Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil

What Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil does

Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O'Neil, operating as Foote Chavez Law LLC, is a boutique complex civil litigation law firm founded in 2013 and headquartered at 1541 E Fabyan Parkway, Suite 101, Geneva, Illinois. The firm is led by founding partners Kathleen C. Chavez and Robert M. Foote, with Elizabeth C. Chavez serving as Managing Attorney and Bret K. Pufahl as associate, fielding a lean team of approximately four attorneys and 11-50 total staff. Practice areas span complex litigation (multi-district litigation, class actions, mass torts), business and commercial disputes, securities litigation, employment law, workers' compensation, personal injury (medical malpractice, birth injuries, asbestos, motor vehicle, defective products), consumer fraud, internet and technology disputes, qui tam/whistleblower actions, and a dedicated Camp Lejeune water contamination practice. The firm publicizes cumulative verdicts and settlements exceeding $15 billion, anchored by a $6 billion judgment in Havlish v. bin Laden, a $1 billion recovery in In Re Managed Care Litigation, and a $2 billion Westgate Ford v. Ford Motor Company judgment.

The firm generates revenue primarily through contingency fee arrangements on plaintiff-side class action, personal injury, employment discrimination, and complex civil matters, aligning firm compensation with settlement or verdict outcomes, and secondarily through traditional hourly billing for consultation and case evaluation. Free initial case evaluations are offered for workers' compensation matters. Clients span individual plaintiffs, employer defendants, class action members, and government entities; representative engagements include 9/11 surviving families, physicians in managed care litigation, Ford truck dealers, CVS assistant managers, African American railroad workers (Barnes v. Canadian National Railway), and state governments (Colorado, Montana) in qui tam actions against oil companies.

Client acquisition is sales-led and hybrid, combining phone intake, online contact forms, Clio Grow online scheduling, home and hospital visits for immobile clients, attorney referrals, and a robust content marketing presence that includes an SEO-optimized website, an active blog, bilingual English/Spanish digital content, and social profiles on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. Brand reinforcement is supported by CLE speaking engagements, steering committee appointments, and external recognition including Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, Lawyers of Distinction, Esteemed Lawyers of America, National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, TopVerdict.com Top 20 Settlements Illinois 2019, and Best Lawyers Ones to Watch 2026.

Name

Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil

Legal name

Foote Chavez Law LLC

Website

https://fmcolaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Foote Chavez Law is a Geneva, Illinois-based boutique complex civil litigation firm representing plaintiffs in class actions, employment disputes, personal injury, and workers' compensation matters, serving clients throughout Illinois and nationwide with a public track record exceeding $15 billion in verdicts and settlements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services - Complex Civil Litigation

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Complex civil litigation
• Class action lawsuits
• Employment law representation
• Personal injury law
• Workers compensation law

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Contingency Fees: Law firm generates revenue primarily through contingency fees on successful settlements and verdicts, particularly in class action litigation, personal injury, employment discrimination, and complex civil matters. Recovery-based compensation aligns firm interests with client outcomes.
2. Legal Services - Hourly/Traditional Billing: Hourly billing for certain legal services including consultation, case evaluation, and matters not structured on contingency basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Foote Chavez Law is a boutique complex civil litigation law firm that provides plaintiff-side legal representation across practice areas including complex litigation (multi-district litigation, class actions, mass torts), business and commercial disputes, securities litigation, employment law, workers' compensation, personal injury, consumer fraud, internet/technology disputes, and qui tam/whistleblower actions. The firm recovers damages for individual plaintiffs, class members, and business clients primarily through contingency fee arrangements, supplemented by hourly billing for certain matters.

Product overview

Foote Chavez Law is a boutique complex civil litigation law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm provides Complex Litigation (including MDL, class actions, and mass tort), Business & Commercial Disputes, Securities Litigation, Employment Law, Workers' Compensation, Personal Injury, Camp Lejeune Water Contamination claims, Consumer Fraud, Internet and Technology Disputes, and Qui Tam/Whistleblower actions. These services are delivered through their team of attorneys based in Geneva, Illinois, serving clients throughout Illinois and nationwide. The firm has recovered over $15 billion in verdicts and settlements for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Complex Litigation High-stakes civil litigation services including multi-district litigation (MDL), class actions, mass tort cases, and complex commercial disputes with national implications for individual plaintiffs, class members, and business clients.
• Business & Commercial Disputes Legal representation in breach of contract, deceptive trade practices, professional liability litigation, and international business disputes for business clients.
• Securities Litigation Representation for investors in securities class actions under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Securities Act of 1933 against publicly held companies.
• Employment Law Defense of employee rights including sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour disputes, FMLA violations, and whistleblower protection.
• Workers' Compensation Representation for injured workers in Illinois including medical benefits, disability benefits, lump-sum settlements, and third-party liability claims, with free case evaluations.
• Personal Injury Legal services for victims of medical malpractice, birth injuries, defective products, motor vehicle accidents, asbestos-related mesothelioma, and nursing home neglect.
• Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims Representation for veterans and families exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune between 1953-1987 seeking compensation for resulting health conditions.
• Consumer Fraud Class action and individual claims against companies engaging in false advertising, pricing irregularities, predatory marketing, and failure to disclose defects.
• Internet and Technology Disputes Litigation involving website ownership, domain disputes, social media account issues, e-commerce disputes, mobile patents, online defamation, and cybersquatting.
• Qui Tam / Whistleblower Actions Legal representation for whistleblowers reporting fraud against the federal government under the False Claims Act with qui tam provisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $15 billion in verdicts and settlements secured for clients
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Seeger Weiss: Boutique plaintiffs' firm focused on mass torts, class actions, and MDLs — directly comparable in scale, practice mix, and contingency-fee business model.
• Hagens Berman: Plaintiff-side class action firm active in consumer protection, employment, securities, and mass tort litigation — comparable contingency model and MDL leadership profile.
• Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll: Plaintiffs' class action firm with leading practices in securities, antitrust, consumer protection, and civil rights — overlapping directly with Foote Chavez's complex litigation and class action focus.
• Berger Montague: Complex civil litigation and class action boutique with strong antitrust, securities, and consumer protection practices that overlap with Foote Chavez's MDL and class action work.
• Susman Godfrey: Elite commercial litigation boutique with a strong plaintiff-side complex commercial practice; comparable in handling high-stakes national cases from a small-attorney base.
• Motley Rice: Plaintiff litigation firm with deep MDL, mass tort (asbestos, opioids), and complex civil litigation practice; comparable contingency model and track record of national leadership roles in transformative cases.
• Pomerantz LLP: Plaintiffs' securities class action firm with a long-standing reputation for lead-plaintiff representations in major securities cases — directly overlapping Foote Chavez's securities litigation work.
• Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd: Premier securities and consumer class action plaintiffs' firm with a similar contingency-fee structure and reputation for record-breaking securities litigation recoveries.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Nationally recognized plaintiffs' firm specializing in class actions, MDL, and complex civil litigation with a similar contingency-fee model and elite reputation for multi-billion-dollar recoveries in consumer fraud, securities, and mass tort matters.

Broad incumbents

• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: Largest litigation-only global law firm; competes with Foote Chavez on complex commercial disputes, international litigation, and RICO matters, though its scale and defense-side practice make it a broad incumbent rather than a direct boutique peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fmco__law
• Facebookfacebook.com/FMCOchicagolaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fmco-law

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil