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Joseph R. Marconi is chairman of Johnson & Bell's Board of Directors. He also serves as chair of the Business Litigation group and the Commercial Transactions group. He handles and supervises complex civil litigation, including real estate and commercial disputes, professional liability and employment law.
Mr. Marconi successfully tries cases to verdict for various professionals including attorneys, accountants, appraisers and brokers. He prosecutes and defends cases involving trade secrets, unfair competition, trademark and patent infringement. In addition, he has extensive experience with a wide range of real estate litigation, both in court and in arbitration, including disputes over purchase agreements, partnership agreements, management agreements, construction and lease disputes. He has represented a variety of lenders, other lien holders and property owners in foreclosures and workouts. His cases have involved the duties and obligations of directors and officers to their corporations, their shareholders and their creditors, as well as successful defenses for business clients from class actions by consumers. Mr. Marconi's experience also extends to areas of estate, trust and guardianship litigation.
He is a member of the Lawyers Committee of the National Center for State Courts, which works to improve the administration of justice through leadership and service to the state courts. The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Mr. Marconi to be an adviser to the Judicial Conference Committee on discovery which worked on the E-discovery amendments to the Illinois Supreme Court Rules. His accolades are numerous, including: The John Marshall Law School “Distinguished Service Award,” Illinois Super Lawyers in Business Litigation and the “Excellence in Business Litigation” honor from Chicago Magazine. Mr. Marconi has also been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2019.
Mr. Marconi is a regular contributor to the ISBA Mutual Liability Minute publication. He is admitted to practice in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Mr. Marconi is a frequent lecturer on topics pertaining to business litigation, tort reform, and legal and accounting malpractice. These include:
Legal Malpractice Update, 1994-1996 for the defense counsel panel of the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company
Accountants Liability, during the Illinois State Bar Association’s Midyear Meeting, 1995
The Role of Experts in Defending an Accountant, during the 1995 Annual Litigation Services Conference of the Illinois CPA Society/ Foundation
Autopsy of a Runaway Discrimination Verdict: Changing Hindsight to Foresight, during a conference of the Labor & Employment Practice Group of ALFA International, 2001
Trade Secrets, the Business Litigation Practice Group of ALFA International, 2002
Discovery, Document Retention and E-Discovery in a Post-Enron World, ALFA International, 2005
What Keeps General Counsel Up At Night, ALFA International, in 2008
Ethics and E-Discovery, ALFA International, in 2008
Keeping Economic Damages Down: Advanced Application of Basic Concepts, ALFA Business Seminar, 2011
Ethical and Legal Obligations of a Corporate Director, ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, 2011
Agents and Brokers Professional Liability, ALFA International, 2011
Ethical Issues in Family Law Practice, panel discussion at the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Illinois chapter, 2011. Mr. Marconi’s co-presenter was Donald C. Schiller of Schiller, DuCanto & Fleck, LLP. The panel included Judges Edward R. Jordan, Naomi H. Schuster, Mark J. Lopez, all of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division.
Speaker at Lloyd’s library in London, England regarding the financial meltdown and Dodd and Frank financial reform law and their impact on business professional liability.
Tort Reform - What Does it Mean for Legal and Accounting Malpractice, ISBA Law Ed, 1995
Third Party Practice, ISBA Law Ed, 1994
Lost Profits, Moorman, Punitive Damages, Consequential Damages, for the Chicago Bar Association in 1993 and 1995
Initial Case Evaluation and Development of Legal Theories, Chicago Bar Association, 1994
Pleading and Proving Damages, Defenses of Mitigation of Damages and Fraud in the Inducement, Lost Profits, Moorman, Punitive Damages, Consequential Damages, Chicago Bar Association, 1993
The GST Trust Tax Trap, ISBA Mutual Liability Minute, August 2016
Know Your Adversary: Rules for Claims Against Federally Funded Health Centers, ISBA Mutual Liability Minute, August 2015
Protection Reflection: The Supreme Court Rules Allow Partners to Limit Their Liability, Johnson & Bell, May 2015
Debt Collectors Beware: Venue Provision oh FDCPA Reinterpreted, Johnson & Bell, September 2014
Hacker Prevention: Keeping Client Sensitive Electronic Information Confidential, Johnson & Bell, July 2014
Not Only Shareholders Get Pierced, Johnson & Bell, June 2014
Illinois Appellate Court Confirms Lender’s Remedies in Mortgage Foreclosure Action, Johnson & Bell, April 2014
Illinois’ Limited Liability Is Unlimited, Johnson & Bell, March 2014
Dead Men Tell No Tales, But Their Agents Might, Johnson & Bell Business Newsletter, 2013
Appealing An Administrative Ruling: The Basics
Are Communications With A Jury Consultant Privileged Communications?
Belay That Order
Cta? Cya!
Debt Be Not Proud
Electronic Discovery: Dealing with Disclosure of Metadata, Vol. 7 No. 1, Illinois Bar Journal (2009)
Illinois E-Discovery: Looking For Highway Signs
ISBA Mutual Updates: Errata: The Illinois Supreme Court Accepts And Does Not Remand Piagentini II
ISBA Mutual Updates: Piagentini To Get A Hudson Makeover And The Metropolitan Transit Authority Becomes Unnoticeable
New Supreme Court Ruling Serves As Warning for Lawyers To Think About Res Judicata Consequences Before Voluntarily Dismissing Claims, April 2008
Pitfalls of Pattern-alism
Pitfalls of Pattern-alism: Part II
Protecting The Privilege Of Attorney Investigations
Stamping Out Real Estate Fraud: Amendments To The Illinois Notary Public Act
Statute of Limitations
The Curious Case of the Arbitrators Who Did Not Arbitrate
The Federal Rules They Are A-Changin’
The Frying Pan and the Fire: Attorneys Exploiting the Attorney Exemption in the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act Might Get Burned
Tolling Agreements: A Trap For the Unwary
What Goes Around, Qualcomms’ Around
In “Eligible” IOLTAs We Trust
