Stuart Schmadeke represents corporate and individual clients on a wide range of complex commercial litigation and insurance recovery matters.  He has significant experience across many lines of insurance, including general liability, product liability, representation and warranty, directors and officers, property, errors and omissions, product recall, and aviation coverage.  Stuart’s practice has encompassed matters involving a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, public affairs, and commercial development.  He also advises clients with respect to strategies for insurance recovery in mass tort bankruptcies.

Stuart has extensive experience representing clients embroiled in complex disputes, appearing regularly on behalf of Plaintiffs and Defendants in federal and state courts and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.  He has directed pre-litigation negotiations, guided matters through discovery and motions practices, argued appeals, and negotiated favorable settlements.

Prior to joining Gilbert, Stuart was an associate at an Am Law 5 firm in Chicago, where he litigated complex commercial matters on behalf of corporate and individual clients in state and federal courts.

• Representing corporation pursuing insurance coverage for breaches of representation and warranty provisions in corporate merger agreement.
• Representing safety equipment manufacturer in litigation against, and negotiations with insurance companies over hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance coverage responsive to various toxic tort claims.
• Serving as counselor for consumer products manufacturer on issues related to retailer indemnification claims.
• Litigated two actions in state and federal court on behalf of an international development company seeking recovery from losses suffered in aviation accident.
• Negotiated high-value settlements on behalf of Chapter 7 bankruptcy Trustee seeking coverage for the debtor’s pre-bankruptcy liabilities.
• Advised large pharmaceutical company on insurance placement and recovery across multiple lines and coverage claims.
• Litigated in state court to recover insurance proceeds for defense and remediation costs arising from alleged contamination at environmental sites.
• Represented an individual in defamation action brought against foreign bank.

• 2014 — J.D., New York University School of Law
• 2009 — B.A., Duke University

• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia