Steve Grimes
Winston & Strawn
Litigation, Compliance

Steve Grimes hasn’t yet hit 40, but that hasn’t kept him from stringing together an impressive series of favorable results for his clients.

From his start at the U.S. Attorney's Office to his time as chief compliance officer at Tenneco and now as a partner at in the litigation practice Group at Winston & Strawn, Grimes has stood out among his peers.

“Steve combines a powerful intellect with keen analytical skills and a warm and outgoing personality to be the consummate litigator,” wrote one nominator who has known Grimes since he was a first-year associate. “As a first-year associate, he proved himself so adept at legal and technology issues that, as the partner in charge of a complex and significant case defending Microsoft Corporation, I put him in charge of expert discovery and assigned him the task of deposing the plaintiff's lead technical expert “

During his time with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Grimes prosecuted corrupt Chicago politicians, a Chicago-area man who was cyberstalking an ESPN sportscaster, the Hobos street gang and William Mastro, an influential sports memorabilia figure, in connection with Mr. Mastro’s efforts to rig online auctions and his alteration of the “most expensive baseball card in the world.” Grimes was lead prosecutor in the first-ever life sentence for a sex trafficker.

Clients benefit from the experience Grimes has gained through the years.

“Clients value Steve's focus on the business objective at hand, while also knowing that Steve has the trial skills necessary to go the distance if that's the best option,” one nominator wrote.

Currently, Grimes is the lead partner representing a major aluminum company in multi-million-dollar contractual indemnity and environmental litigation.

“We trust our highest-dollar, highest-risk complex litigation to him and his team. His thoughtful strategy has improved and leveraged our defenses while he has managed his team effectively to keep costs down,” a past client wrote. “As a former federal prosecutor, experienced trial lawyer, and in-house senior litigation counsel, Steve's exposure provides an unusual breath of perspective and an ability to see the best outcome from a client's viewpoint.”

Another nominator added, “Steve's clients' problems are his problems and his energy and tenacity are unmatched.”

Outside of his practice, Grimes co-taught “Computer Crime and the Legal System,” focusing on the legal issues surrounding cyber, technology, data-security and trade-secret law, at the University of Illinois Law School. He has served as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago Law School. Grimes is on the Board for the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services and the Board for HFS Scholars Chicago.