Frederick J. Sperling

Partner

Fred has more than four decades of experience with high profile, complex civil litigation, including successfully representing publishers, national entertainment and media companies, and major sports figures in jury and bench trials and appeals.

Frederick Sperling Portrait

Fred has a broad litigation and counseling practice that includes the First Amendment; sports, media, and entertainment law; misappropriation of the right of publicity; defamation; business torts; breach of fiduciary duties; privately held companies; trusts; real estate; and commercial law.

Client Work

Cases that Fred has handled include:

  • Challenging the constitutionality under the First Amendment of an Iowa law requiring the removal of books from school and classroom libraries on behalf of Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, MacMillan, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, four award-winning authors, the Authors Guild, the Iowa State Education Association, a teacher, a librarian, and a high school student. 
  • Challenging the constitutionality under the First Amendment of a Florida law requiring the removal of books from school and classroom libraries on behalf of Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, MacMillan, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, five award-winning authors, The Authors Guild, and high school students.
  • Obtained a $95 million settlement after a four-week jury trial and on the morning of closing arguments for claims for wrongful removal as an owner and manager by the co-founder of a proprietary trading firm.
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Previous Work

  • Hon. James Hunter, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, Clerk (1979-1980)

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

Publications

  • A Primer on Illinois Defamation Law
  • Famous Athlete Cases Offer Right Of Publicity Lessons,” (co-author) Law360 (Jan. 4, 2020)

Presentations

  • “Family Mediations and Settlements,” Chicago Estate Planning Council, Webinar (May 20, 2021)
  • “Protecting the Rights of Publicity of Michael Jordan, Pele, and Muhammad Ali,” Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts at Columbia Law School Annual Symposium, New York, N.Y. (Oct. 19, 2018)

Recognitions

  • Illinois Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2005-2022)
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers (2012-2024)
  • “Lawyer of the Year” Litigation – Real Estate – Chicago, Best Lawyers (2013, 2021, 2024)
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Professional Activities

  • National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Faculty

Fred has been involved in numerous pro bono cases, including:

  • Ballot access and other election law cases
  • A series of bias violence cases, including the first civil case tried under the Illinois Hate Crime Act
  • A First Amendment case in the Illinois Supreme Court for the publisher of a small magazine

Boards, Memberships & Certifications

Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Past Member of the House of Delegates
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Past President
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  • Bar & Court Admissions
    • Illinois Bar
    • US Supreme Court
    • US Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit
    • US Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
    • US Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
    • US Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
    • US Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
    • US Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit
    • US District Court, Central District of Illinois
    • US District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
  • Education
    University of Chicago Law School, JD, The University of Chicago Law Review, Associate Editor, 1979
    Amherst College, BA, cum laude, 1975