William J. Serritella, Jr.

Bill is a commercial litigator who focuses his practice on banking, commercial and appellate litigation. He is widely recognized as one of the premier complex commercial workout and bankruptcy litigators in Chicago. Bill also has extensive experience as an appellate lawyer, having handled numerous appeals in various Federal and State Courts, and he was an adjunct professor of Appellate Advocacy at Loyola University School of Law in Chicago.

Bill serves as co-chair of Taft’s firmwide Commercial Litigation practice. He has lectured on numerous topics, including commercial and real estate workouts, receiverships, Uniform Commercial Code issues, trial practice, appellate practice, contract law, sales commission protection acts, employment discrimination and alternative billing practices. Bill has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer since 2010 and an Illinois Leading Lawyer since 2009.

• Represented senior secured lender in $40,000,000 multi-state litigation against failed general contractor involving commercial foreclosure, bankruptcy and replevin cases.
• Represented senior secured lender in multi-million dollar receivership and foreclosure actions involving failed lumber company with multiple facilities, inventory, equipment and receivables.
• Represented lender in commercial foreclosure and restructuring involving borrower who owned and operated a failing hotel complex.
• Represented lender in commercial collection and Uniform Commercial Code sale of a failed manufacturing company.
• Obtained dismissal of lawsuit, as well as affirmance on appeal, of a complaint filed against a corporate client by a former executive seeking to enforce an alleged oral employment and stock option agreement.
• Represented lender in complex Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding involving extensive restructuring of a natural gas company and holder of numerous real properties securing the indebtedness.
• Represented lender in commercial collection litigation involving the sale of life insurance policies that secured the indebtedness.
• Represented lender in federal court litigation instituted by its customer based on various theories, including consumer fraud and negligence.

• “Strategic Insights into Corporate Representative Depositions: Rules, Roles, and Realities,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago program, Nov. 12 and Nov. 13, 2024.
• “CRE Litigation: Costs, Collections, Damages, Time & Alternative Solutions,” 13th Annual Midwest Distressed Forum for Bank Special Assets, Sept. 23, 2024.
• “Threading the Needle of Corporate Privilege: When Legal and Business Advice Intertwine,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago program, December 14, 2023.
• “C&I Loans Market Review & Outlook,” 12th Annual Midwest Distressed Forum for Bank Special Assets, Sept. 18, 2023.
• “Litigation: Costs, Damages, Time & Alternative Solutions,” 11th Annual Midwest Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer’s Forum, Chicago, Oct. 27, 2022.
• “Supply Chain Woes: Effectively Using Your Contract’s Terms and the UCC to Navigate Through Them,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago, July 13 and July 20, 2022.
• “The Force of Force Majeure in Supply-Chain Agreements,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago webinar, Nov. 10, 2021.
• “Novel Strategies for Collections & Enforcement” and “Litigation: Costs, Damages, Time & Alternative Solutions,” 10^th Annual Midwest Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer’s Forum, Chicago, September 13, 2021.
• “Special Assets Update: After Forbearance, What’s Next?” and “Key Considerations in Collections, Litigation, Turnarounds & Workouts,” Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer’s Virtual Forum, November 10, 2020.
• “It’s a Global Pandemic! Can We Stop Paying Rent?” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago webinar, September 1, 2020.
• “This is Not What I Ordered. Buyer’s Remedies under the UCC,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Seminar, Chicago, January 14, 2020.
• “The Next Phase in Workouts: What to Expect in 2020,” 9th Annual Midwest Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer’s Forum, September 12, 2019.
• “Turnarounds & Workouts: When to Go to the Pros,” 8th Annual Midwest Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer’s Forum, September 6, 2018.
• “Can I get out?!” – Defenses to Performance Under the Uniform Commercial Code,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Seminar, Chicago, August 14, 2018.
• “Legal Matters: Litigation, Settlements & Other Fun Stuff,” 7th Annual Midwest Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer’s Forum, Chicago, September 7, 2017.
• “The Seller Has Breached – Now What? An Exhaustive Look at the Buyer’s Remedies Under the Uniform Commercial Code,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Seminar, Chicago, July 19, 2017.
• WEBINAR: “Alternative Fee Arrangements: All You Need to Know in 2017,” The Knowledge Group, April 25, 2017.
• “Receivers: There When You Need Them!” 6th Annual Midwest Bank & Financial Institutions Special Assets Forum on Real Estate, C&I, and SBA Loans, Chicago, September 15, 2016.
• “UCC Warranties & Remedies,” Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Seminar, Chicago, August 11, 2016.