Leonard Gail, a founding partner at Massey & Gail LLP, is a seasoned litigator with previous experience as Deputy General Counsel at Bank One. Gail currently represents major clients such as JPMorgan and Unite Here Health. Recently, Gail defended JPMorgan in a $170m embezzlement claim and handles class actions for Unite Here Health, including a case challenging administrative expenses in a multi-employer health plan.
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Chicago Elite
Profile
Position
Founding Partner
Career
Lenny has over three decades of experience in civil and criminal matters involving a wide range of trial, other litigation and counseling services. As a Founding Partner of Massey & Gail and as a Partner with Bartlit Beck, he has led teams working on complex matters nationwide. As Deputy General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Bank One (a Fortune 100 diversified financial services company later acquired by JP Morgan Chase), he managed a wide array of practice groups and served as the Law, Compliance and Government Relations Department’s Chief Financial Officer, with a $100 million-plus budget. And as an Assistant United States Attorney, he directed investigations and led trial teams, including on multi-million-dollar corporate fraud matters.
He has taken to trial or argued on appeal dozens of sizeable matters covering a variety of substantive legal areas. Representative cases have involved antitrust, banking, bankruptcy, constitutional, contract, employment, environmental, ERISA, fraud, labor, patent, product liability, professional malpractice, real estate, regulatory, securities, and technology issues.
Memberships
The Bowe Stewart Foundation Board of Directors, Trustee
The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, Co-Founder, Former Chairman of the Board, Former Executive Director, and Board Member
The Chicago Humanities Festival, Board Member
The Northwestern University School of Communication, Advisory Board Member
The Steans Family Foundation, Trustee
Mt. Sinai Hospital, Former Board Member
Chicago Run, Co-Founding and Former Board Member
The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, Co-Founder, and Former Chairman of the Board and Board Member
The Chicago Debate Commission, Former Board Member
Education
Harvard Law School, J.D., Cum Laude, 1985-1988
Dartmouth College, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, Government, 1981-1985
Content supplied by Massey & Gail LLP
Key clients
- JPMorgan
- Unite Here Health
Work highlights
- Defended JPMorgan Chase against lawsuits by alleged Epstein victims and the U.S. Virgin Islands under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), achieving a favorable settlement and addressing significant legal issues. The case attracted considerable media attention.
- Defending JPMorgan in a $170m lawsuit from entities affiliated with a former Private Bank client, alleging liability for embezzlement by the client's former CFO. The case is currently in expert discovery.
- Representing Unite Here Health in a putative class action against a not-for-profit multiemployer Taft-Hartley trust fund, plaintiffs allege that the trustees breached their fiduciary duty by incurring excessive administrative expenses and improperly allocating them between plan units, resulting in higher contribution rates and reduced benefits.