George Zelcs

George Zelcs focuses his practice in the areas of complex commercial litigation, including securities, antitrust, consumer fraud, qui tam/whistleblower, and pharmaceutical litigation in state and federal courts. Mr. Zelcs completed his undergraduate degree at Indiana University (B.A. Political Science, Urban Planning, and Sociology) in 1976. He received his law degree at Chicago-Kent College of Law and was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1979. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2013), Fifth Circuit (1999), Seventh Circuit (1980), Eighth Circuit (1996), Tenth Circuit (1982), and Eleventh Circuit (1993), the U.S. Tax Court (1984), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (2013), the Supreme Court of the United States (2005), and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern District of Illinois.

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Mr. Zelcs frequently has served as lead counsel in numerous complex multi-party litigations. Most recently, he is serving on the steering committee for the plaintiff consumer class in In re Google Play Consumer Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:20-cv-05761-JD (N.D. Cal.). He has served as co-lead counsel for the plaintiff publisher class in In re Google Digital Publisher Antitrust Litigation, No. 21-cv-07034 (S.D.N.Y). He also served as co-lead counsel for the plaintiff Smartwatch owner class in In re Apple, Inc. Smartphone Antitrust Litigation, No. 24-cv-07238 (D.N.J .).

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Further, Mr. Zelcs has represented the National Credit Union Administration in mortgage-backed securities litigation against several global investment banks resulting in over $5 billion in recoveries. He has served an instrumental role in developing and litigating the claims in In re Foreign Exchange Benchmark Rates Antitrust Litigation, No. 13-cv-07789-LGS (S.D.N.Y.), resulting in $2.3 billion in recoveries. And he served as co-lead counsel in Axiom Investment Advisors, LLC v. Barclays Bank PLC, No. 15-cv-9323-LGS (S.D.N.Y.), a class action regarding "last look" practices in foreign exchange trading, resulting in a $50 million settlement of breach of contract and other claims.

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Mr. Zelcs has conducted bench and jury trials in state and federal courts throughout the country. In Price, et al. v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., No. 001-0112 (Third Judicial Circuit, Illinois) (Byron,].), he co-tried a class action asserting consumer fraud claims and achieved a $10.1 billion dollar judgment. He co-led a trial team in Csupo, et al. v. Google LLC, No. 19-cv-352557(Cal. Super. Ct., Santa Clara Cty.) that resulted in a $314.6 million dollar verdict.

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Mr. Zelcs serves on the Chicago-Kent Board of Overseers and as a Trustee for the Chicago Kent Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States. He also serves as a Charter Trustee of Illinois College and is a Fellow of the American Bar Association.  He has testified, at the invitation of the New York State Assembly, regarding financial guaranty insurance and representations and warranties made by mortgage originators in mortgage-backed securities.

 

He has been appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General by the State of Michigan to represent the state’s interests in certain litigation.

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