Oran F. Whiting

Biography

Oran F. Whiting represents domestic and foreign corporations, government entities, and individuals in commercial and insurance defense litigation; government, regulatory affairs, and compliance matters; health care; general corporate; and entertainment law. Prior to joining Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, Mr. Whiting maintained a private practice. He also has large law firm experience as a Partner at Holland & Knight and Freeborn & Peters.

Mr. Whiting has extensive trial experience on both sides of the bench. He has successfully tried numerous commercial litigation and personal injury cases to verdict and participated in several arbitrations, mediations, and administrative law proceedings. He also has the unique privilege of being appointed as a commissioner on the Illinois Court of Claims, where he presided over 23 trials, and as a hearing officer for the Illinois Secretary of State. He has drafted numerous appellate briefs for several state and federal appellate courts, argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and appeared in several state and federal jurisdictions via motions pro hac vice.

Mr. Whiting manages all legal matters for Investigator Support Services, an international company providing outsourcing solutions for clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. He defends ISS’s interests in litigation matters and drafts and negotiates all sales, vendor, partnership, and joint venture agreements. He is also responsible for all regulatory, governance, and compliance matters.

While serving as outside general counsel for Mercy Hospital, Mr. Whiting presided over a $2 million annual legal budget and restructured the legal and risk management departments, significantly reducing the Hospital’s malpractice and general liability expenses. He also drafted and negotiated physician, employment, real estate, and construction contracts, including commercial vendor contracts for the purchase of magnetic resonance imaging machines valued in excess of $15 million. While defending the Hospital in medical negligence, premises liability, employment, and breach of contract litigation, he analyzed and redrafted medical staff by-laws to conform to state and federal law, and oversaw the Hospital’s regulatory compliance department.

Mr. Whiting served as counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives during the 89th Illinois General Assembly. He provided legal advice on and technical review of the sweeping comprehensive Illinois Tort Reform Legislation, which capped non-economic damages in a variety of civil cases, saving Illinois insurers over $90 million.

Mr. Whiting was included in Crain’s Chicago Business’s November 15, 2004 list of “Big Cases Chicago Lawyers Worked On In 2004,” for his representation of Clear Channel Communications in the multi-million dollar E2 Nightclub wrongful death litigation. The case consisted of numerous suits arising from the deaths of 21 individuals killed in a stampede in the Chicago nightclub.

Mr. Whiting earned his J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center. He received both a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School, and a B.A. in International Relations from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Bar Association (Co-Chair, Committee on Ethics and Professionalism; Associate Editor, Litigation News), and the Illinois State Bar and Cook County Bar Associations. Mr. Whiting is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, U.S. District Court for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh and Tenth Circuits.

Education & Bar Admissions

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center, J.D.
• Wharton School, B.S., Economics
• University of Pennsylvania - College of Arts and Sciences, B.A., International Relations

Bar Admissions

• Illinois
• U.S. District Court, Northern and Central Districts of Illinois
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh and Tenth Circuits

In the News

• 5/13/2014 - Oran F. Whiting Served as a Faculty Member for the Illinois MCLE Marathon 2014
• 12/3/2012 - GSH Welcomes Oran F. Whiting