Jim Hurst is a partner in the Litigation and Intellectual Property Practice Groups in Kirkland's Chicago office and serves on the Firm's 15-member worldwide management committee. He has 25 years of experience trying cases ranging from antitrust to contract to criminal to intellectual property, and he's also handled dozens of appeals including before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jim's been widely recognized by legal industry media for his trial skills. For instance, The American Lawyer recently honored him as a "Litigator of the Year Finalist," noting that he won eight straight trials in the 18 months before the award, a feat it called "astounding." He is one of the few two-time winners of The American Lawyer's "Litigator of the Week" honors.

LMG Life Sciences calls Jim a "brilliant courtroom strategist," describing him as among the "best in the business," and one of the "best trial attorneys" some have "ever seen in a courtroom." Lawdragon 500 describes him as "one of the toughest trial lawyers in the nation." Chambers says he is "just exceptional," a "superb negotiator" and a "superb trial lawyer." Illinois Super Lawyer has named him as among the elite 100 lawyers in the state.

Jim is a fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, an elite honor bestowed only after "rigorous investigation" to the "very best" trial lawyers with "exemplary" "ethics, moral standards, [and] collegiality."

Among Jim's many noteworthy wins is a jury verdict The American Lawyer described as "a huge win" for a Fortune 100 company in a "history-making" antitrust case where Jim defeated a claim for $1.7 billion in damages. In another, he defended a Fortune 100 company in an ERISA class action arising from a $7 billion spinoff, which resulted in a complete victory after a ten-day trial where he handled the examinations of the company's CEO and CFO.