Jim has extensive experience and an impressive record of success as a business trial lawyer. He has handled high-profile litigation, provided legal counseling, conducted investigations, and overseen matters related to contractual, regulatory, employment, and internal compliance issues. Jim has worked on a wide range of complex multi-party business and commercial litigation trials, arbitrations, appeals, and investigations. His experience includes both litigating a broad range of disputes and counseling on mitigating potential areas of risk including those related to contracts, business torts, shareholder disputes, directors' and officers' liability, employment matters, fraud, defamation, privacy, compliance, cybersecurity, intellectual property, partnerships, joint ventures, and real estate related disputes, including leases and purchase agreements. Jim also handles corporate investigations and provides his clients with general business counseling on a variety of topics. He has considerable experience prosecuting and defending temporary restraining orders/injunctions and other equitable relief matters.

Jim regularly represents clients ranging from sole proprietors and practitioners to large corporate entities and institutions, both in pursuing claims and in defending and trying or arbitrating lawsuits in various complex commercial litigation matters. He has experience representing technology based companies, manufacturers, retailers, hospitals, medical professionals, insurance producers, law and accounting firms and individual lawyers and accountants, against claims and potential claims and with respect to subpoenas for depositions and records, administrative proceedings, criminal matters, and risk management issues. Jim’s successful representations have involved winning cases through dispositive motions and at trial or through arbitration when necessary. He also has experience defending multiple Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) class action clients in various business segments including the manufacturing, software, health care, temporary staffing, technology, and service industries. He also represents BIPA defendants in “mass arbitration” actions where he leads complex litigation/arbitration strategies. In addition to BIPA class actions, Jim has handled class actions asserting false claims act and consumer protection claims.

Jim is admitted to practice in the state of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, including the Trial Bar, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado and has been involved in federal and state court litigation around the country. Jim authors a regular column for Law360 and LexisNexis, where he shares insights on current Commercial Litigation issues.

Jim’s numerous successful representations have earned him recognition, for three consecutive years (2009, 2010, 2011), as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star, an honor conferred upon less than 2.5 percent of the top Illinois lawyers.

Jim has served, by gubernatorial appointment and Illinois State Senate confirmation, as chairman of the Illinois Department of Employment Security Advisory Board. He has served in that capacity for four different administrations. Jim is a member of Loyola University Chicago’s College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council. He also serves at a local high school as an assistant mock trial coach and has served, by mayoral appointment and City Council confirmation through two different administrations, as chair of the city of Park Ridge’s Planning and Zoning Commission and as chair of its O’Hare Airport Commission. He has been elected to several terms as a Chicago Public School System Local School Council representative, and has volunteered in the Chicago Public School System, District 64 School System, the Chicago Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois, and the Park Ridge Police Parent Patrol.

Jim received his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from the Honors Department, in economics from Loyola University of Chicago in 1992 and served as a student representative on the Loyola University Board of Trustees. He received his law degree from Loyola University of Chicago Law School in 1995 where he served as law review executive editor and as an assistant Legal Writing/Moot Court instructor. Jim is fluent in Greek.

As a member in the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations practice group, Calli delivers exceptional representation to corporate and individual clients in criminal matters and regulatory and enforcement actions.  Her practice includes advising clients in matters arising under the False Claims Act (FCA), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), health care fraud, financial services fraud, securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, antitrust violations, and pandemic-related fraud.  She is the co-author of the firm’s Whistleblower Watch, a quarterly publication presenting notable FCA enforcement actions, settlements, and legal trends.     

Calli also devotes a significant portion of her practice to conducting internal investigations.  She has led investigations pertaining to allegations of workplace harassment and hostile work conditions and allegations of harassment and assault in athletic programs and academic institutions.  To that end, Calli frequently advises clients regarding implementation of remedial measures, recommendations, and corporate governance and compliance programs.

Calli also maintains a robust civil practice, representing corporations and individuals in complex commercial and business litigation matters.  She has represented clients in both state and federal courts in a variety of disputes, including breach of contract, common law fraud, antitrust, casualty defense, and catastrophic tort matters, among others. Calli guides her clients through all stages of complex litigation – initial pleadings through discovery, motion practice, mediation, trial, and even appeals. She has tried several cases to verdict or judgment and has secured numerous dismissals, judgments, and favorable settlements for her clients.

Calli also has significant experience advising NCAA coaches and student-athletes on NCAA matters pertaining to eligibility, recruiting, and amateurism. As a former student athlete herself, she has successfully counseled several clients through NCAA enforcement proceedings.

Calli is also a committed firm leader.  She is currently the co-chair of the Women’s Initiative, dedicated to the development and enhancement of professional and personal relationships among female attorneys and clients. She has served as the firm’s hiring partner and, prior to that, chaired the firm’s Associate Committee. Calli remains actively involved in summer associate and lateral recruiting, as well as in the mentoring of junior attorneys. As someone who is committed to serving her community, Calli regularly represents clients on a pro bono basis. She serves on the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s Attorney Panel for Pro Se Prisoner Civil Rights Cases and does work with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Support Center for Child Advocates.

Prior to joining Cozen O’Connor as an associate, Calli participated in the firm’s Summer Associate Program. Calli received her law degree, cum laude, from the Villanova University School of Law, where she was a managing editor of the Villanova Law Review and the president of the Women’s Law Caucus.  Calli received a degree in politics from Princeton University, where she served as the captain of the women’s varsity softball team.

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