Jim Fletcher's practice is concentrated in trial work with a special focus on cases involving rail clients. He has handled FELA, grade crossing, trespasser and other personal injury/property damage cases in a number of different jurisdictions. He has also represented rail clients in commercial disputes, both in court and in arbitration, involving interchange disputes, contract issues, insurance coverage, condemnation and property disputes, antitrust claims, claims of preemption involving local and state regulation and other matters. In addition, he has appeared before the Interstate Commerce Commission representing clients in connection with their acquisition of rail property. He has tried over thirty cases to judgment.
Jim Fletcher was born in 1949 in Evergreen Park, Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University in 1970 and his law degree from Stanford University in 1973. After serving as a law clerk for one year for United States District Judge Thomas McMillen, he joined the law firm of Isham, Lincoln & Beale where he became a partner in 1981. In 1988, he became a partner in the Chicago office of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly. In April, 2000, he co-founded the firm of Fletcher & Sippel LLC. Jim is admitted to practice in Illinois, Wisconsin and California and is admitted to practice before federal courts in Illinois, Wisconsin, California and Wyoming. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, California Bar Association, Wisconsin Bar Association and the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel.
Bill Sippel has 25 years of experience representing railroad clients in a wide range of regulatory matters before federal and state regulatory agencies, including the Surface Transportation Board, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and the Federal Railroad Administration. He specializes in dealing with issues relating to regulatory approval of rail acquisitions, mergers and consolidations, common carriage and competition, drafting, reviewing, interpreting and enforcing joint facility contracts, and adjudicating disputes between carriers and between carriers and their customers. He has been involved in virtually every major rail merger over the past 20 years. He serves as outside general counsel to several small or medium-sized railroads that have limited or no in-house legal staff.
Bill previously served as regulatory counsel for the Milwaukee Road, becoming Senior General Attorney in 1984. Following the merger of the Milwaukee Road and Soo Line in 1985, he was named General Counsel-Administrative Law and Contracts for the Soo Line in Minneapolis. In 1987, he became a partner in the Chicago office of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, and served as Managing Partner of that office from 1995-1998. In April, 2000, he co-founded the firm of Fletcher & Sippel LLC.
Bill was born in 1950 in Oak Park, Illinois. He received his B.A. degree in 1972 and his law degree in 1976 from Loyola University of Chicago.
Ron Lane concentrates on labor and employment matters and general corporate and operating issues. Ron served as Vice President and General Counsel of Illinois Central Corporation from 1990 to 1999, where he was responsible for all the legal and governmental affairs of the railroad. He handled the legal aspects of transforming a highly leveraged buyout company into a Fortune 500, NYSE-traded company. In addition to managing the gamut of the railroad's legal concerns, Ron oversaw the federal and state governmental affairs for the company and was responsible for the safety, environmental, risk management and security areas.
Before joining Illinois Central, Ron held a succession of legal positions with The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, concentrating on labor and employment and securities law. He also managed the Labor Relations and Human Resources department at Santa Fe for two years.
Ron was elected to the Illinois Central Railroad Board of Directors in 1993. He was appointed to the federal Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council by the Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board in 1996, and was named to the Board of Directors of the Transportation Test Center, a railroad industry research organization, in 1997. Ron is a member of the Trial Bar of the Northern District of Illinois and of the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous appellate courts.
Ron was born in 1950 and earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Miami University in 1972. He graduated in 1975 from the Northwestern University School of Law where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and served on the Editorial Board of the Law Review. In 1986, Ron also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Myles Tobin, an equity partner in the law firm of Fletcher & Sippel LLC, has over 27 years of legal expertise in mergers and acquisitions, railroad regulatory compliance, and commercial transactions. Prior to joining Fletcher & Sippel, Myles was Vice President-U.S. Legal Affairs for Canadian National Railroad, where he counseled senior executives, and directed the legal affairs for 40 U.S. subsidiaries ranging from land acquisition companies, bulk terminals, and equipment leasing companies to several large and medium-sized railroads, including Illinois Central, Grand Trunk Western, and Chicago Central & Pacific.
Prior to Canadian National Railroad's merger with Illinois Central Railroad, Myles served for 9 years with Illinois Central, ultimately as General Counsel, where he counseled senior executives and handled all significant corporate transactions and regulatory compliance matters. Before joining Illinois Central, Myles served as counsel for the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, where he handled corporate and regulatory activities.
Myles specializes in transportation company-related mergers and acquisitions, rail line sales, development of intermodal facilities, marketing and transportation agreements, equipment sales, leasing and financing transactions, as well as domestic and international construction and supply contracts. He routinely obtains Surface Transportation Board regulatory authority for major rail transactions including mergers, line sales, rail line abandonments and rights over third-party railroads.
Myles represents railroads, transportation companies, shippers, state and local governments, equipment finance companies and banks with respect to transactions and disputes throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and parts of Western Europe and Scandinavia.
Myles received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1979 from Northwestern University School of Law and earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Northwestern University in 1976. He has handled matters before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois, Northern Division of South Dakota, Eastern District of New York, Western District of Michigan and various state courts.
Myles routinely speaks before a host of transportation industry groups including the American Shortline and Regional Railroad Association, the National Grain and Feed Association, the Transportation Law Institute, the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, and the Association of Transportation Law Professionals. He has also served on the executive boards of various transportation associations including the Chicago Traffic Club, the Association for Transportation Law Professionals, and the Chicago Association of Transportation Practitioners.
"T.J." Litwiler focuses his practice on federal railroad regulatory law. He has extensive experience representing clients in various matters before the Surface Transportation Board (and its predecessor, the Interstate Commerce Commission), including line acquisitions, abandonments and construction, mergers, trackage rights, labor protection, common carrier status and obligations, environmental reporting and agency rulemaking. T.J. has successfully handled the appeal of several agency decisions in federal court. He also has provided in-house services on a retainer basis for several railroad clients.
T.J. was born in 1966 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He graduated in 1988 from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and received his law degree in 1991 from Northwestern University in Chicago. During college T.J. interned in the government affairs department of Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) in Washington, and during law school he interned in the law department of Wisconsin Central Ltd. in Rosemont, Illinois. In 1991, he joined the Chicago office of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly. In April, 2000, he co-founded the firm of Fletcher & Sippel LLC.
T.J. is admitted to practice before the federal appellate courts in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and is a member of the Association of Transportation Law, Logistics and Policy.
Jim Helenhouse practices in the areas of litigation and labor and employment. He represents clients in commercial litigation, FELA litigation, crossing litigation, derailments, employment and labor-related proceedings and railroad retirement matters. He has taken several appeals in both state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme court. In addition to his courtroom experience, Jim has represented clients in several quasi-litigation matters, including proceedings before the Illinois Department of Labor, the Iowa Department of Transportation and the NLRB.
Jim received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. While at Illinois, he served as a Notes and Comments Editor for the University of Illinois Law Review. Mr. Helenhouse received his undergraduate degree from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. In 1995, Jim joined the Chicago office of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly. In April, 2000, he co-founded the firm of Fletcher & Sippel LLC.
Jim routinely speaks at seminars on recent developments affecting railroad litigation and railroad retirement matters, including railroad retirement coverage of non-carriers, preemption, emotional distress claims, and workplace privacy issues. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and Wisconsin state courts, the United States Supreme Court and several federal district and appellate courts.
Colleen Konicek joined the firm of Fletcher & Sippel LLC in December of 2002 after ten years with a law firm where she practiced in general litigation including, railroad carrier liability, environmental and toxic tort, professional liability, product liability and corporate litigation. She joined Fletcher & Sippel to represent clients in FELA litigation, crossing litigation, derailments and toxic torts. She has acquired trial experience through several jury trials in all areas of litigation, including FELA and crossing accidents.
Colleen received her law degree from John Marshall School of Law in 1991 and her undergraduate degree from DePauw University in 1988. She is a member of the Illinois Bar, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Janet Gilbert served as Vice President and General Counsel for the Wisconsin Central System, the largest regional railroad system in the U.S. prior to its purchase by the Canadian National Railway in October of 2001. Janet remained with the CN as Senior Counsel, Litigation & Insurance, to assure a smooth transition of the WC system into CN and to manage CN's extensive portfolio of claims and litigation, including FELA, grade crossing, insurance and other 3rd party claims and litigation. Janet is continuing to work with CN as CN's National Asbestos Litigation Coordinating Counsel.
Janet's responsibilities at Wisconsin Central included management of all legal affairs and litigation as well as oversight of the WC's federal and state government affairs program. She actively participated in the legislative functions of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and the former Regional Railroads of America.
Prior to joining Wisconsin Central, Janet was counsel for the Soo Line Railroad Company and The Milwaukee Road practicing in the areas of antitrust, contract and employment law. She began her legal career with the Federal Trade Commission in Boston, Massachusetts where she specialized in antitrust and consumer protection law.
Janet was admitted into practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1978 and in the State of Illinois in 1984. She is also admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Illinois and the U.S. Appeals Court for the 7th Circuit. She received her J.D. degree from Suffolk University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, cum laude, and her undergraduate degree from Boston University. Janet is a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel and prior to entering private practice was a member of the American Corporate Counsel Association.
MICHAEL BARRON brings to the law firm of Fletcher & Sippel 13 years of legal experience, specializing in real estate law, FRA regulatory law, rail commerce and STB regulatory law, as well as state and local zoning law. He has appeared before the Surface Transportation Board, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Wisconsin Commissioner of Railroads, as well as state courts in both Illinois and Wisconsin and the Federal District Court in Chicago. He has also worked extensively in the state legislative process in Illinois and Wisconsin, assisting legislative bodies and lobbyists in drafting rail-related legislation. In addition, he has worked with communities on rail expansion and construction projects to ensure their support for enhanced rail facilities. He specializes in ICCTA and FRSA preemption issues and in the interaction of rail services and operations with state and local laws.
Michael was born in 1964 in Oak Park, Illinois. He received his undergraduate degrees from the University of Notre Dame in 1987, after which he served in the United States Navy for four years as a Surface Line Officer. Following his military service, Michael attended the University of Michigan where he received his J.D. and Masters of Public Policy Degree in 1995. Michael then joined the bankruptcy firm of Hollis and Johnson as an associate, until moving on to work as General Attorney for Wisconsin Central Ltd. in 1997. In 2001, Michael joined Canadian National Railway Company where he served as Counsel until 2005. He is admitted to practice in the courts of Illinois and Wisconsin and in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
In April 2007, Kristin Liddle joined the firm of Fletcher & Sippel, LLC where she represents transportation clients in litigation matters. She has a background in warranty litigation and prior to joining Fletcher & Sippel was lead counsel in numerous breach of warranty cases. She is an experienced litigator with substantial courtroom experience including arbitrations, mediations and several jury trials. Kristin has also handled appeals in the state of Missouri, including a landmark case that set forth the statute of limitations for breach of warranty claims in the State of Missouri.
Kristin received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism. She received her law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2003, cum laude. During law school Kristin interned with the Honorable Ortrie Smith, United States District Court Judge for the Western District of Missouri. She was also the Vice President of the Association of Women Law Students.
Kristin was admitted into practice in the State of Missouri in 2003 and in the State of Illinois in 2004. She is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois Bar Association and Missouri Bar Association.
Peter McLeod joined Fletcher & Sippel, LLC in October of 2007. Peter practiced for five years with a law firm in the areas of FELA and crossing litigation, medical malpractice defense, civil rights, labor and employment litigation. He has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. He has argued in front of the First District of the Illinois Appellate Court. In addition, Peter has represented clients in quasi-legal and administrative settings including grievance arbitrations and disciplinary hearings.
Peter received his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2002, a master�s degree from the George Washington University in 1997 and his undergraduate degree from Purdue University in 1992. He was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society in law school.
He is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, the State of Wisconsin, and the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois, the Western District of Michigan, and the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin. He is a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel.
Jeremy Berman joined the firm of Fletcher & Sippel LLC in September of 2007. Jeremy received his law degree from Creighton University School of Law, graduating summa cum laude, in 2007. While in law school, Jeremy worked in the law department of Union Pacific Railroad where he gained experience in FELA litigation, freight loss and damage claims and a variety of other issues facing the railroad.
Jeremy was admitted to practice in Illinois in 2007. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of Illinois and the Western and Eastern Districts of Wisconsin.
Liza Brown joined Fletcher & Sippel, LLC in December of 2009. Liza received her law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating summa cum laude, in 2008. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine in 1999. While at Suffolk, Liza served as the Associate Executive Editor of the Suffolk University Law Review. Prior to joining Fletcher and Sippel, LLC, Liza served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Robert W. Clifford of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Liza was admitted to practice in the State of Maine in 2008, the State of Massachusetts in 2008, and the State of Illinois in 2009.