Locations

People Search

Filter
View All
Loading... Sorry, No results.
bscr
{{attorney.N}} {{attorney.R}}
{{attorney.O}}
Page {{currentPage + 1}} of {{totalPages}} [{{attorneys.length}} results]

loading trending trending Insights on baker sterchi

FILTER
ltlt

				Odom
				
				Gregory
Toxic tort/commercial defense litigator

Gregory Odom

Member in Belleville

Greg Odom defends clients in mass toxic torts and commercial litigation. Greg also advises businesses and business groups on cybersecurity issues, with an emphasis on biometric privacy law compliance. An experienced trial attorney, he represents individuals, local businesses, and Fortune 500 companies in state and federal courts across Illinois and Missouri, with an emphasis on defending clients in southern Illinois and the metropolitan St. Louis region. Greg is a native of southern Illinois, graduating from Crab Orchard High School and attending SIUC for both college and law school. Currently, he resides in Jefferson County, Illinois, with his wife, a Clerk for the District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in Benton, and two children.

Greg's mass toxic torts litigation experience includes defending product manufacturers, premises owners, talc suppliers, and a variety of other companies in hundreds of asbestos and benzene exposure cases. In this role, Greg oversees case investigation, discovery, dispositive motion practice, expert discovery, settlement negotiations, and trial preparation. He has helped his clients win motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, as well as obtain voluntary dismissals, even when evidence against his clients was presented. 

Greg's commercial litigation experience includes representing individuals, businesses, and government agencies in cases arising from various types of commercial projects, ranging in value from $20,000 to over $25 million. He has tried multiple commercial litigation cases to verdict.

In addition to his toxic torts and commercial litigation work, Greg has pursued and defended declaratory judgment actions, pursued subrogation claims, conducted insurance coverage analyses, and assisted insurers in determining language to be used in insurance policies. Greg also has represented individuals and businesses in personal injury claims, including auto accident, slip-and-fall, and construction accident claims. Finally, Greg has represented multiple state and local government agencies, including municipalities, police departments, and conservancy districts in a variety of claims, such as civil rights, wrongful termination, wage dispute, intentional torts, and commercial litigation.

Examples of recent case results: 

  • Obtained court order finding that the plaintiff was not entitled to conduct jurisdictional discovery against his client under Missouri law, resulting in a voluntary dismissal for his client, in an asbestos lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri. 
  • Obtained a settlement with a value of more than $1.5 million for a client in a complex commercial lawsuit arising from a significant commercial expansion project.
  • Obtained summary judgment in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in an asbestos claim for a premises owner on the basis that it owed no duty of care to the plaintiff.
  • Won motion to dismiss in an asbestos claim in the Circuit Court of Madison County, Illinois, for a home remodeling products manufacturer based on lack of specific personal jurisdiction.
  • Won motion to dismiss in an asbestos claim in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, for a home remodeling products manufacturer based on lack of general personal jurisdiction.
  • Obtained a defense trial verdict for a trucking company on a property damage claim in the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Illinois.
  • Obtained a defense trial verdict for a trucking company and truck driver on a personal injury claim arising from a catastrophic semi-truck accident. 
  • Obtained a plaintiff’s trial verdict for a homeowner in a breach of contract and consumer fraud claim against a roofing contractor.
  • Successfully argued appeal of a defense trial verdict for a property owner in a slip-and-fall case based on the Illinois open and obvious doctrine.
  • Obtained summary judgment for an insurance carrier in the District Court for the Central District of Illinois based on a co-insurer’s duty to defend and reimburse the client for fees and expenses incurred in an underlying lawsuit.
  • Obtained summary judgment for a police department in a civil rights claim based upon no duty owed to the plaintiff and due to immunity.
  • Obtained summary judgment in the District Court for the Southern District of Illinois for an insurer in a declaratory judgment action on the basis that the insurer owed no duty to provide coverage to the insured.

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Missouri
  • USDC, Southern District of Illinois
  • USDC, Eastern District of Missouri

Education

  • Southern Illinois University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2008
  • Southern Illinois University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2005

Memberships & Activities

  • DRI
  • Illinois Defense Counsel
    • Board of Directors (2017-Present)
    • Toxic Torts Committee Chair and Founder of Committee (2019-2021)
    • Events Committee Chair (2016-2018)
    • Events Committee Vice-Chair (2015-2016)
    • Young Lawyers Division Chair (2014-2015)
    • Mentorship Program Administrator (2014-2015)
  • Jefferson County Bar Association
  • Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
  • Madison County Bar Association
  • Missouri Bar Association
  • St. Clair County Bar Association

Awards & Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America, Belleville, IL
    • Personal Injury Litigation  Defendants (2024)
    • Product Liability Litigation  Defendants (2023-2024)
  • Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2016-2023
  • Illinois Law Bulletin Media Emerging Lawyer, 2015-2022
  • Missouri Lawyers Media Up & Coming Award, 2022
  • Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
    • President’s Award for Service and Commitment to the Defense Bar (2018)
    • Meritorious Service Award for Service as Events Committee Chair (2018)
    • Rising Star Award (2015)
    • President’s Commendation (2014)
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated

Community Involvement

  • Autism Society of Southern Illinois - Volunteer
  • Habitat for Humanity, Edwardsville-Glen Carbon - Volunteer
  • Jefferson County, Illinois Chamber of Commerce - Member

Publications

  • “Illinois Defense Counsel Survey of Law”, Toxic Tort Section (2022)
  • “Was Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct. Actually a Game-Changer for Toxic Tort Defendants?”, IDC Quarterly (2022)
  • "Illinois COVID-19 Exposure Claims: Rulings and New Filings Continue", IDC Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Third Quarter 2021)
  • “Should Illinois Businesses Brace for a Wave of COVID-19 Personal Injury Lawsuits?”, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 1 (First Quarter 2021)
  • "An Update on Recent Illinois Toxic Tort Litigation and Legislation", The IDC Monograph/IDC Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 3 (Third Quarter 2020)
  • "A Look Back at Toxic Tort Litigation in 2019", IDC Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 1 (First Quarter 2020)
  • "2019 Survey of the Law", Illinois Defense Counsel, Editor and Contributor for Toxic Tort Law Cases (2020)
  • "IDC Launches Toxic Tort Committee", IDC Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Fall 2019)
  • "The Supreme Court Takes on Personal Jurisdiction: What the Court’s Recent Opinions Tell Us About the Future of Personal Jurisdiction", The IDC Monograph/IDC Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 4 (2017)
  • "Young Lawyers Division Committee Newsletter", IDC Defense Update, Vol. 16, No. 12 (Feb. 2015)
  • Young Lawyers Division Column, IDC Quarterly (2014-2015)
  • "UIM ‘Escape Hatch’ Clauses are Enforceable in Illinois", The Firm Inquiry (Summer 2011)
  • "Take Home Liability: Illinois Extends an Employer’s Potential Liability to Employee’s Family Members in Toxic Tort Cases", The Firm Inquiry (Summer 2010)
  • "Who is an Insured? Illinois now Requires Uniform ‘Insured’ Definitions in Auto Policies", The Firm Inquiry (Spring 2010)
  • "Illinois Clarifies Scope of the ‘Automobile Use’ Exclusion in Homeowners and CGL Policies", The Firm Inquiry (Summer 2009)

Presentations

  • "Witness Preparation", Illinois Defense Counsel Deposition Academy (February 2023)
  • "BIPA Bonanza – A Year in Review, Insurance Coverage, and Best Practices Moving Forward", Illinois Defense Counsel CLE Webinar (January 2023)
  • "Depositions - Let's Talk", Illinois Defense Counsel A to Z Litigation Academy (February 2022)
  • "Legal Issues Related to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act", Southern Illinois University Carbondale (November 2021)
  • "Legal Considerations for Restaurants in Southern Illinois During the Pandemic", Illinois Small Business Development Center (December 2020)
  • "A Practical Guide to Deposing Plaintiffs' Expert Witnesses in Asbestos Litigation", Illinois Defense Counsel (December 2020)
  • Jefferson County, Illinois Chamber of Commerce Lunch-and-Learn Presentation on Illinois Legal Issues Related to COVID-19 (December 2020)
  • "Restaurants and Executive Order Number 56", Marion, Illinois Chamber of Commerce (November 2020)
  • "What Businesses Need to Know About the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act", Belleville, Illinois Chamber of Commerce (Webinar, 2020)
  • "The Basics of Taking an Effective Fact Witness Deposition in Asbestos Cases & Venue Specific Deposition Tips", Illinois Defense Counsel (Webinar, 2020)
  • "Covid-19, the Law, and Your Business", HireLevel (Webinar, 2020)
  • "Covid-19, the Law, and Your Business", Small Business Development Center (Harrisburg/Carbondale IL 2020)
  • “Illinois Employee Fingerprint & Scanning Review”, Saline County, Illinois Chamber of Commerce (Harrisburg IL, 2020)
  • “Biometric Privacy Act-Chamber Informative Workshop”, Centralia, Illinois Chamber of Commerce (Centralia IL, 2020)
  • "A Guide to Practicing in Asbestos Litigation Hotspots", Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (St. Louis MO, 2019)
  • "Substance Abuse Among Attorneys", Harris Martin Midwest Asbestos Litigation Conference (St. Louis MO, 2019)
  • Panel moderator, “Insurance Issues Arising in Mass Toxic Tort Litigation", Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel Spring Symposium (Chicago IL, 2017)
  • Faculty member, “Deposition Academy", Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (Collinsville IL, 2017)
  • “The Rules of Evidence: A Practical Toolkit", National Business Institute (Collinsville IL, 2015)
  • “Strategies for Success: Ensuring Success in Your First Position", Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel Symposium (John Marshall School of Law, 2013)
  • "Toxic Tort Litigation", National Business Institute (Webinar, 2013)
  • "Life as a First-Year Associate", Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel Symposium (Southern Illinois University School of Law, 2013)
  • A Guide to Working with Witnesses, National Business Institute (Webinar, 2013)
  • "Preparing for Trial", National Business Institute (St. Louis MO, 2012)
  • “Trial Preparation from Start to Finish", Institute for Paralegal Education (Collinsville IL, 2011)

News & Events

Blog Posts

Results