W. Patrick (Packey) Conlon is an associate in the Litigation Department. He is a trial lawyer that regularly represents clients in high stakes litigation of complex commercial, business tort, and class action matters in jurisdictions across the country. Packey has substantial experience at all stages of litigation, including jury and bench trials at the state and federal level, leading oral argument at the appellate level, and engaging in summary judgment, deposition, discovery, arbitration, and pre and post-trial practice.
Packey advises clients throughout the country in a variety of matters, including commercial contracts, fiduciary and corporate governance issues, non-compete agreement enforcement, business and securities fraud, and adversary proceedings pending in bankruptcy court. Packey also regularly counsels clients on trade secrets, post-employment restrictive covenants, and unfair competition issues, having successfully obtained and defeated temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions.
Experience
- Named, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation (2021 - 2023)
- Named, Super Lawyers® Illinois Rising Star, Business Litigation (2021- 2023)
Packey’s representative matters include:*
- Co-chaired one week bench trial involving the defense of a claim of aiding and abetting in a breach of fiduciary duty claims seeking damages for the alleged diversion of millions of dollars in insurance commissions and related damages; obtained defense judgment and appellate decision that defeated all of the court-appointed corporate receiver’s claims against client.
- Obtained a rarely-issued supervisory order from the Illinois Supreme Court, which vacated the trial court’s order of sanctions and ended the sanctions proceedings.
- Defended a Chinese heavy crane manufacturer from lawsuit seeking to recover more than $100 million for alleged misappropriation of trade secrets from leading domestic crane manufacturer; matter was resolved during federal jury trial.
- Defended former directors and officers of an international medical device company in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and related adversary proceedings involving claims for breach of fiduciary duty asserted by the creditor’s committee and Litigation Trustee.
- Obtained a temporary restraining order on behalf of Fortune 500 Company in matter involving a former employee’s violation of a non-compete clause and the Illinois Trade Secrets Act.
- Secured judgment for a client in a lawsuit involving charges of consumer fraud brought in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The Court entered an order dismissing with prejudice all claims against the client. On appeal, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the order.
- Defended one of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers in putative federal class action asserting TCPA claims alleging that defendants skip trace cell phone numbers and then call the numbers without consent using an auto-dialer.
- Defended Canadian subsidiary of global food manufacturer in federal lawsuit brought by former vendor alleging breach of manufacturing and supply agreements under the Uniform Commercial Code and common law.
Reported Decisions
- Wilson v. Hisp. Hous. Dev. Corp., No. 20 CV 1044, 2021 WL 2012239 (N.D. Ill. May 20, 2021)
- Manskey v. Wiggs, No. 3:16-CV-01368-MAB, 2020 WL 6701186 (S.D. Ill. Nov. 13, 2020)
- Breitweiser v. Highland Capital Brokerage, et al, 2019 IL App (1st) 181898-U, 2019 WL 6337358 (Nov. 25, 2019)
- Citibank, N.A. as Tr. for Am. Home Mortg. Assets Tr. 2006-3 v. Busuioc, 2018 IL App (1st) 172956, 128 N.E.3d 306
*Packey advised on these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
University of Michigan Law School, J.D. (cum laude), 2015 Illinois Wesleyan University, B.A., 2012
Bar Admissions
Court Admissions
United States District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2019 United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois, 2018 United States District Court, Central District of Illinois, 2018 United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2018 United States Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 2016 United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2016