Daniel J. Voelker
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in Chicago, IL
- Business Litigation (50%),
- Estate & Trust Litigation (30%),
- Appellate (20%)
The founder of his own firm, Voelker Litigation Group, in Chicago, Illinois, Daniel J. Voelker focuses his practice on commercial and business litigation, including contract disputes, trust and estate disputes, real estate matters, class actions, intellectual property claims, and labor and employment disputes. As the lead litigator at the firm serving a broad base of business clients in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane and McHenry counties and nationwide, Mr. Voelker brings nearly three decades of experience to each case.
In his career, Mr. Voelker has secured numerous successful verdicts and settlements both at previous firms at which he headed the litigation practice and at Voelker Litigation Group. His most recent success was as lead counsel in a case against a Fortune 500 company that resulted in a $35 million award. In December 2012, he and another attorney filed a class action suit, which is still ongoing, against international business process outsourcing giant NCO/APAC for failing to pay overtime wages to supervisors and other employees.
Mr. Voelker practices before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, the Illinois Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of the United States as well as several other state courts and federal district and appellate courts. Mr. Voelker has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1982. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and is a United States delegate to the International Bar Association. He obtained his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Illinois in 1982, and he earned his Juris Doctor in 1985 with "high honors" from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Rated AV-Preeminent* by Martindale-Hubbell, Mr. Voelker has published many articles regarding all aspects of litigation and is a faculty member of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. He has dedicated his spare time to several community and judicial organizations, including multiple ISBA committees.
*AV-Preeminent and BV-Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
- 50%Business Litigation
- 30%Estate & Trust Litigation
- 20%Appellate
Trade Secret, Non-Compete Agreements, Will Contests, Appeals
Selections
Super Lawyers: 2009 - 2011, 2013 - 2020
To: Daniel J. Voelker
Super Lawyers: Potential Client Inquiry
Additional Sources of Information About Daniel J. Voelker
About Daniel Voelker
Admitted: 1985, Illinois
Professional Webpage: http://www.voelkerlitigationgroup.com/
Honors/Awards:
- Judge, National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) National Finals, 2002 - 2004
- "AV" rating* from Martindale-Hubbell's peer Review Process for Over Ten Years
- Judge, Arlyn Miner Moot Court Competition
- Leading Lawyers are selected by their peers as being among the Top 5% of Attorneys in the State of Illinois, 2007 - 2013
- "High Honors" – Seventh in class, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 1985
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Certified Public Accountant in August, 1982 - Present
Bar/Professional Activity:
- President, Chicago-Kent College of Law Alumni Association Board, 1999 - 2002
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, 1985
- Member, Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee (ISBA), 2008 - 2009
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1989
- Member, Illinois Bar Journal Editorial Board, 2010 - 2011
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- United Way of Chicago Campaign, 1996 - 1997
- Member, United Way of Chicago Campaign, New Initiatives Committee
- Instructor, National Institute for Trial Advocacy
- Illinois Supreme Court, 1985
- Member, Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee (ISBA), 1998 - 2002
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2003
- Member, Illinois Bar Journal Editorial Board, 2005 - 2008
- Member, International Bar Association (IBA) and U.S. Representative/Delegate
- Co-Chair, March of Dimes Chicago Chefs' Auction Committee, 1998 - 2002
- Member, United Way of Chicago Campaign, Law Division Committee
- Member, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), 1997 - Present
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1998
- Member, Illinois Judicial Evaluation Committee (ISBA), 1997 - 2012
- U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 1999
- Member, Illinois Continuing Legal Education Committee (ISBA), 2001 - 2003
- Member, Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
- Member, Standing Committee on Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Committee, 2007 - 2009
- Co-Chair, United Way of Chicago Campaign, Young Partners' Committee, 1996 - 1997
- Legal Assistance Foundation Certificate of Merit, 1996
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Board Member, Chicago Baseball Museum, 2010 - 2011
- Board Member, Lookingglass Theatre, 2007 - 2009
- Member, Japan-America Society of Chicago
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Labor Law IICLE Handbook, "Antitrust Problems", 1998
- "U.S. Laws Governing the Rights and Duties of Commercial Agents and Distributors," - Speaker, International Distribution of Goods Seminar, American Conference Institute (ACI), May 9, 1996
- "Strategies for Excellence: Law as a Profession 2000," Speaker, Chicago-Kent College of Law, February 9, 2000
- International Bar Association, Discussion on Public Policy with Chief Justice of Appeals, Sweden, and Justice of the Supreme Court of Queens land, Australia, Amsterdam, Holland, September 18, 2000
- National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA), Moderator and Speaker for course on the Use of Experts in Specialty Litigation, October 19, 2000
- "Strategies for Excellence: Law as a Profession 2001", Speaker, Chicago-Kent College of Law, February 7, 2001
- International Bar Association, Litigating Transnational Contracts, Choice or Imposition, Madrid, Spain, speaker on "E-Commerce Litigation", 2004
- Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Civil Litigation Flashpoints article, May 2007
- Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Civil Litigation Flashpoints article, December 2008
- The ABA's 19th National Institute on Health Care Fraud, speaker and participant in "Trial Demonstration", April 2009
- "It Ain't So, Kid, It Just Ain't So": History's Apology to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Charles Comiskey and Chicago's Black Sox, 2009
- Adjunct Professor, Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, course entitled "International Commercial Litigation and Arbitration", 1998 - Present
- Assistant Legal Writing Instructor, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 1985
- Law Review member (Lead Articles Editor), Chicago-Kent College of Law, 1985
- Comment, "The Application of Comparative Negligence to Strict Products Liability," Coney v. J.L.G. Industries Inc., 59 Chicago-Kent Law Review 1043, 1983
- Contract Law IICLE Handbook, "Contract Formation", 1996, 2006 & 2008
- Business and Commercial Litigation IICLE Handbook, "Development of Legal Theories and Causes of Action", 1999
- Business and Commercial Litigation IICLE Handbook, "Production and Organization of Documents", 1996 & 2007
- Financing Real Estate Transactions IICLE Handbook, "Securities Law Aspects of Real Estate Participation and Financing", 1996
Educational Background:
- University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, College of Commerce and Business Administration, B.S. in Accountancy, May 1982
Daniel J. Voelker:
Last Updated: 4/28/2020