MICHAEL LISAK serves as Counsel in the Chicago office. Prior to joining Sidley in 2008, he was a partner and trial attorney at a law firm in Baltimore. Michael has substantial national experience in toxic and mass torts as well as in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, including trials. Michael’s toxic tort cases have included ethylene oxide, asbestos, and lead paint, while his pharmaceutical experience has spanned varied medications. His practice has included serving as both national and regional counsel in many federal and state mass tort litigations, including multidistrict cases and class actions, as well as individualized lawsuits. He has also been involved in defending “whistle-blower” allegations concerning pharmaceutical sales and marketing practices. Michael is a co-founder of Sidley’s Nanotechnology group.
Throughout his career, Michael has distinguished himself in identifying, developing, and presenting experts for deposition and trial, as well as during class certification proceedings and Daubert/Frye hearings. These fields have spanned nearly every area of medical and scientific knowledge as well as regulatory, business, and economic issues. He has also taken and coordinated the depositions of plaintiffs’ experts across the United States within these fields. Michael has excelled in defending United States and foreign company witnesses for deposition and trial, as well as in taking plaintiff, employer, and treating healthcare provider depositions. He has spent significant time conducting factual investigations, pursing written discovery, and varied motion practice.
Michael graduated with Departmental Honors from The Johns Hopkins University in 1991, and with Honors from The Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1995 where he completed a Certificate in the Environmental and Energy Law Program. He is a Member of the Illinois, Maryland (inactive) and District of Columbia (inactive) state and federal bars as well as the Defense Research Institute. Michael co-authored three papers concerning nanotechnology.