Dan Weiss represents businesses in their most material and complex disputes. Dan has twice led litigation efforts that produced nine-figure jury verdicts for his clients in commercial matters. He has won cases, arbitrations, and appeals across a variety of industry contexts, courts and tribunals nationwide. Most recently, he led a trial team that won a $394 million verdict, one of the largest US jury verdicts of 2025, in a case concerning a defective overhaul of a two-gigawatt power-plant.
Dan typically focuses on cases that involve complicated contracts or financial arrangements that have developed into disputes with company-level materiality. He has litigated those types of disputes to conclusion in the financial and securities industries, the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) context, the real estate industry, and on behalf of national consumer brands and franchise systems. Dan has also successfully defended challenges to fiduciary decision-making and claims under consumer protection laws, often involving alleged class actions. Dan has a strategic approach that focuses from the beginning on how a case will be tried, which positions the matter for the best chance at a favorable settlement, a winning pretrial motion, or victory at trial. Dan’s cross-industry background supports creative approaches that are not tied to the standard way of doing things in one particular area.
Dan maintains a robust pro bono practice and has represented clients facing the death penalty, people seeking to practice their religion in prison, and clients seeking visas and asylum in the United States.
Dan is a member and past co-chair of Jenner’s Specialized Litigation and Arbitration Practice Team. He has served several terms on the firm’s Management Committee and is an Associate General Counsel of the firm.
I represent clients in their most complex and important business matters. I take disputes to trial or hearing across industries and business contexts, including energy, finance, real estate development, EPC contracts, and consumer brands. My broad cross-industry experience supports creative and aggressive litigation strategies that are not tied to a standard approach in a particular corner of the law.
Representative Matters
- Representation of electric utilities against a multinational EPC contractor regarding defective powerplant overhaul; won verdict of $394 million following a six-week federal jury trial.
- Representation of a public real estate investment company in a tortious interference lawsuit against a rival company for interference in M&A activity; won a verdict of $101 million following a four-week federal jury trial.
- Multiple representations of a national financial services company in cases challenging investment practices with alleged eight- and nine-figure damages claims; won summary judgment and defeated class certification in each case.
- Confidential arbitrations on a variety of subjects, including large-scale real estate development, accounting malpractice, and the telecommunications industry.
- Multiple representations of national restaurant brands in matters challenging franchise system decisions, including claims related to wrongful franchise termination, territorial encroachment, and brand standards across federal courts nationwide.
- Multiple representations of national consumer brands and a national multifamily property owner in consumer class actions and consumer protection matters.
- Representation for and against legal and accounting firms and professionals in matters alleging professional negligence and regulatory violations.
Credentials
Service / Recognition
Overview
Dan Weiss represents businesses in their most material and complex disputes. Dan has twice led litigation efforts that produced nine-figure jury verdicts for his clients in commercial matters. He has won cases, arbitrations, and appeals across a variety of industry contexts, courts and tribunals nationwide. Most recently, he led a trial team that won a $394 million verdict, one of the largest US jury verdicts of 2025, in a case concerning a defective overhaul of a two-gigawatt power-plant.
Dan typically focuses on cases that involve complicated contracts or financial arrangements that have developed into disputes with company-level materiality. He has litigated those types of disputes to conclusion in the financial and securities industries, the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) context, the real estate industry, and on behalf of national consumer brands and franchise systems. Dan has also successfully defended challenges to fiduciary decision-making and claims under consumer protection laws, often involving alleged class actions. Dan has a strategic approach that focuses from the beginning on how a case will be tried, which positions the matter for the best chance at a favorable settlement, a winning pretrial motion, or victory at trial. Dan’s cross-industry background supports creative approaches that are not tied to the standard way of doing things in one particular area.
Dan maintains a robust pro bono practice and has represented clients facing the death penalty, people seeking to practice their religion in prison, and clients seeking visas and asylum in the United States.
Dan is a member and past co-chair of Jenner’s Specialized Litigation and Arbitration Practice Team. He has served several terms on the firm’s Management Committee and is an Associate General Counsel of the firm.
I represent clients in their most complex and important business matters. I take disputes to trial or hearing across industries and business contexts, including energy, finance, real estate development, EPC contracts, and consumer brands. My broad cross-industry experience supports creative and aggressive litigation strategies that are not tied to a standard approach in a particular corner of the law.
Areas of Focus
Representative Matters
- Representation of electric utilities against a multinational EPC contractor regarding defective powerplant overhaul; won verdict of $394 million following a six-week federal jury trial.
- Representation of a public real estate investment company in a tortious interference lawsuit against a rival company for interference in M&A activity; won a verdict of $101 million following a four-week federal jury trial.
- Multiple representations of a national financial services company in cases challenging investment practices with alleged eight- and nine-figure damages claims; won summary judgment and defeated class certification in each case.
- Confidential arbitrations on a variety of subjects, including large-scale real estate development, accounting malpractice, and the telecommunications industry.
- Multiple representations of national restaurant brands in matters challenging franchise system decisions, including claims related to wrongful franchise termination, territorial encroachment, and brand standards across federal courts nationwide.
- Multiple representations of national consumer brands and a national multifamily property owner in consumer class actions and consumer protection matters.
- Representation for and against legal and accounting firms and professionals in matters alleging professional negligence and regulatory violations.
Credentials
Admissions
- Illinois, 1998
Education
- University of Chicago Law School, JD, with honors, 1998
- American University, BA, magna cum laude , 1995
Court Admissions
- US Supreme Court, 2011
- Illinois Supreme Court, 1998
- US Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 2001
- US Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 2010
- US District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1998
- US District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar), 2008
- US District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2001
- US District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2000
- US District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2001
Service / Recognition
Awards
- The American Lawyer, Litigator of the Week, Runner-Up, 2025
- The American Lawyer Industry Awards, Best Client Law-Firm Team, Jenner & Block and BMO (finalist), 2025
- Illinois Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, 2013-2021; 2023-2024
- Jenner & Block Mentorship Award, 2014
- Law Bulletin Publishing Company 40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch, 2012