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Craig H. Zimmerman is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the Chicago office. As a member of the Firm's Trial Department and Environmental Practice Group, Craig focuses his practice on toxic tort, environmental and appellate matters.
Craig has defended companies in a wide variety of exposure and environmental toxic tort matters nationwide. Many of these matters have involved highly complex and/or multi-jurisdictional toxic tort litigation problems, ranging from purported class actions and multi-district litigation (MDL) proceedings to managing and controlling large dockets of individual cases. He is actively involved in defending a large petroleum company in MDL No. 1358, In re Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether ("MTBE" ) Products Liability Litigation, which combines a number of putative class actions. He also has day-to-day responsibility for defense liason counsel obligations in that matter. More broadly, Craig works with clients to evaluate liability exposure to toxic tort claims-both individually and across dockets-developing and implementing related liability reduction strategies.
Craig has also been principal counsel in a broad range of more traditional environmental matters, including representing the targets of federal and state environmental criminal investigations, defending and prosecuting private environmental cost recovery actions and defending environmental enforcement cases. He has also handled a variety of Superfund matters, both in and outside of litigation. Craig was one of the principal defense attorneys in the first federal False Claims Act qui tam action based on environmental requirements. Craig has also advised clients extensively on RCRA and Clean Water Act requirements, as well as on the effective structuring and implementation of environmental compliance programs.
Craig has handled a broad variety of appellate matters in both state and federal court. He has also served as an appellate advisor, available to trial counsel in several matters.
Craig is a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as a member of the Illinois Supreme Court bar. He is admitted to practice before a number of federal courts, and is a member of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois' Trial Bar. He is a member of the Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association.
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. (magna cum laude), 1989
Brandeis University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1984 | 