Samuel G. Harrod IV

Partner

Commercial Litigation

Sam is a commercial litigator and employment attorney, focused on advising employers on employment policies and practices; representing business clients in employment agreement, employment discrimination, and contract disputes; and representing commercial lenders in complex workouts and foreclosures.

With over 25 years of experience, Sam has first-chaired many bench and jury trials, and has had numerous successes on behalf of clients. He strives to push cases to conclusion as quickly as the legal process allows, and is always looking for ways to outmaneuver opposing counsel.

Sam joined MPS in 1996.

“In commercial litigation right now, we’re as good as you’ll find. Our team is smart, savvy, and absolutely relentless. Nobody wants to face them in court.”

Contact

1515 E. Woodfield Road, Second Floor Schaumburg, Illinois 60173

T: 847-330-2418
F: 847-330-1231
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Education

  • J.D., magna cum laude, University of Illinois College of Law, 1991
  • B.A., summa cum laude, Economics, Eureka College, 1988

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois; Trial Bar
  • A large insurance brokerage and its new employee in a claim filed by the new employee’s former employer for breach of a non-compete agreement; two week bench trial ended in judge disregarding the report of the plaintiff's damage expert in its entirety, and dismissal of majority of plaintiff's damages claim, resulting in an award of only 5% of damages sought.
  • A commercial bank in a wrongful termination claim filed by a former employee; claims of defamation and post-employment damages in excess of $400,000 dismissed after the close of discovery. At trial, the jury awarded the employee a de minimus recovery, which prevented the employee from recovering any attorneys’ fees.
  • A multibillion-dollar international restaurant chain in a breach of contract claim filed by an international airline company, with respect to the operation of the concessions and duty-free shops in the International Terminal at O’Hare Airport; obtained summary judgment in client’s favor.
  • Investors in a multimillion-dollar real estate venture in a suit against the manager of said venture for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty; obtained financial records documenting the fraud, retained an expert to analyze the data, and presented the evidence and the expert’s report to the state’s attorney, resulting in the manager’s arrest and indictment for a class X felony.
  • A commercial bank in a foreclosure and fraud action against a home developer who had exhausted his loan before project completion; exposed developer’s fraudulent liens and had relevant debts declared non-dischargeable after obtaining order allowing the bank to complete construction; subsequently presented evidence of the fraud to county sheriff and state’s attorney for felony prosecution and conviction.
  • Successful representation of a real estate investor in a foreclosure of vacant land wherein the investor declined a third party's above-market offer to purchase the property; after banks appealed, cross-appeal granted by appellate court and ultimately denied the banks' appeal.
  • A commercial bank in an assignment for the benefit of creditors for the bank’s largest customer, a major regional furniture retailer with multiple locations in Chicagoland; guided the lender through the nearly two-year assignment process, resulting in a 100% recovery for the bank.
  • Scandinavian Airline Systems Demark-Norway-Sweden v. McDonald’s Corp., 947 F. Supp. 1257 (N.D. Ill. 1996), aff'd, 129 F.3d 971 (7th Cir. 1997)
  • Avesta Sheffield, Inc. v. Olympic Continental Resources, LLC, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1670, (N.D. Ill., Feb. 14, 2000, Conlon, J.)
  • Baytree National Bank & Trust Company v. Albert Paul Christensen, 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 1509 (N.D. Ill. Bankr., Aug. 12, 2005, Goldgar, J.)
  • Walters v. Department of Labor, 356 Ill. App. 3d 785, 826 N.E.2d 979 (1st Dist. 2005).
  • Fish Lake Note v. Volo Ventures, et al., 2016 IL App (2d) 150644-U (2016)
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Northwest Suburban Bar Association
  • 101 Best and Brightest Peer Group
  • Golden Corridor Family YMCA, Board of Directors; Vice Chair; Former Chair
  • Shattered Globe Theatre, Board Chair
  • Irish Theatre Company, Former Board Member
  • Firefighters Highland Guard of Naperville, Piper
  • “Final Compensation,” presentation, Lorman Education Services, 2002.
  • “Tips for Employers Facing Discrimination Charges,” presentation, Northwest Suburban Bar Association, 2005.
  • “Family and Medical Leave Act and Paid Time Off Policies,” presentation, Assurance University, 2006.
  • “Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements,” presentation, The CFO Leadership Group, 2016, 2017.
  • Leading Lawyer for Commercial Litigation, 2015, 2016
  • Y Person of the Year, Alfred Campanelli YMCA, 2009
  • Associate Editor, University of Illinois Law Review, 1990 - 1991
  • Ronald Reagan Scholar, Eureka College