Hon. Wayne R. Andersen (Ret.) joined JAMS in 2010 after serving for nearly 20 years as a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois and an additional seven years as a Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County. On the bench, Andersen made a reputation as an effective settlement judge, conducting thousands of settlement conferences with parties in state and federal court and often withholding entry of judgement on jury verdicts while the parties, usually with his assistance, worked out post trial final settlements.

While at JAMS, Judge Andersen has helped parties resolve disputes in a wide array of matters including acting as a mediator, arbitrator and discovery master for commercial, class action, employment, health care, IP, securities and personal injury matters.

Believing it is never too late to try to settle, he has coordinated efforts with settlement attorneys at the Seventh Circuit to enable parties to settle even while cases are on appeal.

Counsel praise Judge Andersen for his superb people skills; exceptional legal knowledge; and well written, legally sound, and timely rulings. 

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• Full-time alternative dispute resolution practice since 2010 following an active, settlement-focused career as a judge
• Effected a number of historic settlements, including the Shakman litigation, which attempted to eliminate illegal patronage practices involving government employees in Chicago and Cook County.
• Fashioned a multi-tiered nationwide settlement of sexual harassment claims involving thousands of female employees working for an industry leading global company. He also negotiated payment of attorney's fees in this case

Representative Matters

• Special Master, selected by the parties and the Court, to resolve challenges to the administrator's claim awards in then-largest Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) settlement
• Party-appointed monitor tasked with ensuring pricing compliance on $295 million settlement
• Mediated and settled National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) concussion matter and named by the parties as Chair of the Medical Science Committee created by that settlement
• Successfully settled numerous class action claims alleging violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for auto-dialing "blast faxing," and SMS/text-based communications with consumers
• Settled a putative class action involving violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Settled matter involving dissolution of a professional practice, including allegations of sexual harassment and buy-out from the practice group
• Settled matter for breach of contract involving sales and marketing agreement between a start-up and a venture capitalist
• Settled putative nationwide class action involving "non-functional slack-fill" in packaging of consumer goods that plaintiffs claimed led consumers to believe packages contained more product than they actually did
• Mediated and settled matter involving unpaid earn outs on a business purchase and sale agreement
• Settled putative class matter brought on behalf of a group of subcontractors disputing general contractor's right to recoup on re-fueling and transportation surcharges
• Mediated and settled putative class matter related to solicitation of charitable donations
• Mediated and settled putative class action involving improper disposal charges levied by a solid waste hauler in three Southern states
• Mediated and settled a series of class cases involving product defects in paints/sealers
• Mediated and settled a series of class cases involving mortgage lending practices under the Fair Debt Collection Act (FDCA)
• Mediated and settled numerous shareholder disputes
• Mediated and settled class action related to the marketing and sale of margarine claiming certain health benefits
• Mediated and settled putative class matter involving sale and marketing of an "all natural" sleep aid
• Mediated and settled civil rights action for wrongful death where an inmate who had received medical attention in a correctional setting died shortly after release from prison
• Mediated and settled numerous employment matters for gender and racial discrimination, age discrimination, sexual harassment, unequal pay and retaliation in both state and federal contexts, including FLSA, ADA, Title VII, Title IX, and the Illinois Wage Protection Act amongst others 
• Mediated and settled patent infringement claim involving design of an assault rifle
• Mediated and settled trade secrets case involving a process to extract and purify cannabidiol (CBD) from industrial hemp
• Mediated and settled Title IX claim where coach had allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with team assistants and athletes of both sexes
• Mediated and settled matter involving health claims associated with vitamin supplements
• Played a substantial role in settling three sub-classes of shareholders who felt that their rights had been violated as a result of the merger of two major banks
• Helped settle and oversaw confirmatory discovery in a $200 million plus settlement of a shareholder class action suit 
• Presided over the hearings of the joint investigation of the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon (Gulf of Mexico oil spill)
• Settled individual injury claims by war protesters who had been physically injured during confrontations with police officers trying to control and then arrest several thousand demonstrators 
• Resolved at its inception a lawsuit involving "curb cuts" throughout the City of Chicago to enable the City to maximize its ability to make walkways accessible to people with disabilities
• Mediated and arbitrated healthcare disputes between insurers, insureds and medical providers.

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Recipient, Justice John Paul Stevens Award for commitment to integrity and public service in the practice of law, The Chicago Bar Foundation and The Chicago Bar Association, 2010
• Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2006-2009
  • Chair of the District Judges meeting at the semi-annual meeting of the Judicial Conference, 2009
  • Member, Judicial Branch Committee, 1996-2005
• Recipient of Award for Public Service, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Member, Board of Directors, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (Chairperson of Compensation Committee and Translational Medicine Committee)
• Member (and past president), University of Illinois College of Law Board of Visitors
• Member, Federal Judges Association and Illinois Judges Association
• Member, Federal Bar Association
• Member, Chicago Bar Association (past member, Board of Managers)
• Member, Schools & Scholarship Committee, Chicago Chapter, Harvard College

Background and Education

• Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1991-2010
• Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, 1984-1991
• Deputy Secretary of State of Illinois, 1981-1984
• Partner, Burditt and Calkins, 1977-1980 (Associate, 1972-1976)
• Administrative Assistant to Henry J. Hyde, Majority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1970-1972
• Legislative Intern, University of Illinois Legislative Staff Internship program, 1970-1971
• J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, 1970 (Editor-in-Chief, the Caveat student newspaper)
• B.A., cum laude, Harvard University, 1967, where he was captain of the track team and remains co-holder of the 100-yard dash record