Peter Roeser is a recognized leader in the courtroom, known for his powerful advocacy and ability to craft compelling, relatable and persuasive narratives. As co-founder and principal of Roeser Tanner & Graham, he brings more than 20 years of commercial litigation experience to representing businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals in complex litigation, arbitrations and mediations.
By assembling the right team and implementing the necessary resources to put his clients in the strongest possible positions, Peter obtains favorable verdicts and outcomes in state and federal courts across the country.
Peter’s broad experience defending and prosecuting cases includes matters involving breaches of contract, trademark and copyright infringement, product recall and warranty claims, fiduciary duty, fraud and other forms of unfair competition. His significant experience litigating and counseling both employers and employees on employment issues span restrictive covenants, employment agreements, discrimination claims, misappropriation of trade secrets and terminations. In addition to his trial work and membership in the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Peter has positioned hundreds of clients to successfully resolve disputes, often without the need for litigation.
Peter is AV Rated Preeminent® by both peers and clients and is consistently recognized for his work by Best Lawyers. Additionally, Peter has been honored as a Leading Lawyer® in commercial litigation and recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer® (2015 to present) and named a Crain’s Chicago GenX Notable Leader in Law in 2019.
Previously, he was a trial lawyer at the law firm Grippo & Elden (now Shook Hardy & Bacon), a nationally known litigation boutique, in the commercial litigation department, where he honed his skills and successfully represented Fortune 100 companies, family-owned businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals.
Outside of the courtroom, Peter is the father of three boys and enjoys any form of competitive sport. He previously served as the President of the Winnetka Hockey Club and now serves on the board of directors for the New Trier Hockey Club.
Representative Cases
- Unfair Competition Claims – Obtained jury verdict on claims of unfair competition and violation of the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act on behalf of multinational distributor of cigarette rolling paper in dispute with competitor (2021 Illinois Federal Court).
- Partnership and Close Corporation Disputes – Obtained trial verdict on behalf of the owner of real estate development company against former partner involving claims for breach of fiduciary duty, constructive trust and breach of contract (2020 Illinois State Court).
- Fraud and Breach of Contract – Obtained arbitration award in favor of a former employee against Merrill Lynch on counterclaims for fraudulent inducement. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Merrill Lynch was ordered to pay a six-figure award to our client and Merrill’s claims for breach of promissory note were dismissed (FINRA Arbitration).
- Breach of Contract and Warranty Claims – Represented Fortune 500 food company against manufacturer in claims for breach of contract and warranty arising out of the sale and installation of equipment used in multi-million-dollar renovation project. Obtained relief in our client’s favor on all claims (JAMS Arbitration).
- High Frequency Trading – Prosecuted a lawsuit against insurance conglomerate after it restricted a Chicago-based trading company’s ability to make unlimited transfers of its $36 million investment. Despite government investigations into “market timing,” we obtained summary judgment on behalf of trading company (Illinois Federal Court).
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Shareholder Claims – Defeated claims against the majority shareholder and president of an internet company in which the plaintiff, the minority shareholder, attempted to force the sale of the company alleging breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and violation of the Illinois Business Corporation Act.
- Trade Dress Infringement and Unfair Competition Claims – Represented multinational wholesaler and distributor of roll-your-own cigarette tobacco in dispute against competitor over claims of unfair competition, commercial disparagement, and trade dress infringement (Illinois Federal Court).
- Product Recall, Manufacturing and Warranty Claims – Represented various global industrial manufacturers and regional manufacturers in claims for breach of warranty, product recalls and breaches of contract.
- Construction – Represented general contractor against real estate developers in dispute over quality of workmanship and payment. Obtained 100% recovery plus attorneys’ fees on the eve of arbitration.
Representative Employer and Employee Matters
- Officers, Directors, and Executives – Counsels high level officers, directors, executives and employees on corporate and personal legal matters including fiduciary obligations, severance agreements, trade secret enforcement and non-compete agreements. Representative clients from Wrigley, Microsoft, Tribune Company, Alberto-Culver Company, Mars, Standard Chartered Bank and Aastrom Biosciences.
- Employer Defense Litigation – Successfully defended corporate employer against class claims asserted by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Obtained judgment in client’s favor and award of attorney’s fees for claims the court deemed “frivolous after discovery” and “stood no chance of success” (Illinois Federal Court).
- Employer Counseling – Represented companies in the greater Chicagoland regarding employment matters including terminations, internal investigations, breaches of fiduciary duty, separation and release agreements and claims of discrimination and retaliation.
- Employee Litigation – Prosecuted employment discrimination claims on behalf of former employee against multinational corporation and prosecuted sexual harassment and retaliation claims against state employer (Illinois Federal Court).
- Commission and Wage Claims – Obtained summary judgment on behalf of employer against former sales representative on claims for unpaid commissions. Successfully argued case of first impression regarding commissions to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
- Non-Compete and Other Post-Employment Disputes – Successfully represented both businesses and individuals in cases involving non-compete agreement and other post-employment matters. Obtained temporary restraining order preventing a former employee from breaching the non-compete and non-solicitation provisions of a covenant not to compete in which the employee allegedly obtained confidential customer information and used that information to launch a competitive business.