Jennifer Saulino

JENNIFER SAULINO is one of the most sought-after first chair trial lawyers in the country and a global co-leader of Sidley’s Product Liability practice. A fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, Jennifer combines her decades as a trial lawyer in large, complex, high-profile, document-intensive trials, together with her years as a federal criminal fraud prosecutor, to handle civil and criminal trial matters by creating clear, direct, simple presentations to teach complex facts to juries and judges, empowering them to make the right decision based on understanding the facts and following the law while resisting emotion or anger. Her reputation as a trial strategist stems from her ability to see the whole picture at all times throughout the trial preparation and execution. She designs her trial presentations and examinations to convey her planned message from beginning to end. With experience trying complex and lengthy cases to jury verdicts in numerous federal and state courts throughout the country, companies and individuals turn to her for their most challenging trial cases.

Jennifer is ranked by Chambers USA for Litigation: Trial Lawyers (Nationwide; 2025) and Product Liability and Mass Torts (Nationwide; 2025), as well as Litigation: General Commercial (District of Columbia; 2022–2025) and Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations (District of Columbia; 2023–2025), with clients recognizing her trial prowess and high-quality advice.

Jennifer was named “Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation in 2025 and also “National Practice Area Star” (2025) and “Litigation Star” (2025) for Product Liability in the District of Columbia. She was also named to Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation” 2024 and 2025 lists. In 2025, Jennifer was recommended by Legal 500 United States for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action for Defense: Consumer Products (including Tobacco), Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, and Defense: Toxic Tort. Jennifer has also been named to Bloomberg Law’s inaugural 2025 “Unrivaled” list.

“Jennifer is skilled on her feet and has a likeability and personality that really resonates with judges and jurors. She is constantly motivated and has the drive and determination.”
Chambers USA 2025

“She lives in trial. If I had a case that goes to trial I would find a way to have her on the team.”
Chambers USA 2025

Jennifer served for nearly seven years as a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Criminal Division, Fraud Section, where she held a number of positions, including Assistant Chief of the Section. During her time at the DOJ, she led trial teams as first chair in some of the Fraud Section’s most difficult and complex cases. Prior to joining Sidley, Jennifer was a partner at another international law firm.

Representative Trial Experience

• Lead trial counsel for Novo Nordisk in securing the first complete defense verdict for a pharmaceutical company ever in a False Claims Act trial alleging off-label promotion and violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute related to both doctor and patient interactions. Unanimous verdict from 9-member jury was issued in less than three hours after a three-week trial. For this win, Jennifer was named a Litigator of the Week.
• Lead trial counsel for Bayer in a consolidated mass tort lawsuit against Bayer subsidiary Monsanto Company in Washington state court involving alleged injuries from PCB exposure.
• Lead trial lawyer for Monsanto in securing a complete defense jury verdict in a product liability trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas after a four-week trial involving allegations that Monsanto’s weedkiller, Roundup, caused the plaintiff’s cancer.
• Co-lead trial lawyer for Roundup herbicide manufacturer Monsanto in product liability trial in California’s Sonoma County Superior Court. Obtained mid-trial dismissal of all claims that Roundup was linked to the Plaintiffs’ injuries.
• Co-lead trial counsel for Monsanto Company in securing a unanimous defense verdict (reached after three hours of deliberations) following a seven-week jury trial in Cook County, Illinois, against claims brought by four plaintiffs who alleged that they developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after being exposed to Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer and fire-retardant additives known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) made by the company.
• Co-lead trial counsel for Monsanto Company in first multi-plaintiff victory in Roundup product liability litigation (in St. Louis, Missouri) and trial counsel in first jury verdict for the defense in Roundup product liability litigation (in Los Angeles, California). The jury rejected the claims in their entirety in both trials. The Missouri ruling ranked second on Courtroom View Network’s list of the Top 10 Most Impressive Defense Verdicts of 2022.
• Lead trial counsel for two government contractors in two separate False Claims Act lawsuits involving provision of materials and services in the war theater (one settled and one now in discovery).
• Co-lead trial counsel in a unanimous jury verdict for the administrator of one of the last remaining abortion clinics in a suit brought against her for malicious prosecution by the leader of a group who had harassed her until she sought a protective order.
• Lead prosecutor in the then-largest criminal healthcare fraud prosecution ever undertaken by the Department of Justice, including acting as the lead trial lawyer in three lengthy federal trials, and resulting in dozens of convictions.
• Lead trial lawyer for the prosecution in individual trials related to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig in 2010 and the actions of corporate employees thereafter.
• Lead trial counsel in multiple insurance recovery cases that ended shortly before the scheduled trials with successful settlements.
• Trial counsel for large pharmaceutical and medical device company in a bellwether trial for a mass tort claiming injury as a result of a medical device.

Additional Experience

• Represented multiple individual executives and professionals in major cross-border investigations and prosecutions of an international bank regarding allegations of fraud and money laundering related to multiple loans provided to a foreign government.
• Successfully achieved declination by the U.S. Department of Justice in investigation of major consumer products manufacturer related to allegations of deaths associated with a popular product.
• Lead U.S. prosecutor in LIBOR investigations of multiple banks, including the Deutsche Bank global resolution (US$9 billion for banks, including US$2.5 billion for Deutsche Bank) and U.S. criminal guilty plea.
• Successfully represented a major pharmaceutical company in three bellwether trials in multi-district product liability litigation, including preparation of key witnesses for trial testimony.
• Selected as co-lead trial counsel by a major pharmaceutical company for bellwether trials in multi-district product liability litigation. Company settled inventory shortly before the first scheduled trial.
• Led a team of prosecutors in the investigation of a major multinational corporation for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.
• Represented a U.S. state government in an insurance and environmental litigation that resulted in a series of favorable settlements worth tens of millions of dollars, the last of which came shortly before a scheduled trial.  
• Successfully briefed and argued motion to exclude for Miranda violations a two-hour videotaped confession of a man accused of murder, followed by successful defense of the ruling on appeal.
• Represented 52 African Americans in two separate lawsuits that alleged that a major restaurant chain violated federal civil rights laws by providing racially discriminatory treatment to African American customers of its restaurants. 

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.