Nick Kahlon

Partner ( Chicago ) General Litigation Team (Lead)

Direct 312.471.8755 LinkedIn

Bio

Nick Kahlon’s approach to litigation is straightforward: out-think and out-prepare the other side. His ease in court is grounded in the knowledge that he has thought through and planned for every detail, and his ease with clients comes from a deep understanding of their business needs.

Nick’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including noncompetes, class actions, patent cases, and other significant business disputes. He has represented some of the largest companies in the world, including leading technology and financial companies, and won cases ranging from the millions to billions of dollars in damages.

As a first-generation Indian American, Nick is passionate about pro bono and community service. He does pro bono work for the Sikh Coalition and other Indian rights organizations, and he is a founding member of the Sikh Bar Association. He also works pro bono with the ACLU on civil rights cases, and is currently representing the city of Chicago in litigation involving the government’s travel ban and sanctuary city policies.

Nick is the Lead of the firm’s General Litigation Practice Team.

Experience

Representative Engagements

  • Won dismissal of purported nationwide class action asserting Section 1981 and Affordable Care Act claims for alleged discriminatory handling of insurance benefits.
  • Defeated class certification in securities fraud lawsuit regarding failed stadium development project in Nevada.
  • Won preliminary injunction in noncompete and trade secret misappropriation case on inevitable disclosure theory, enjoining former employee from joining any competitors of client for one year. 
  • Won summary judgment on defendant’s $850 million counterclaim on the eve of trial in high-profile case involving GMO contamination of rice, leading to favorable settlement for client.
  • Won dismissal of patent infringement lawsuits brought against numerous healthcare IT companies on non-patentable subject matter grounds, then won Federal Circuit affirmance of decision invalidating the patents.
  • Won award in multiyear arbitration granting his clients exclusive control over a closely held company, along with millions of dollars in damages for counterclaims. 
  • Defended manufacturer of automotive equipment in class action litigation brought by former franchised distributors. Persuaded the court to compel arbitration, then successfully argued motions before arbitrators to deny class relief, and then in the only individual arbitration to go to hearing, he obtained an award in favor of the client plus attorney’s fees.

Credentials

Education

University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 2000, Articles Editor, Texas International Law Journal
University of Delaware, B.S., Economics, 1997, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

Professional Memberships

Sikh Bar Association
Founding Member

NetIP Chicago
Indian-American Bar Association
Chicago Chapter

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)
Pro Bono Counsel

Honors & Awards

The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers® (Commercial Litigation, 2025)
Illinois Leading Lawyer in Commercial Litigation, Law Bulletin Media Leading Lawyers (2016-2024)
Chicago’s Notable Minority Lawyers, Crain’s Chicago Business (2018)
Emerging Lawyer, Law Bulletin Media Leading Lawyers (2015)
Illinois Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters' Illinois Super Lawyers (2009, 2012-2015)

Publications & Presentations

“U.S. District Court Invalidates FTC Non-Complete Rule,“ (co-author) RSHC Client Alert (August 21, 2024)
“U.S. District Court Enjoins Implementation and Enforcement of FT Rule Banning Non-compete Agreements,“ (co-author) RSHC Client Alert (July 5, 2024)
“Client Update on BIPA,“ (co-author) RSHC Client Alert (May 20, 2024)
“Federal Trade Commission Approves New Rule That Prohibits Non-Compete Agreements,“ co-author) RSHC Client Alert (April 24, 2024)
“October 2023 RSHC Client Update on GIPA,“ (co-author) RSHC Client Alert (October 13, 2023)
“‘Floodgates Have Officially Opened’: IL Employers Facing New Lawsuit Blitz Under State’s Genetic Info Privacy Law,“ (interviewee) Cook County Record (October 12, 2023)
“GIPA: The Next Front for Illinois Privacy Litigation?“ (co-author) Illinois State Bar Association’s Bench & Bar Section Council Newsletter (April 2023, vol. 53, no. 5)
“The FTC’s Proposed Rule Banning Non-Competes: What Companies Need to Know,“ (co-panelist) Perrin Conferences Webinar Sponsored by RSHC (February 7, 2023)
“Amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act Imposes Significant Restrictions on Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreements,” (co-author) Illinois State Bar Association’s Bench & Bar Newsletter (January 2022, vol. 52, no. 4)
“Trade Secrets: Navigating The Wild, Wild West of Protection, Enforcement, and Damages,” (panelist) Association of Corporate Counsel (March 4, 2021)
“Is Coronavirus a Force Majeure Event?,” (co-author) (April 3, 2020)
“Illinois Imposes Price Controls in Wake of COVID-19,” (co-author) (March 26, 2020)
“Lessons from Facebook’s Record $550 Million Biometric Settlement,” (co-author) Illinois State Bar Association’s Bench & Bar Section Council Newsletter (March 2020, vol. 50, no. 6)