Partner

Bennett W. Lasko is a partner in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group.  His practice concentrates on complex business litigation, including securities litigation, class actions, accountants’ defense and other financial disputes.  In addition, Bennett represents wind energy project developers in project siting disputes and related matters.  Bennett regularly appears in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels.  He also represents clients in arbitration, mediation and negotiations, and counsels clients in case assessment and litigation avoidance.

Securities Litigation and Shareholder Disputes.  Bennett regularly represents issuing companies, accounting firms, and individual directors and officers in shareholder class actions and other cases under the federal securities laws, derivative litigation, and merger and acquisition disputes.  He has won dismissals of numerous federal securities class actions and defended those decisions on appeal.  Bennett has litigated and won cases involving accounting frauds, contested mergers and acquisitions, corporate spin-offs, tender offers, proxy solicitations, freeze-out mergers, short-swing profits and derivative suits involving both corporations and partnerships.  Bennett also represents and advises clients in SEC investigations and other SEC matters.

Accountants’ Defense.  Bennett has defended several national accounting firms and individual auditors in securities class actions, “deepened insolvency” litigation, state law malpractice claims, post-closing merger disputes and SEC investigations.  He has experience with a broad range of accounting issues from merger reserves and revenue recognition to statutory accounting for regulated insurance companies.

Wind Energy Development.  Since 2006, Bennett has represented one of the largest wind energy developers in the United States in disputes related to several large-scale wind energy projects in Illinois and the Great Lakes region.  Bennett successfully defended litigation seeking to block the $600 million development of the largest wind farm east of the Mississippi River.  He advises and represents wind farm developers on zoning and permitting issues, noise compliance, landowner agreements, development of expert reports and expert testimony, supplier disputes and responding to environmental and public health concerns.

Other Business and Financial Litigation.  Bennett also offers experience in partnership and joint venture disputes, business acquisition and valuation, real estate litigation, and toxic tort and medical device litigation.  In the real estate industry, he has represented developers, investors and lenders in issues relating to investment partnerships, acquisition and operation of manufactured housing communities, tax increment financing, shopping mall development, office building acquisitions and financing, loan balancing or deficiency determinations, loan work-outs and letter of credit disputes. Bennett has supervised complex forensic accounting engagements and has worked extensively with leading national experts in financial economics, valuation, accounting, auditing and related fields.