beattyw@jbltd.com
William G. Beatty focuses on product liability and employee benefits/employment litigation as well as defense of asbestos cases. Mr. Beatty represents manufacturers of heavy equipment used in several different industries, as well as electronic equipment and scientific instrument manufacturers. He has also defended product manufacturers and premises owners in asbestos-related lawsuits.
Mr. Beatty's clients include a broad spectrum of employers, insurers and third-party administrators in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies in employment-related claims, including Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation. His peers have honored him with an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Mr. Beatty is a member of the State and Federal Bars of Illinois, Colorado, and Arizona. He is a member of the Committees on Employment Law, Life, Health and Disability Insurance and Product Liability of the Defense Research Institute. He is also a member of the Trial Practice and Employment Law Sections of the State Bar of Arizona, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel.
Read our profile of “The Professor” – part of our “Originals” series celebrating Johnson & Bell’s 40th Anniversary.
"When It's Over, It's Over... Sometimes. A Comparative Look at Retained Jurisdiction in Illinois Federal and State Courts." Client Advisory, September 27, 2022
"Doctrines of Federal Common Law Do Not (By Themselves) Confer a Basis for Federal Question Jurisdiction." Client Advisory, August 4, 2021
“Second District Ruling Gives Plaintiffs a ‘Second Bite of the Apple’ as to Dismissed Defendants”, IDC Quarterly, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Vol.28, No.4, Fourth Quarter, 2018.
"Szafranski and Beyond: The Continuing Controversy Over Custody Rights to Frozen Embryos in Illinois," Johnson & Bell Employment Law Newsletter, January 15, 2015
"Federal Standards For the Admission or Exclusion of "Other Accident" Evidence in Illinois Product Liability Cases," ALFA International Products Liability Perspectives, Summer 2012.
"The Seventh Circuit Re-Examines the Reassignment Remedy Under the ADA," Johnson & Bell Employment Law Newsletter, May 1, 2012
"Product Manufacturers' Potential Liability for Users' Alterations of the Product," Johnson & Bell Product Liability Newsletter, April 1, 2012
"The Seventh Circuit Confirms the Requirement for Expert Testimony under the "Consumer Expectations" Tests," Johnson & Bell Product Liability Newsletter, January 1, 2012
"The Illinois Supreme Court Examines the Risk-Utility Test in Design Defect Cases," Johnson & Bell Product Liability Newsletter, October 1, 2011
"The Supreme Court Examines Remedies for Employer Misrepresentation in the Modification of Its Pension Plan," Johnson & Bell Employment Newsletter, Fall 2011
"Employee Privacy in the Illinois Workplace: A Review of Principles and Precedents," IDC Quarterly, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Vol. 11, No. 3, Third Quarter, 2001 (Co-author).
"Sexual Harassment: A Review of Current Legal and Practical Issues," IDC Quarterly, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Vol. 9, No. 3, Third Quarter, 1999 (Co-author).
"The Age Discrimination in Employment Act: A Seventh Circuit Perspective," IDC Quarterly, Illinois Association of the Defense Trial Counsel, Vol. 8, No. 2, Second Quarter, 1998 (Co-author).
"Introduction to the Americans With Disabilities Act," IDC Quarterly, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Vol. 7, No. 2, Second Quarter, 1997 (Co-author).
"The Impact of Federal Regulation on the Employer/Employee Relationship in Illinois," IDC Quarterly, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Vol. 6, No. 2, Second Quarter, 1996 (Co-author).
"The Scope of Evidentiary Review in ERISA Litigation", For The Defense, Defense Research Institute, Vol. 34, No. 9, Sept., 1992, p. 15.
