Partner Kylie Kim and Bret Vallacher Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under List for 2026
We are pleased to announce that partners Kylie Kim and Bret Vallacher have been recognized on Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under List for the Northeast region in 2026. Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under list highlights the next generation of litigation leaders across the United States—attorneys under age 40 who have demonstrated exceptional skill and achievement in their practices. The 2026 edition is now live, spotlighting rising talent in dispute resolution and other practice areas nationwide. Both Kylie and Bret have been ranked in the 40 & Under, Dispute Resolution category by Benchmark Litigation since 2024, reflecting their sustained recognition as emerging leaders in the field. We congratulate Kylie and Bret on this well-deserved honor and look forward to their continued success. Read more here:
Kylie Kim Examines Three Antitrust Questions Shaping the AI Industry in Law360
Law360 has published “Three Antitrust Questions That Will Shape the AI Industry,” an article by Massey & Gail Partner Kylie Chiseul Kim. The piece examines recent AI litigation and enforcement developments and analyzes how courts and regulators are likely to evaluate emerging antitrust issues involving artificial intelligence. Drawing on established antitrust principles, Kylie examines three questions: how to define the relevant market, how to characterize the concerning conduct, and how to prove the harm. The article is the third and final installment of Kylie’s three-part series on AI and antitrust. Read article here.
Massey & Gail is proud to announce that four of our attorneys have been recognized in Legal 500
Massey & Gail is proud to announce that four of our attorneys have been recognized in Legal 500’s Chicago Elite rankings for Commercial Disputes. Partners Lenny Gail, Suyash Agrawal, Hillary Coustan and Constance Grieves were recognized for Commercial Disputes in Legal 500 Chicago Elite. This marks the first time Suyash Agrawal, Hillary Coustan and Constance Grieves have been recognized in Legal 500. Read more in Legal 500’s Chicago Elite Commercial Disputes rankings: https://www.legal500.com/rankings/ranking/c-united-states/chicago-elite/commercial-disputes/241014-massey-gail-llp
Massey & Gail Attorneys Help Secure Appellate Affirmance of $45 Million Talc Verdict
Massey & Gail congratulates the family of Theresa Garcia and the full trial and appellate team on an important victory in the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, which affirmed a $45 million verdict in litigation involving Johnson & Johnson’s talc baby powder. Massey & Gail attorneys David L. Franklin and Christopher M. Walling served as part of the appellate team representing the Garcia family. Their work included assisting with the appellate briefing and helping prepare lead counsel for oral argument. Law360 reported that the court rejected challenges to Survival Act damages, evidentiary rulings, prejudgment interest, and successor liability, including affirming that Johnson & Johnson Holdco Inc. and Kenvue Inc. can be held liable as successors to Johnson & Johnson’s former consumer products business. Massey & Gail is proud to have contributed to this significant appellate result alongside co-counsel at Dean Omar Branham Shirley LLP and Vogelzang Law PC. Read article here.
Kylie Kim Publishes Article on AI Safety and Antitrust in Bloomberg Law
M&G Partner Kylie Kim has published “AI Industry’s Cooperation on Safety Raises Antitrust Questions” in Bloomberg Law’s Practitioner Insights & Commentary. The article examines the antitrust tensions that arise when AI developers coordinate on safety testing protocols and capability thresholds — and how such cooperation can affect market competition. This is the second installment in Kylie’s three-part series on AI and antitrust, following her recent piece in Competition Policy International (CPI). The third installment will appear in Law360 in the coming weeks. Read the full article in Bloomberg Law here.
Massey & Gail Earns Legal 500 National Ranking in Commercial Disputes
Massey & Gail has been ranked Tier 2 nationally in the inaugural Commercial Disputes: Boutique Firms category by The Legal 500 United States — one of the world’s most respected independent guides to the legal profession. Jonathan Massey is recognized as a Leading Partner (the guide’s highest individual designation), and both he and Lenny Gail are named Recommended Lawyers. This is a first-of-its-kind national category under Dispute Resolution, and we’re honored to be among the elite firms selected for it. The ranking is based on independent client feedback — and we’ll let our clients speak for themselves: “M&G is uniquely situated in that it has a solid roster of real trial lawyers with courtroom experience in complex matters. That background ensures that any matter is better handled from inception — they know how the whole movie plays out.” “The firm’s high level of personal service is remarkable. You really always feel as if you are their only, or certainly most important, client. The caliber of work and expertise is equal to that of much larger firms, but Massey & Gail delivers it without any airs or ego whatsoever.” “Lenny Gail is a trial mastermind, effectively overseeing cases and providing experienced insights into strategy.” “There is no better legal mind than Jonathan Massey. He is a one-man appellate machine.” “Suyash Agrawal is a seasoned trial lawyer that gets deep into the weeds. He is not afraid to provide his strategic considerations even if those are contrary to the client’s initial instincts.”
Massey & Gail Advances in Chambers USA 2026 — Suyash Agrawal Recognized for First Time
We are thrilled to announce that Suyash Agrawal — described by peers and clients as “a trial lawyer who thinks about things in a clear and strategic way” — has been ranked by Chambers & Partners in its 2026 Guide for General Commercial Litigation in Illinois. A first-chair trial lawyer, Suyash has handled high-stakes trial and appellate litigation around the country for over two decades. He joined Massey & Gail in 2016 and became the firm’s third equity partner in 2024. Other referees told Chambers that he is “an excellent trial attorney” and “super smart, focused and detail oriented.” We are equally proud that Massey & Gail LLP has moved up in the Chambers ranking for General Commercial Litigation in Illinois. Clients told Chambers that our team is “whip-smart” and provides “expertise on matters deemed very important to us,” with “deep trial experience” that “can be counted on to provide exceptional counsel.” Others called our lawyers “strategic, practical and focused” with “very experienced trial attorneys and appellate specialists.” In the District of Columbia, Jonathan Massey continues to earn Chambers recognition, where clients describe him as “truly a gem,” “a total joy to work with,” and a practitioner who “thinks creatively about our most challenging legal issues.” For the fourth year, Chambers continued to rank Lenny Gail in Band 2 for Litigation in Illinois, with clients celebrating him as “a brilliant and ultra-confident litigator” who “can dismantle a witness on cross-examination.” Chambers & Partners’ rankings are considered a gold standard for client and peer review, with only a small number of firms and practitioners ranked in each practice area. Rankings depend on extensive independent research, including in-depth interviews with peers and clients who speak candidly about a lawyer’s capabilities. Congratulations to Suyash and to our entire team. View our Chambers USA profile here.
Jonathan Massey Argues Healthcare Distribution Alliance Appeal Before Second Circuit
Massey & Gail LLP partner Jonathan Massey argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on behalf of Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) in litigation challenging Connecticut’s prescription drug pricing law. The appeal concerns whether the law impermissibly regulates pharmaceutical prices beyond Connecticut’s borders in violation of constitutional limits on interstate commerce. Read more in Law360.
Associate Christopher Walling Returns to the Seventh Circuit to Argue Multi-Million Dollar Appeal
After handling all of the briefing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Massey & Gail associate Chris Walling appeared before that court to argue the appeal in Office of the Special Deputy Receiver v. Hartford Fire Insurance Co., a high-stakes insurance coverage dispute involving millions of dollars in losses arising from a wire fraud scheme. The appeal concerns whether coverage exists under a financial institution bond after hackers gained access to an executive’s email account and initiated fraudulent wire transfers from accounts associated with insurers in liquidation proceedings. The argument, in which Chris represented the Office of the Special Deputy Receiver as appellant, marked Chris’s return to the Seventh Circuit where he clerked for Judge Frank H. Easterbrook. Law360 covered the argument here.
Suyash Agrawal Appointed to Illinois Supreme Court’s ARDC Commission
We are pleased to share that Suyash Agrawal, one of the firm’s equity partners, has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as one of the seven commissioners of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). The ARDC operates under the authority of the Illinois Supreme Court and is governed by a seven‑member commission that helps set policy and oversee the agency’s work. We congratulate Suyash on this important appointment and the opportunity to contribute to the administration of professional responsibility in Illinois. Read the Court’s order here.