Oran F. Whiting represents domestic & foreign corporations, government entities, & individuals in the areas of commercial & insurance defense litigation, government & regulatory affairs, health care law, general corporate law, & entertainment law.
Mr. Whiting has significant jury & bench trial experience, having successfully tried numerous commercial litigation & personal injury cases to verdict. In addition to participating in several arbitrations & administrative law proceedings, he has drafted numerous appellate briefs for several state & federal appellate courts, & argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He also counsels domestic & foreign entities engaged in all facets of research & development of human health products & services on various corporate, contract, government, regulatory, & immigration issues.
PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS
General Counsel, Investigator Support Services (ISS)
Mr. Whiting manages all corporate legal matters for this entity. He defends ISS’s interests in litigation actions & drafts & negotiates all sales, vendor, partnership, & joint venture agreements. ISS contracts with more than 1100 hospitals, medical centers, & physician group practices worldwide to offer outsourcing solutions for clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, & medical device companies.
Commissioner, Illinois Court of Claims
Appointed by the Governor of the State of Illinois, Mr. Whiting served as a commissioner on the Illinois Court of Claims from 1997 until 2005. He presided over 23 civil & crime victim liability bench trials valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars & drafted an equal number of proposed opinions for the court.
Hearing Officer, Illinois Secretary of State
Appointed by the Illinois Secretary of State, Mr. Whiting determined whether drivers with licenses under statutory summary suspension for driving under the influence qualified for license reinstatement.
Crain's Chicago Business
Mr. Whiting was included in Crain’s Chicago Business’s November 15, 2004 list of “Big Cases Chicago Lawyers Worked On In 2004,” for his representation of Clear Channel Communications in the multi-million dollar E2 Nightclub wrongful death litigation. The case consisted of numerous suits arising from the deaths of 21 individuals killed in a stampede in the Chicago nightclub. Mr. Whiting’s defense of Clear Channel Communications earned him a place on the roster of what Crain’s Chicago Business considered “prominent & important work performed by Chicago lawyers.”
Interim General Counsel, Mercy Hospital
Having served on the Mercy Hospital Foundation Board in Chicago for two years, Mr. Whiting vacated his position on the Board to serve as interim general counsel for the Hospital from October 2001 until November 2002. Presiding over a $2 million annual legal budget, he restructured & integrated the legal department with the risk management department, significantly reducing the Hospital’s malpractice & general liability expenses.
He also drafted & negotiated physician, employment, real estate, & construction contracts, including commercial vendor contracts for the purchase of magnetic resonance imaging machines valued in excess of $15 million. While defending the Hospital in medical negligence, premises liability, employment, & breach of contract litigation, he analyzed & redrafted medical staff by-laws to conform to state & federal law & oversaw the Hospital’s regulatory compliance department.
Counsel, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives
Mr. Whiting served as counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives during the 89th Illinois General Assembly from 1995 through 1997. He provided technical review of & legal advice on hundreds of proposed bills, including the sweeping Illinois Tort Reform Legislation that saved Illinois insurers over $90 million. He supported that bill's sponsor during the longest floor debate of the legislative session.
OUTSIDE OF WORK
Mr. Whiting has held several board positions, including a seat on the Francis W. Parker School Board of Trustees, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, & the Mercy Hospital Foundation Board. He is an active member of several bar associations, including the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, where he has co-chaired committees & served as an associate editor of the Sections’ publication, Litigation News, in which he was published monthly. Mr. Whiting is currently co-chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation 2009 Annual Board Meeting to be held in Chicago. A comprehensive list of Mr. Whiting's board positions and association memberships appear below.
- Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Board Member, 2006 - 2008
- Evanston Symphony Orchestra, Board Member, 2006 - 2007
- Chicago Bar Foundation, Board Member, 2004 - 2006
- Chicago Bar Association, Member, 2004 - 2006
- AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Board Member, 2003 - 2006
- Mercy Hospital Foundation Board, Board Member, 2001 - 2004
- Francis W. Parker School, Member, Board of Trustees, 1989 - 1995
- Open Lands Project, Board Member, 1988 - 1990
- American Bar Association, 1998 - Present
- Co-Chair, 2009 ABA Annual Meeting (2008 - Present)
- Member, New Imprint Publications (2006 - 2008)
- Co-Chair, Unpublished References (2003 - 2005)
- Associate Editor, Litigation News (1998 - 2003)
- Illinois State Bar Association, Member, 2000 - Present
- Cook County Bar Association, Member, 1997 - Present
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