Powerhouse litigation partners Joshua Lee and Edward Casmere join in Chicago

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright announced today that nationally recognized litigators Joshua Lee and Edward Casmere have joined its Chicago office as partners. They will serve as the Chicago office’s Co-Heads of Litigation and Disputes, focusing on product liability and consumer disputes as well as environmental and mass tort litigation.

Lee and Casmere join from Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila, a Chicago-based litigation firm they helped form. They advise clients on high-stakes bet-the-company issues, working to set strategy, manage regulatory affairs and negotiate complex deals. With decades of product liability and mass tort experience, they have defended clients across a range of subject matters including pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering and chemical exposure.

The duo have practiced together for more than 20 years, litigating a diverse array of complex disputes including environmental affairs, intellectual property, collective bargaining, consumer fraud/class action, constitutional law/First Amendment, employment and labor, cryptocurrency, catastrophic injury and wrongful death, toxic tort and a variety of other general commercial claims. Both Lee and Casmere have been named as Notable Gen X Leaders in Law by Crains Chicago Business.

Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Managing Partner, said:

“The Chicago legal market is ripe with opportunity, and we continue to expand there and elsewhere in the Midwest as part of our overall growth strategies.”

Steve Jansma, Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Head of Litigation and Disputes, commented:

“Josh and Ed are tremendous litigators and first-class trial lawyers with an impressive history of helping clients with their most complex and significant cases. I am thrilled that they will lead the disputes team in Chicago, where the firm has grown significantly over the last two years.”  

Lee, who was recognized in 2024 by The Best Lawyers in America for mass tort litigation and class action defense, said:

“Clients are looking to outside counsel for help navigating increased regulatory scrutiny that has resulted in more product liability lawsuits. Norton Rose Fulbright is a recognized leader in this space, so joining the firm was a no-brainer for me. The clients I serve will appreciate the firm’s global reach and deep bench of talented lawyers in virtually every industry.”

Casmere, who was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for mass tort and product liability litigation in 2024 and named to the Crains Chicago Business inaugural list of Chicago’s Notable Litigators & Trial Attorneys in 2023, said:

“Norton Rose Fulbright is a global leader in litigation and dispute resolution, making the firm a great fit for me and my evolving practice. I look forward to collaborating with my disputes colleagues in Chicago and around the globe to assist clients with their greatest challenges.”

Lee is licensed in California, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University.

Casmere is licensed in Illinois, Missouri and New York. He received his law degree magna cum laude from University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University. He also completed the Harvard Negotiation Master Class at Harvard Law School.