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TEL 312 565.8352
FAX 312 565.8300
jkomie@SchuylerRoche.com



Securities and Commodities Litigation

Commercial and Employment Litigation



Porzig v. Dresdner, Kleinwort, Benson North America LLC - Has a "Perfect Storm" Caused a Sea Change in Judicial Review of Arbitral Awards of Attorney's Fees?


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A litigator and counselor, James Komie specializes in securities law and in commercial and employment matters. During his nearly 15 years at Schuyler Roche, Jim has built a solid reputation for his careful and sophisticated handling of litigation. He prides himself on being responsive to clients and results oriented when pursuing their goals. Clients and colleagues agree he is easy to work with and say they admire his practical nature and creative approach to problem solving.

Jim is a Chicago native whose family has lived in the area for more than a century. He is a third-generation attorney—his father and cousin are well-known members of the Chicago Bar.

Jim’s practice began at a midsize firm in Washington, D.C. While there, he worked on a variety of matters unique to attorneys practicing law in the nation’s capital, including rulemaking proceedings before federal agencies and litigation challenging actions of the federal government. In 1991 Jim returned to Chicago to join Schuyler Roche as an associate, attracted by our national reputation for securities and commodities litigation.


In addition to representing securities firms and brokers, Jim serves a wide variety of business entities, large and small, regarding employment-related issues. His representation includes, but is not limited to:

  • appearing in federal and state court on a wide variety of litigation matters, including at bench and jury trials
  • appearing before arbitration panels of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in cases regarding employment and sales practices
  • meeting with state agencies on employment discrimination matters
  • advising corporations about various employment matters, particularly restrictive covenant agreements and other steps necessary to protect proprietary business information
  • helping to draft employment agreements, including restrictive covenant provisions.


For many years, Jim has worked closely with the law department of a major securities brokerage firm, helping to plan and implement its nationwide strategy regarding restrictive covenant and trade secret litigation. In addition to counseling this brokerage firm, he has appeared in court and in arbitration representing its interests in numerous matters involving brokers. Jim also has:

  • successfully defended employers in a variety of employment discrimination cases involving discrimination against age, sex and mental handicap
  • successfully defended a startup company in an arbitration brought by its former vice president of sales, defeating his claims for unpaid compensation and obtaining an order nullifying his stock rights—later successfully opposing the former employee's attempt to vacate the arbitration award in federal court
  • obtained a valuable settlement on a claim filed at the NASD and in New York State court for unpaid bonus money on behalf of a discharged institutional securities professional, notwithstanding the fact that the bonus plan stated the bonus was discretionary
  • obtained summary judgment on behalf of a corporate trustee, defeating the trust beneficiary's attempt to dissolve the trust and gain access to the trust's assets—a victory later affirmed by the Illinois appellate court
  • successfully defended an individual trustee at a bench trial lasting several weeks in the Circuit Court of Cook County against an accounting claim brought by one of the trust's beneficiaries
  • probated the will of a doctor who had disappeared and was presumed dead and successfully defended the subsequent will contest brought by the doctor's brother in the Circuit Court of Cook County
  • obtained a highly satisfactory settlement in a court-appointed case in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for a prisoner who had been sexually assaulted by his cellmate.

Jim—who has helped maintain our loyal clientele through his substantial experience in serving securities brokerage firms and various other businesses—welcomes your call.

 

Schuyler Roche, P.C.
Chicago, Illinois

President
2007 to Present

Member
Board of Directors
2007 to Present

Shareholder
1999 to Present

Partner
1997 to 1999

Associate
1991 to 1997

Ginsburg, Feldman & Bress
Washington, D.C.

Associate
1987 to 1991

Mayer, Brown & Platt
Chicago, Illinois

Summer Associate
1985

 


 

J.D., Cum Laude, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1987.

B.A., High Distinction and High Honors, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1984.

 


 

Illinois Super Lawyers, Law & Politics, since 2005.

Leading Lawyers Network, Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2006.

Martindale-Hubbell, “peer review rated for ethical standards and legal ability,” since 2005.

 


 

"Keeping It Under Lock and Key: Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets and Employee Duty of Loyalty," the Plaza Club, 2006.

"Protecting What's Yours: Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets and Employee Duty of Loyalty," Lorman Education Services, 2006.

“Restrictive Covenants: Law and Practice,” presented at the 32nd Annual Institute on Employment Law, Practising Law Institute, 2003.

“Examining Recent Raiding Claims in Arbitration and the Ramifications of the Outcomes,” fourth annual conference Raiding on Wall Street, Institute for International Research, 2001.

“Business Tort Update,” Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, 2001.

“Discrimination from A to Z,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce, 1995.

 


 

Co-author, "Vacating an Award Based on Arbitrator Misclassification: What Are the Pitfalls and Hurdles?" (Bloomberg Law Reports, Volume 2, Number 6, July 2006).

"Defending Your Business from Ex-Employees: An Employer's Guide" (Schuyler Roche Views, Volume 1, Issue 1, Summer 2006).

Securities Litigation Commentator, Contributing Legal Editor, 2005.

 


 

Illinois, 1987

District of Columbia, 1989

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; General Bar, 1991; Trial Bar, 1997

 


 

Chicago Bar Association

Illinois State Bar Association

Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel

American Bar Association



 

Park District of Northbrook, youth soccer and basketball coach, 2000 to 2005.