CHICAGO – Winston & Strawn LLP has announced that Jeffrey Kessler and Dan Webb have been elected co-chairmen of the firm. They will serve a three-year term through September 2018. Mr. Webb has served as the firm chairman for almost a decade and will continue to lead the firm’s trial practice and serve on the Executive Committee. Mr. Kessler is the first firm chairman from the New York office, which has grown rapidly during 2015. He also will maintain his other firm leadership positions, including serving on the Executive Committee, as chair of the Antitrust/Competition Practice, and as co-chair of the Sports Law Practice.

“Jeffrey and Dan are two of the most well-known attorneys in the country with distinct and renowned practices,” said Tom Fitzgerald, Winston’s firmwide managing partner. “Dan has been instrumental in leading the firm for more than a decade, and we look forward to his collaboration with Jeffrey in continuing to guide the firm’s strategy and direction.” 

Mr. Webb has served as Winston’s sole chairman since 2006, when he replaced Governor James R. Thompson, who currently serves as senior chairman. Earlier this year, Governor Thompson announced he will retire from the firm on January 31, 2016.

“I am honored to be elected co-chairman of Winston and to serve alongside Dan Webb, who is one of the finest lawyers of this generation,” said Mr. Kessler. “Dan and Tom Fitzgerald have led the firm to great global renown during the past decade, and I look forward to working with them to continue building upon this record of outstanding achievement and success.”

Mr. Kessler is widely recognized as one of the leading antitrust and sports litigators in the world, as well as one of the nation’s top trial and appellate advocates. He has been lauded by numerous publications for his achievements, including most recently being named “Litigator of the Week” by The American Lawyer for his landmark victory on behalf of the NFLPA and Tom Brady in the Deflategate litigation. He also has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading antitrust lawyers by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, and The Legal 500, and one of the “The 50 Most Influential People in the Sports Business” by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal. Under his leadership, Winston’s Sports Law Practice was named by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers – “Best Law Firms” as “Law Firm of the Year” and the firm’s Antitrust/Competition Practice as “2015 Team of the Year” in cartel defense by The Legal 500.

Having tried more than 100 cases, Mr. Webb is recognized consistently as one of the most sought-after trial lawyers in the country. His trials include numerous complex civil jury trials and white-collar criminal trials, in which he has achieved unparalleled success. He has been called “Corporate America’s defender of choice” by The American Lawyer, “one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers” by the Los Angeles Times, and “a master at work” by the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Webb is listed as a “Star Individual” in the trial lawyers category by Chambers USA, a “National Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, and one of the top 10 trial lawyers in the United States by The Legal 500.