John Dames is a partner and former head of the Products Liability and Mass Tort Practice Group. His practice focuses on products liability and toxic tort litigation.
John served as coordinating and trial counsel in actions involving oral contraceptives and in cases involving polyvinyl chloride meat-wrapping film. He served as national counsel to a large chemical manufacturer in actions involving claims of injuries following alleged exposure to ethylene oxide, a gas used by hospitals and medical supply manufacturers to sterilize medical devices. In addition, John served as trial counsel for a major manufacturer of asbestos-containing insulation products, and has represented a major chemicals manufacturer in a variety of chemical exposure litigations involving carbaryl, PVC wire insulation and other chemicals. He was involved in "toxic fire" cases, including the MGM Grand litigation, the Younkers fire litigation in Iowa and the DuPont Plaza fire litigation in Puerto Rico, and other product liability disputes. John was appointed national counsel by a silicone manufacturer in the silicone breast implant litigation, was national and trial counsel on behalf of a manufacturer of natural rubber latex gloves in the latex glove allergy litigation and lead counsel in a coordinated antibiotic tendon rupture litigation.
In General. John received his bachelor's degree from Washington University in 1966 and his master's degree in Russian studies from Indiana University in 1968. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University of Chicago in 1971, where he was editor-in-chief of the Loyola University of Chicago Law Journal. John is admitted to practice in Illinois, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh and Ninth Circuits, the Federal Trial Bar for Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois and the U.S. Supreme Court. John has served as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law since 1998, co-teaching the complex litigation course with partner William Essig.
Publications
6/1/2011, "Q&A With Drinker Biddle's John Dames"
Law360
John Dames