Aron J. Frakes is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Firm’s Chicago office. He focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation. Aron has represented clients in a wide variety of disputes, including large contract disputes, complex construction litigation, nationwide fraud and product liability class actions, toxic tort mass actions and alleged violations of ERISA. He has represented clients before arbitration tribunals, state and federal trial courts throughout the country, and various appellate courts.
Aron has been named as an Illinois Rising Star by Law & Politics in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Rising Stars are lawyers under the age of 40 that have been in practice for 10 years or less. No more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in Illinois are named as Rising Stars.
During law school, Aron was a member of the University of Illinois Law Review, where he served as Administrative Editor and Writing Competition Coordinator.
Aron is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois and before the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois and the Central District of Illinois.
Representative Experience
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Successfully representing a major online travel company in numerous large and complex lawsuits throughout the nation, including defeating a multi-million dollar claim under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act; obtaining summary judgment and defeating certification of a putative nationwide class in a case brought by consumers asserting consumer fraud and other causes of action; and arguing and obtaining summary judgment on all claims in a case relating to whether the company owed certain hotel occupancy taxes based on its online reservation model.
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Obtaining a multi-million dollar arbitration award in favor of the purchaser of an ocean freight-forwarding business against the seller of that business based on fraud and breach of contract.
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Mediating a favorable resolution with more than 80 named plaintiffs in an environmental contamination case.
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Acting as lead and national coordinating counsel for a construction surety on a wide array of construction-related cases throughout the nation after a large international construction company entered bankruptcy.
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Successfully representing various pro bono clients, including helping a high school student with a learning disability defeat disciplinary proceedings by the Chicago Public Schools when his coat was found in the locker of another student who possessed a sawed-off shotgun, and obtaining a judgment against a tattoo parlor that refused to give a tattoo to a woman with HIV and AIDS in violation of her civil rights.
Education
- University of Illinois College of Law, J.D. (magna cum laude), 2002
- Iowa State University, B.S. (with Distinction), 1999
