Shaun Van Horn

A creative problem-solver. A rigorous mind. A meticulous debater. Kind and compassionate.

These are the ways in which Shaun Van Horn's colleagues describe him. And no wonder: he has already built a track record of success that would be the envy of many litigators with far more years of experience.  

During the last 14 years at Jenner & Block, Van Horn has handled everything from life science patent litigation, complex commercial disputes and government contracts to IP licensing and antitrust issues in courts and arbitrations throughout the country.  He is also a thought leader, having written and edited numerous publications involving these topics. Van Horn’s matters frequently involve international clients with cross-border disputes. But no matter how complex his cases, Van Horn has that rare ability to drill down to the essence of what his clients most need.  A skill likely honed as one of the nation’s top collegiate debaters.

"He is intellectually curious and has a wide range of knowledge and interests," said Sofia Biller, compliance counsel for thyssenkrupp. "Shaun is able to synthesize this vast repertoire, which allows him to provide unique perspectives on legal and business problems. It also makes him a creative problem solver."

Van Horn has assisted Biller in a complicated matter involving an issue of first impression. Biller said that Van Horn’s creativity and intellectual mind were instrumental in developing solutions in that case.

Giovanni DiLuca, legal operations manager with Amazon, calls Van Horn the hardest-working attorney he's met. He also refers to Van Horn as a tireless advocate for his clients. 

As an example, DiLuca cites two important and challenging matters on which he and Van Horn worked together. "No one, not even the client, believed a favorable result was possible, except for Shaun," DiLuca said. "Shaun stood alone, adamant that we were on the right side of the law."

Turns out, Van Horn was right. He guided the case to victory, and in the process set new precedent in cross-border patent litigation. According to DiLuca, Van Horn “provided simple solutions to complex issues, picking and choosing the right battles to fight to ultimately win the case.” 

And while Van Horn has built a busy career in complex IP and commercial litigation, he's also devoted significant time to pro bono work. Omar Jafri, a plaintiffs-side securities fraud litigator with the Chicago office of Pomerantz LLP, said that he and Van Horn worked together to defeat the State's attempt to seek a supervisory order from the Illinois Supreme Court that sought to deny their client's right to seek an evidentiary hearing. 

"Shaun is what I consider an all-rounder: excellent analytical skills, superb writing skills and terrific trial advocacy skills with a great presence in the courtroom," Jafri said. "It is possible for lawyers to excel at one of these categories, but very rare for a lawyer to be excellent at each. Shaun is that rare lawyer."