James D. Ossyra is a partner in Foley's General Commercial Litigation and Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation Practices, as well as its Insurance Industry Team. Mr. Ossyra has worked in all areas of complex commercial dispute resolution, primarily in litigation matters in courts throughout the United States. He focuses on reinsurance matters and construction and real estate workouts, and has extensive experience in commercial fraud and other business torts and breach of duty or contract.
Mr. Ossyra has experience in all aspects of dispute resolution - from the initial filing of an action in the courts through the trial and appeal. His experience also includes work on complex negotiated settlements, representation of clients in contested arbitration proceedings, and mediations. Mr. Ossyra has substantial trial experience. Recent cases include a major reinsurance dispute that ultimately resulted in a three-week trial in the federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, and a contentious commercial dispute over a software development contract that resulted in a two-week arbitration in Chicago.
A member of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association, Mr. Ossyra is also president and board member of the Evanston Township High School Alumni Association.
Mr. Ossyra received his law degree from Boston University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1983) and his undergraduate degree from Harvard University (B.A., cum laude, 1978). He is admitted to practice in Illinois and Colorado and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Seventh Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member of the Trial Bar for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.