Aaron J. Hersh
Partner, Litigation
Aaron J. Hersh is a partner in the Litigation Department. He is a litigator and trial lawyer with a breadth of experience in trial and appellate courts at both the federal and state level, representing businesses in complex, high-stakes disputes. He has significant experience in antitrust litigation, trade-secret misappropriation, shareholder and corporate governance disputes, restrictive covenants and non-competition agreements, fiduciary claims, consumer class actions, patent and trademark infringement, and trade litigation. Aaron has successfully obtained (and defeated) temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions for a number of clients in a variety of settings. Aaron also counsels clients on trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and unfair competition issues in non- and pre-litigation settings, including assisting clients in developing policies to protect their proprietary information and investments in their workforce.
Aaron maintains an active pro bono practice, in which he has represented individuals in a variety of civil and administrative proceedings, including civil rights and habeas corpus cases, in trial and appellate courts.
Experience
Prior to joining Willkie, Aaron was an associate at another major law firm.
- Benchmark Litigation – 40 & Under List – Dispute Resolution (2024)
- Best Lawyers in America – “Ones to Watch” Commercial Litigation (2023)
Aaron is a member of the Metropolitan & Legal Aid Associate Board.
- Panelist, Trade Secrets, Sandpiper Partners Chicago Legal Conference, October 22, 2022
- “Employers Take Note: State AGs Urge FTC to Step Up Scrutiny of Employee Restrictions,” New York University’s Compliance and Enforcement blog (August 9, 2019), co-author
- “3 Years of the Defend Trade Secrets Act: The Open Questions,” Law360 (June 6, 2019), co-author
- Panelist, “Trade Secrets Forum 2018,” Managing Intellectual Property (September 27, 2018)
- “Unbridled or Reined In: Horse Cloning Suit Shows Antitrust Risks For Association Rule Making,” ISBA Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law (June 2014), co-author
- “Rehabilitating Tinker: A Modest Proposal To Protect Public-School Students' First Amendment Free Expression Rights in the Digital Age,” Iowa Law Review, Vol. 98, Issue 3 (2013)
- Defeated class certification and secured summary judgment in litigation involving claims that a financial services company mismanaged the assets of trusts for which it served as a professional fiduciary
- Key member of trial team for leading chemical distributor with global operations in anti-dumping and transshipment case in the United States Court of International Trade
- Key member of trial team in Walker Process antitrust case involving allegations of patent fraud and abuse
- Defeated summary judgment in shareholder derivative litigation related to claims that officers and directors breached fiduciary duties
Credentials
Education
University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., 2013 Lewis and Clark College, B.A., 2008
Bar Admissions
Court Admissions
United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2014 United States Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 2014 United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2016