Gregory L. Cochran, Partner
312.558.3935 PDF
Born, Dayton, Ohio. B.A., University of Michigan, 1977; J.D., University of Michigan (Writing Advocacy Award), 1980. Graduate, Lawyers Post Graduate Clinic - Trial Techniques Institute, June, 1982; Graduate, International Association of Defense Counsel - Defense Counsel Trial Academy, July, 1987.
Admitted to the Bar of Illinois and United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1980; Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1986; the United States District Court for the Central and Southern Districts of Illinois; Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, 1995; and the United States District Court for Northern District of Indiana, 2001.
Practice Areas:
- Toxic Torts, including asbestos, silica, chemicals, lead and EMF
- General Defense, including construction, premises, transportation, municipal and general negligence
- Product Liability, including medical device, pharmaceutical, industrial and consumer products
- National coordination of mass litigation
- Class Actions
Professional Memberships and Activities:
- Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel: Member, 2002 - present; Vice Chair of Toxic Tort & Environmental Law Section, 2003 - present; Vice Chair of Products Liability Section, 2005 - present
- Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel: Immediate-Past President, 2009- 2010; President, 2008- 2009; President-Elect, 2007-2008; First Vice President, 2006-2007; Second Vice President, 2005 - 2006; Secretary/Treasurer, 2004 - 2005; Defense Tactics Seminar Chairman, 1993-1994; Board of Directors, 1994 - present; Co-Chair Products Liability Committee, 1997 - 1999; Co-Chair Membership Committee, 1999 - present
- Defense Research Institute
- Member of Pro-Bono Panel, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, 1983 - 2004
- Arbitrator for the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program, 1988 - 1995
Publications and Presentations:
A Closer Look at Frivolous Pleadings, Comparative Fault and Joint and Several Liability Under the Tort Reform Act, Newsletter of Young Lawyers Division of the Illinois State Bar Association, February, 1987
Author of 1986 Supplement to Second Edition of Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Newsletter of Young Lawyers Division of the Illinois State Bar Association, April, 1987.
The Illinois Distributor Statute: A Look Beyond the Classic Scenario, Newsletter of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, January, 1988.
The Illinois Pollution Control Board: What Are Your Options When the IEPA Comes Knocking, Illinois Municipal Review, November, 1989.
The Illinois Responsible Property Transfer Act - Ready or Not, DuPage County Bar Journal, December, 1989.
Leaking Underground Storage Tanks - Cleanup Responsibilities and the Illinois Reimbursement Fund, Northern Lights, August, 1992.
Construction Statute of Repose: The Sale of a Product, Incidental to its Installation, is a Protected Activity Under the Construction Statute of Repose, IDC Quarterly, Fourth Quarter, 1996.
Co-author, The Sale of Asbestos Insulation, Incidental to its Installation Into Real Property, is a Protected Activity Under the Construction Statute of Repose, IDC Quarterly, First Quarter, 1998, Vol. 8, No. 1.
Co-author, Defending Product Liability Cases in Illinois After the Best Decision, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 4, December, 1998.
Co-author, An Island of Repose Amid the Swirling Sea of Asbestos Litigation , IDC Quarterly, Fourth Quarter, 2001
Hot Cases, FDCC Website, November 2005.
Hot Cases, FDCC Website, May 2006.
Hot Cases, FDCC Website, October 2006.
Hot Cases, FDCC Website, May 2007.
Hot Cases, FDCC Website, November 2007.
Presenter, Creating a Long Range Plan for Your Association, DRI Annual Meeting, October, 2006
Lecturer on Toxic Tort Defenses, Product Liability defense, the Illinois Tort Reform Act, Admission of Expert Evidence, Municipal Liability, Mandatory Court Annexed Arbitration and Illinois Responsible Property Transfer Act.