Vincent J. Connelly

Vince Connelly focuses his practice on trial work, including both criminal and civil litigation. His criminal trial experience includes cases involving antitrust, FCPA, securities, government contract and program cases, RICO, commercial and financial frauds, and public corruption. His civil litigation experience emphasizes representing major corporations, officers, and board members in federal and state proceedings. He has represented law firms and individual lawyers. Vince’s trials have involved antitrust, securities law, commercial disputes, ERISA investment advisor disputes, public corruption, and numerous complex internal investigations.

Vince has had primary trial responsibility in over 90 federal and state cases, including more than 70 jury trials, and he has been responsible for 15 appellate briefs and arguments in the Seventh Circuit. Vince began his career as a federal prosecutor in Chicago and was the Chief of Special Prosecutions. For a number of consecutive years, he has consistently been ranked in the top bands for both general commercial and white-collar crime litigation from Chambers USA, which has said, among other things, that Vince is “one of the finest lawyers in the state” (2021), “one of the top people in Chicago” (2020), an “outstanding lawyer” who “offers phenomenal client service,” and is a “go-to person on high visibility matters” (2016). In addition, Best Lawyers, a leading peer review legal publication, named him the Chicago “Lawyer of the Year” (2010) for Bet-the-Company Litigation. Vince has been recognized in 3 “Top 10” Lists by the Leading Lawyers Magazine for Illinois in the categories: All Areas of Law, Business Lawyers, and Business Litigators. He is also consistently ranked as one of Benchmark’s “Litigation Stars” on both the national and local levels. In the 2015 Benchmark survey, Vince was listed as a General Commercial “Litigation Star” for Illinois.

• Represented multi-national corporation in civil antitrust case.
• Represented manufacturing corporation in ERISA civil case.
• Defended a hospital in a jury trial against claims of civil fraud and RICO conspiracy.
• Represented a dairy executive in a five-week criminal antitrust jury trial with the client found not guilty on all charges.
• Defended a commodity brokerage firm in a jury trial against a $250 million claim by wealthy family; the client avoided all claimed damages against it and gained a $14 million verdict on its counterclaims.
• Represented outside directors of public company in a shareholder commercial lawsuit.
• Represented senior management officers in several FCPA investigations.
• Represented steel manufacturing CEO in four week criminal antitrust jury trial with client found not guilty on all charges.
• Represented a public utility in an inter-related regulatory, criminal, and commercial litigation.
• Provided lead representation in an 11-week criminal health care fraud trial in which the defendants were acquitted of all charges.
• Represented pharmaceutical company in international arbitration.
• Represented elected officials in federal trials.
• Represented an investment advisor in an Enron-related ERISA claim.

• The University of Chicago Law School, JD
• University of Notre Dame, BA, summa cum laude

• Illinois

• American College of Trial Lawyers
• Blue Ribbon Committee appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to review the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission
• Former President, Chicago Inn of Court
• Co-Founder, Wong Sun Society (of white collar criminal defense attorneys)
• Mayoral-appointed Committee of City of Chicago to recommend safety improvements after nightclub tragedy
• Member, Committee to update 7th Circuit Pattern Criminal Jury Instructions
• Former Chief of Special Prosecutions, U.S. Attorney’s Office (N.D. Ill.)