CONTACT INFORMATION

Chicago t 312.258.5591 f 312.258.5600 E-mail Download vCard

PRACTICE AREAS

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Illinois
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

News

Matthew J. Fischer

Partner

Matthew J. Fischer concentrates his practice on complex litigation, with a particular focus on product liability, mass tort and energy-related disputes.

He has experience in:

  • Class actions
  • Complex commercial litigation
  • Personal-injury cases involving catastrophic loss
  • Civil conspiracy litigation
  • False Claims Act litigation

In addition to his courtroom work, Mr. Fischer serves as national counsel to multiple clients, with responsibility for the development, coordination and implementation of overall defense strategy.  He has also served as settlement counsel in numerous cases.

Mr. Fischer has tried cases in multiple jurisdictions around the country. He has defended product liability suits involving:

  • Industrial insulation and other building product
  • Agricultural and construction equipment
  • Confectionary products
  • Juvenile products
  • Original equipment supplied to the automotive and trucking industry
  • Home furnishings

Mr. Fischer has litigated a variety of energy-related disputes in Illinois, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, New York, Kansas and Wyoming.

He has also served as an arbitrator in an AAA administered arbitration.

Publications

"Defeating the Claims of Asymptomatic and Unimpaired Plaintiffs," Illinois Defense Counsel Quarterly (3d Quarter 1997)

"The Equal Access to Justice Act: Are The Bankruptcy Courts Less Equal Than Others?" 94 Michigan Law Review 2248 (1994)

Speeches and Presentations

"Corporate Witnesses and Corporate Discovery," Mealey's Practical Skills Series: Toxic Tort Litigation (September 2003)

Pro Bono Activities

Mr. Fischer is active in Schiff Hardin's pro bono practice, having successfully represented a class of minorities subjected to racial profiling by a local municipality and dozens of low-income citizens through Schiff Hardin's street-side legal clinic on Chicago's far north side.

Awards and Honors

Best Lawyers in America, Mass Tort Litigation
Illinois Super Lawyers, General Litigation
Leading Lawyer — Class Action/Mass Tort Defense; Products Liability Defense Law, Illinois Leading Lawyers Network

Education

University of Michigan Law School(J.D., with honors, 1994)
Order of the Coif
Contributing Editor, Michigan Law Review
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign(B.S., Finance, with honors, 1989)

Clerkships

Honorable John A. Nordberg, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois