Hon. James E. Snyder (Ret.) joined JAMS in Chicago in 2023 following 16 years of distinguished service as an associate judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Prior to his retirement, Judge Snyder presided over a Law Division commercial litigation calendar, including bench and jury proceedings, in matters involving employment, construction, government and whistleblower claims, qui tam and statutory false claims, professional negligence, contract matters, lending and debt. 

At JAMS, Judge Snyder has mediated and arbitrated hundreds of consumer banking disputes in both class action and individual proceedings. He is adept at helping parties identify early opportunities for settlement. On the bench, he served as supervising judge of the Circuit Court’s Law Division Mandatory Arbitration Program, a court-annexed arbitration program for claims greater than $50,000, and as supervising judge of the court's Municipal Arbitration Program, a program designed to give litigants, including self-represented parties, efficient outcomes for small civil disputes.

Representative Matters

• Banking
• Multiple individual arbitrations of consumer financing, Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and consumer fraud claims in cross-state vehicle title loan transactions
• Multiple individual arbitrations of consumer financing, TILA and consumer fraud claims in consumer lending transactions
• Mediation of mass consumer banking claims
• Adjudication of confirmation and enforcement of an arbitration award in a breach of contract claim between a bank note validation system manufacturer and client
• Adjudication of a dispute between a commercial real estate lender and guarantor regarding an $11 million personal guarantee
• Adjudication of substantial breach of contract and equitable claims between a national hotel brand, a national commercial bank and a credit card processing service regarding payment system hacking claims and indemnification obligations to a nonparty credit card brand
• Business Commercial
• Mediation of a cross-border contractual dispute between a commercial refrigeration systems manufacturer and shelving supplier in New York and Ontario, Canada
• Arbitration of contractual disputes between a professional sports league franchise and a team-branded credit card issuer
• Mediation of contractual disputes regarding the sale and resale of United States Government Services Administration (GSA) and Department of Defense regulated field (portable) satellite equipment
• Arbitration of contract, sales and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) financing claims in a dispute over the sale of goods
• Adjudication compelling arbitration and subsequent enforcement of an arbitration award in a breach of contract claim between a physician and a medical practice
• Adjudication and disposition at law of defamation claims by plaintiff-attorneys and the defendant’s California anti-SLAPP defenses based on social media statements of a public figure
• Adjudicated breach of contract and warranty dispute regarding the sale of an accounting brokerage practice
• Adjudicated multimillion-dollar cross-border contract claims between a Dutch manufacturer of coffeemakers and an American food products company
• Judicial mediation of fraud and contract disputes concerning the performance and merchantability of industrial scale, regulated manufactured products in the energy production sector
• Adjudication and disposition by settlement of a fraud dispute concerning the performance and emissions standard compliance of truck engines
• Adjudication by bench and jury trial of consumer fraud in the automobile towing industry
• Adjudicated several contract and fiduciary duty claims regarding real estate brokerage commissions; investment, financial and estate planning services; and “procuring cause” claim commissions
• Adjudication of confirmation and enforcement of an arbitration award in a contract dispute between a financial services executive search firm and a client
• Adjudicated and mediated statutory and common law sales representative commission claim disputes in the medical device sector
• Adjudicated membership interests, lending disputes and the purchase and sale of rights to the membership interests of a health club chain
• Adjudicated contractual and equitable claims between investor/family members, officer and agent/family of large family estate investment entities
• Adjudication and disposition by settlement of a defamation claim between a consulting firm and a business trade publication
• Adjudication and settlement of distribution and fraud claims in real estate development entities on a series of development projects
• Adjudicated distribution and fraud claims regarding a scrap metal processing company
• Adjudicated contract, tort and fraud claims regarding hauling facility agreements
• Adjudication and settlement fraud claims with respect to a distributorship agreement in the e-cigarette/vape market
• Adjudication and settlement of consumer fraud claims regarding mortuary services
• Adjudication of fraud and consumer fraud claims in the emergency procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) by Illinois and Iowa medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Cannabis
• Mediated construction and mechanic’s lien claim regarding construction of a cannabis farming facility  in Illinois
• Adjudicated accounting dispute between investors in a cannabis club distribution (point of sale, inventory, marketing)  system
• Civil Rights
• Adjudicated and presided over jury proceedings of employment and government whistleblower claims concerning allegations of police misconduct
• Adjudicated employment retaliation and whistleblower claims concerning an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violation in the operation of automobile dealerships
• Adjudicated whistleblower, ethics and retaliation claims of former state employees regarding their participation in the investigation of a claim of sexual harassment against a state by an elected statewide constitutional officer
• Judicial settlement of civil rights and defamation violations, including counter allegations of professional misconduct between a university and a member of its faculty concerning controversial publications and faculty censure
• Adjudication at law of civil rights violations against a city police department on a claim that an off-duty police officer, in uniform and armed, forcefully removed children from an apartment to conduct an unauthorized eviction
• Construction
• Mediation of a dispute between a general contractor and subcontractor regarding construction services in the building of hotel properties
• Arbitration of a dispute between a general contractor and subcontractor regarding construction services in the building of hotel properties
• Mediation of claims between an architect and commercial real estate developers
• Adjudicated contract and professional negligence claims (architect and engineer) concerning elevator systems for the expansion of a prominent cultural institution
• Adjudication of 42 claims between a condominium association, developer, construction contractor and material suppliers regarding the construction of the development’s common elements
• Adjudication and settlement of claims between condominium unit owners, a national family-owned real estate organization, engineers, architects and material suppliers regarding HAVC systems in a luxury high-rise building
• Adjudication and settlement of claims between condominium unit owners, engineers, architects and material suppliers regarding balcony and window door sealing treatments in a luxury high-rise building
• Adjudication of breach of performance bond and warranty claims regarding the construction of a solar energy facility in Arizona
• Adjudication of claims between the construction general contractor and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) subcontractor regarding the construction of a large hotel within a metropolitan exposition center
• Cybersecurity and Privacy
• Adjudicated contract claims, counterclaims and equitable claims between a national hotel brand, a credit card processing company and a banking institution regarding computer system security breaches and customer data theft by foreign criminal actors
• Adjudicated and resolved by the settlement of the consumer product (dog-walking harnesses) manufacturer’s claims of intellectual property and customer data theft by former key employees
• Adjudicated and resolved by settlement a coffee product manufacturer’s claims of intellectual property theft by former key employees
• Education Law
• Judicial settlement of sports coach employee claims of breach of employment contract
• Adjudication of breach of employment contract concerning claims regarding key employee liquidated damage benefit and compensation terms of e-commerce application developer
• Adjudication of breach of employment contract concerning claims regarding benefit, compensation and indemnification terms under Delaware law
• Employment Law
• Arbitration of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state law wage and hour claims
• As arbitral chair of a tripartite panel, arbitration of key employee executive compensation claims
• Adjudication of confirmation and enforcement of an arbitration award in an employment dispute between an energy section company and a former employee
• Adjudicated dispute on res judicata and estoppel effect of prior FINRA proceedings on a race discrimination claim
• Adjudication of a dispute regarding civil rights and FMLA violations and a related claim regarding whether COVID-19 infection can constitute a protected condition of disability
• Adjudication of gender discrimination, equal pay and retaliation claims by county employees
• Adjudication of racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims against a university and food services vendor
• Judicial mediation of a claim of civil rights violation and defamation and counter allegations of professional misconduct between a university and a member of its faculty concerning controversial publications and faculty censure
• Adjudication of gender discrimination, equal pay and retaliation claims by county employees
• Adjudication of age discrimination, equal pay, retaliation and breach of employment contract claims by a tax accountant against a corporate entity and company leadership, as well as counterclaims regarding a noncompete agreement
• Judicial settlement of a claim of officer embezzlement of funds from an LGBTQ+ amateur sports organization
• Adjudication or settlement of statutory and common law whistleblower protection claims, including cases involving reports of irregularity and illegal expenditure of government funds in a state agency, reports of OSHA standards breach at a slaughterhouse, reports of OSHA standards breach and safety claims in the use of cutting and welding equipment and reports of OSHA standards and supervision in commercial dough mixing machinery
• Adjudication of hundreds of False Claims Act (FCA) proceedings regarding the collection of retail sales and online sales tax vendors
• Presided over several adjudications or settlements of wage and hour claims under state law, including claims brought by tuckpointing employees, domestic cleaning employees, municipal police department employees, hotel housekeeping employees, ultrasound clinic employees, restaurant employees, food service and hospitality employees, manufacturing employees, home health care workers and nursing assistant staff contracted by a staffing service, including those brought by the state department of labor or private counsel; extensive experience in proceedings with non-English-speaking employee claimants in these matters
• Adjudication of whistleblower claim regarding employee’s claim of illegal tax reporting by hotel owners
• Adjudicated whistleblower claims regarding a noncompete and payment dispute between developer and trader
• Franchise Distribution Law
• Adjudicated dispute between a franchisee operator of several fast-food restaurants and a fast-food restaurant licensing corporation
• Adjudicated and settled dispute between franchisee operator of hotel properties and hotel brand licensing/partnership corporation
• Higher Education & Title IX
• Adjudicated a claim of whistleblower retaliation made by an academic department director against a community college regarding the curricular decision to eliminate certain courses from the medical assistant education program
• Adjudicated claims of breach of contract and defamation made by a teacher against a school district after the teacher’s resignation from employment and statements made by students regarding student claims of sexual harassment and Title IX violations
• Adjudicated and settled claims by a university medical school faculty and laboratory founder regarding employment and research legacy
• Judicial settlement of a claim of civil rights violation and defamation and counter allegations of professional misconduct between a university and a member of its faculty concerning controversial publications and faculty censure
• Judicial settlement of medical student/resident physician dispute regarding termination of residency at university teaching hospital
• Adjudication of breach of contract and academic catalogue matriculation claim between a private university of professional psychology and health services degree program and a former student concerning claims of failure to provide clinical opportunities
• Insurance
• Adjudication of breach of contract and coverage claims under D&O policies, professional negligence and negligent misrepresentation claims between an insured LLC, insurance company and an insurance brokerage
• Adjudication of complex coverage claims and a contract dispute regarding procedure coding and policy claims, including allegations of fraud and Medicare fraud
• Adjudication of claims under international shipping policies on the shipping of medical products
• Adjudication of many cases of contract and coverage claims under a homeowner’s policy regarding property damage
• Personal Injury

• Adjudication of wrongful death and product liability claims regarding the death of a two-year-old child and a home water heater
• Adjudication of personal injury and loss of consortium claims regarding the sterilization of a patient who underwent radiation treatment for cancer
• Adjudication through jury trial, bench trial, disposition at law or settlement of more than 500 low- or moderate-value car accident subrogation lawsuits, as well as supervision of the Circuit Court of Cook County Municipal Arbitration program
• Professional Liability
• Arbitration of legal malpractice claims
• Adjudicated dispute for legal malpractice regarding a mattress manufacturing licensing company’s breach of contract disputes
• Adjudicated and presided over jury proceedings of professional negligence claims (attorney) concerning the estate, educational foundation and intellectual property of American designer George Nelson and his family; case settled mid-trial
• Adjudicated and presided over jury proceedings of professional negligence claims (attorney) concerning the intellectual property interests and contracts of a consumer product brand licensing company
• Adjudicated dispute for legal malpractice where developer sued firm for lost profits stemming from legal advice in commercial real estate development projects
• Adjudication of several disputes for legal malpractice where the client sued the firm in connection with a domestic relations proceeding
• Adjudication of several disputes for legal malpractice where the client sued the firm in connection with a real estate transaction
• Adjudication of several disputes for legal malpractice where the client sued the firm in connection with an estate or probate matter
• Real Property
• Adjudication and settlement of distribution and fraud claims in a real estate development entity on a series of development projects
• Adjudicated fraud claims, breach of contract and Minority Business Enterprise/Women’s Business Enterprise participation claims in an airport runway rehabilitation project
• Adjudication and settlement of fraud claims and breach of contract claims regarding the rehabilitation and flood abatement work on a police and fire station

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships and Affiliations

• Faculty, National Judicial College, 2020–2023
• President, Illinois Judges Association, 2018–2019
• President, Alliance of Illinois Judges, 2010–2011
• Chairman, Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Education, Advanced Judicial Academy, 2016–2017
• Founding Member and Former General Counsel, Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and the AIDS Care Housing Initiative

Selected Awards and Honors

• Sebastian Patti Judicial Excellence Award, Alliance of Illinois Judges, 2023
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Illinois Judges Association, 2022
• Honoree, Justice John Paul Stevens Award, Chicago Bar Association/Chicago Bar Foundation, 2021
• Distinguished Alumni, Northern Illinois University, Colleges of Law and Liberal Arts, 2021
• Alumni Service Award, Northern Illinois University, College of Law, 2000

Selected Presentations 

• “Liability for Violating the Illinois Biometric Privacy Law: The White Castle Stands,” CBA Record, Chicago Bar Association, November-December 2023 
• “Judicial Independence, Illinois Supreme Court Year in Review,” Illinois State Bar Association – Illinois Judges Association, December 2023 
• “A Course in Ethics for Prospective Judges,” National Judicial College, University of Nevada Reno, October 2023 
• “Inclusion, Preservation and Curiosity,” Francis X. Riley Lecture, Northern Illinois University College of Law, March 2023 
• “Rethinking How We Deliver Justice – Optimizing Alternative Dispute Resolution,” Illinois State Bar Association – Illinois Judges Association, December 2022

Background and Education

• Associate Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County (Chicago), 2007–2023
• Law Division, Commercial Litigation Individual Calendar, 2013–2023
• Supervising Judge, Law Division Mandatory Arbitration Program, 2010–2013
• Illinois Supreme Court Appointment, 2007
• General Counsel, Illinois Human Rights Commission, 2000–2007
• Law Office of James E. Snyder, 1994–2000
• Senior Attorney, Chicago Housing Authority, 1988–1994
• J.D., Northern Illinois University College of Law, 1988
• B.A., History, Northern Illinois University, 1987