, and his articles have received more views on the blog than any other article in the blog’s seven year history. Mr. Kenny analyzed the effect that the Illinois Supreme Court’s recent Fennell v. Illinois Central Railroad Company decision is having on the appellate courts’ review of district courts’ forum non conveniens decisions. He concludes that appellate courts are applying Fennell’s analysis of forum shopping by out-of-state plaintiffs to limit in-state plaintiffs’ ability to bring suits in Illinois forums where they have no significant connection. The article, entitled “Tale of Two Districts: How Does Fennell Apply to Illinois Resident Plaintiffs?”, is available here.
Brendan M. Kenny is the founder of the Twin Cities E-Discovery Forum and a member of the Seventh Circuit Electronic Discovery Pilot Program’s National Outreach Committee. He was named an “Up & Coming Attorney” by Minnesota Lawyer in 2013. The recognition highlights those lawyers within their first 10 years of practice who have already distinguished themselves by their achievements. Before joining Blackwell Burke P.A., Mr. Kenny was a Deputy Attorney General in the California Attorney General’s Office in San Francisco where he gained first-chair trial experience. Since joining Blackwell Burke, Mr. Kenny has focused his practice on toxic tort, products liability, and other complex litigation.
Blackwell Burke P.A., a litigation and trial boutique in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves as national trial and litigation counsel for numerous Fortune 500 companies. The firm is recommended by Benchmark Litigation and honored as a “Go-To Law Firm” for the Top 500 Companies by Corporate Counsel magazine. The firm has represented corporate clients in practically every jurisdiction in the country, as well as several foreign countries.
For more information about Blackwell Burke P.A. or Mr. Kenny, please contact Kandy Branch at 612-343-3235.