Margo Wolf O'Donnell

Shareholder

T: 312-609-7609 F: 312-609-5005

Chicago

Co-Chair of Subprime Lending and Mortgage Task Force

Margo Wolf O’Donnell is a shareholder at Vedder Price and a member of the firm’s Litigation and Labor and Employment Practice Groups. Ms. O'Donnell is Co-Chair of the firm's Subprime Lending and Mortgage Task Force.  

Ms. O’Donnell is an experienced litigator who handles a wide variety of cases, including litigation involving complex financial transactions, restrictive covenant litigation, statutory and common law employment litigation, contract litigation, class action defense, and intellectual property litigation. Using her wide-ranging perspective and background, Ms. O’Donnell has successfully resolved many disputes on behalf of her clients through negotiation, mediation, courtroom trial victory, and settlement before and during trial.

Ms. O’Donnell also acts as a business adviser to her clients, helping them to anticipate and prevent disputes. She is a frequent speaker and has been widely quoted by various national media outlets on topics relating to the prevention of litigation.

Ms. O’Donnell has successfully represented major companies such as American Express Business Finance, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Auto One Acceptance Corporation, Glaxo and Montgomery Ward in complex commercial litigation matters, and major companies such as Corner Bakery Cafe, Insurance Auto Auctions, Advance Auto Parts, Micro Center Sales Corp., Coach USA and the Alliance Francaise of Chicago in employment disputes. Ms. O’Donnell also served as lead counsel in Illinois for Publishers Clearing House for class action litigation involving its sweepstakes programs.

In addition, Ms. O’Donnell focuses her practice on litigation involving complex financing agreements, securities litigation, and related corporate governance issues. She has successfully litigated several cases involving the securitization of various types of receivables and complex leasing issues. Her experience in securities litigation and corporate governance includes the representation of one of the world’s largest financial institutions in litigation brought by the former employees and shareholders of Enron Corp. She also has significant experience defending corporate boards of directors and officers against allegations of securities fraud.

Recently, Ms. O’Donnell was selected by Chicago Lawyer as one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch.”

• Around the water cooler — Vedder Price’s task force
• Vedder Price Institutes Subprime Lending and Mortgage Task Force
• Vedder Price Adds Commercial Litigation & Employment Law Shareholder

• Commercial Litigation
• Employment Counseling
• Employment Litigation
• Financial Institution Litigation
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• Securities Litigation
• Subprime Lending and Mortgage Task Force
• Trade Secrets/Unfair Competition

Speaking Engagements and Publications:

• “Preventing Employment Litigation,” Annual Convention of Retail Confectioners International (June 22, 2008).
• “An Update on the Latest United States Litigation,” Mealeys Subprime Mortgage Litigation and Insurance Coverage Conference (June 19, 2008).
• Speaker, “Rainmaking, Negotiating and Collaborative Development,” LexisNexis Women in the Legal Profession Summit (April 2008).
• Speaker, “FLSA and FMLA Update,” Club Accountants Association of America (April 2008).
• Speaker, “Workplace Harassment,” Lorman Education Services (April 2008).
• Speaker, “How Restrictive Covenants Can Help You and Hurt You,” Vedder Price Employment Law Conference (May 2007).
• Speaker, “The Bank Secrecy Act,” Community Bankers Association of Illinois (November 2006).
• Author, “Strategies to Manage and Reduce the Risks of Employment Litigation,” Leading Lawyers on Employment Contracts, Workplace Discrimination and Dispute Resolution (October 2006).
• Author, “Preventing Expensive Patent Litigation,” The Business Edge (April 2006).
• Speaker, “Interviewing Techniques for Internal Investigations,” Lorman Education Services (March 2006).
• Commentator, “Turning the Tables,” Chicago Tribune (April 6, 2005) and Carolina Woman (September 2005).
• Speaker, “Hiring From the Competition,” Law Seminars International (September 2005).
• Commentator, Roundtable on Fines Versus Incarceration, Courts Today (July/August 2005).
• Speaker, “Minimizing The Risks of Patent Litigation,” National Institute for Women Corporate Counsel (July 2005).
• Speaker, “Preventing Employment Litigation,” Club Accountants Association of America (January 2005).
• Commentator, “Paid Off Time For Fathers Is Small, Growing Trend,” Orlando Sentinel and Chicago Tribune (November 2003).

• J.D., University of Michigan Law School, 1994
• B.A., magna cum laude, Yale University, 1990

• Illinois  
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Chicago Bar Association
• Member, Illinois Restaurant Association Advisory Council