Bio
Clients in the financial services industry and other sophisticated and highly regulated businesses look to Brendan Gerdes for outstanding support in litigation, investigations, and responses to government inquiries.
Brendan is a talented legal writer and researcher who has prepared numerous winning procedural, evidentiary, and dispositive motions in state and federal court. He is also an accomplished advocate with a strong courtroom presence and experience in examining witnesses at trial and presenting compelling arguments in arbitration proceedings.
Clients managing internal investigations, including in response to Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Civil Investigative Demands, value his attention to detail and careful preparation in conducting sensitive and confidential witness interviews.
Before entering private practice, Brendan served criminal defendants pro bono through Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic and worked as an information technology consultant.
Experience
Representative Engagements
- Managed nationwide counterfeiting investigation and corresponding litigation across multiple federal districts.
- Won complete victory for client in pre-trial commercial arbitration as lone attorney appearing before arbitrator.
- Conducted witness interviews as part of various internal investigations, including in response to FTC and DOJ Civil Investigative Demands.
- Represented plaintiff in Section 1983 prisoner’s rights case through fact discovery, pre-trial briefing, and jury trial, including cross-examination of key witness.
Credentials
Education
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, J.D., 2018, cum laude
Phyllis and Louis Blumenthal Scholar
Criminology Production Editor, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Bartlit Center National Trial Team
National Moot Court Team
First Place, 68th Annual National Moot Court Competition
First Place, Julius H. Miner Moot Court Competition
University of Illinois, B.A., English, 2012
Illinois Trial Team, Invitational Captain
Bar Admissions
Illinois
Professional Memberships
Chicago Bar Association
Honors & Awards
2024 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Commercial Litigation), Best Lawyers®