Curt Schlom is a member of Wilson Elser’s Executive Committee and cochair of the firm’s Product Liability, Prevention & Government Compliance Practice. He is the Midwest Region Managing Partner, with responsibility for overseeing offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin. In addition to his management responsibility for the firm’s Midwest Region offices, Curt serves as regional managing partner of the Chicago, Illinois, office.

A portion of Curt’s practice involves the defense of products manufactured in Taiwan, China and Japan, and he is a member of the firm’s Asia Practice. He also has significant experience with general and premises liability matters arising from the oil and gas industry, sports venues, trucking and transportation, and construction site accidents. Curt devotes a high level of energy and attention to helping his clients manage difficult situations whenever and wherever they arise.

Curt has handled cases in various courts throughout the State of Illinois as lead or co-counsel and has argued appeals before the Seventh Circuit and the Illinois Appellate Court.

Areas of Focus

Product Liability
Curt has successfully defended numerous matters involving products manufactured in the United States and abroad, including recreational vehicles and sporting goods, industrial machinery, tools, and a variety of consumer products. He has served as national coordinating counsel with respect to product liability litigation and supervises such matters throughout the United States.

General Liability
In his general liability practice, Curt has extensive experience representing professional sports teams in a variety of premises liability cases. He currently serves as the regional coordinating counsel for a Fortune 100 oil company handling its injury cases. Curt also has represented construction companies, property managers, apartment complexes, retailers, hotels, malls, amusement parks, security firms and churches in construction-related and premises liability matters. In addition, he has represented numerous trucking and transportation companies in vehicular accident and cargo loss matters.

Professional Malpractice
Curt has represented health care professionals in medical negligence actions, as well as real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, accountants, architects and engineers in professional liability matters.

    Education

    • DePaul University College of Law (J.D., 1990)
    • University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A., 1985)

    Bar Admissions

    • Illinois

    Court Admissions

    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin

    Professional Affiliations

    • American Bar Association
    • Illinois State Bar Association
    • Chicago Bar Association
    • Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
    • Defense Research Institute

    Awards & Honors

    • AV® Preeminent™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
    • Rated by Martindale-Hubbell as a Chicago Top Rated Lawyer, 2012
    • Illinois Leading Lawyers; Personal Injury Defense Law and Products Liability Defense Law, 2006-2010
    • Selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers; Civil Litigation Defense, 2008-2009, 2014-2021

Curt J. Schlom

Curt Schlom is a member of Wilson Elser’s Executive Committee and cochair of the firm’s Product Liability, Prevention & Government Compliance Practice. He is the Midwest Region Managing Partner, with responsibility for overseeing offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin. In addition to his management responsibility for the firm’s Midwest Region offices, Curt serves as regional managing partner of the Chicago, Illinois, office.

A portion of Curt’s practice involves the defense of products manufactured in Taiwan, China and Japan, and he is a member of the firm’s Asia Practice. He also has significant experience with general and premises liability matters arising from the oil and gas industry, sports venues, trucking and transportation, and construction site accidents. Curt devotes a high level of energy and attention to helping his clients manage difficult situations whenever and wherever they arise.

Curt has handled cases in various courts throughout the State of Illinois as lead or co-counsel and has argued appeals before the Seventh Circuit and the Illinois Appellate Court.

Curt J. Schlom

Schlom, Lee and Mathis Prevail on a Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

Curt Schlom (Partner-Chicago, IL), Matthew Lee (Partner-DC Metro) and Haley Mathis (Associate-McLean, VA) prevailed on a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction on behalf of the firm’s client, a corporation having its principal place of business in the Republic of China (Taiwan). The plaintiff purchased an e-bike online and was injured while riding when the seat assembly dislodged. The plaintiff alleged that the assembly was defective in design and/or manufacture and, further, that the firm’s client designed and manufactured the product assembly. The team argued that the plaintiff could not present facts establishing that the firm’s client “purposefully availed” itself of the privilege of doing business in Virginia such that it was subject to jurisdiction in the Commonwealth. The team further argued that the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in J. McIntyre Mach., Ltd. v. Nicastro, 564 U.S. 873, 131 S. Ct. 2780, 180 L. Ed. 2d 765 (2011) made clear that simply placing a product into the “stream of commerce” was not sufficient to satisfy minimum contacts, even if a defendant could have predicted that the product would arrive in the forum jurisdiction. The trial court agreed with the team’s argument and dismissed the client from the lawsuit, which remains pending against the retailer of the e-bike in question.

Curt J. Schlom, Matthew W. Lee and Haley B. Mathis

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