Trial attorney Kevin McDermott has spent his entire career resolving substantive commercial and business disputes. As a result, he offers clients the honed negotiation and diplomacy skills, intellectual prowess as an advocate, and talent and artistry at trial required to help resolve even the most serious claims.
Kevin focuses his practice on commercial litigation, constitutional law, securities litigation and business torts. He counsels clients in a variety of industries, including real estate, finance, healthcare and construction. Kevin has more than three decades of experience resolving disputes before various courts, administrative agencies, and arbitration tribunals and in mediation.
Kevin is dedicated to understanding what his clients need to realize a win both in and out of court. He is valued for taking each client’s unique interests and objectives into account when developing a big-picture strategy.
As high-stakes litigation is much like a game of chess, Kevin seeks to remain several steps ahead of his adversary. He knows how to analyze, leverage and present a controversy and steer it toward a successful outcome. He maintains a track record of effectively helping clients, which is grounded in his distinct and formidable litigation experience, the ability to realize tactical advantage, and sheer people skills.
Notably, he served as special counsel to the Ohio Attorney General in an arbitration against numerous tobacco manufacturers where Ohio retained approximately $290 million in payments previously received and obtained an additional $36.5 million award for the state of Ohio. In addition, Kevin also was recognized by Ohio Lawyers Weekly as Ohio Lawyer of the Year for his successful constitutional challenge to a 20-year-old construction racial set-aside statute on behalf of a contractors association client. He has litigated numerous cases involving the award of attorneys’ fees and has served as an expert witness on attorneys’ fees awards.
For more than 25 years, Kevin served an arbitrator for FINRA. He has also prosecuted and defended securities claims in industry arbitrations. Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Kevin was a partner at Schottenstein Zox & Dunn, where he previously chaired the litigation department.
Attorney Presentation - "The Social Justice Warrior: Coming to a City Council Near You"