RICHARD C. GODFREY

RICHARD C. Godfrey is a senior litigation partner in the Chicago office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart&Sullivan,LLP, where he serves as chair of the Complex Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) practice group.

Prior to joining Quinn Emanuel, Godfrey served asalitigationmemberofKirkland&EllisLLP’sGlobal Management Executive Committee from 1999 through 2015, having reached his maximum term limit.

Godfrey has acted as trial and appellate counsel in both individual and class action suits involving complex claims in a variety of practice areas, including antitrust and trade regulation, contracts, consumer fraud, fraud and false advertising, discrimination and employment discrimination, ERISA, environmental, franchise and distribution, insurance, mass torts, products liability, trade secrets, tax, and others. He also provides strategic litigation counseling to corporations and individuals.

Godfrey was counsel for General Motors LLC in product liability and economic loss litigation relating to vehicle recalls. He also was counsel for BP in the multidistrict litigation arising out of the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Among his many industry honors, Godfrey has been recognized by Chambers USA every year since 2003. As was reported in Chambers’ 2020 review, Godfrey “is highly strategic and has vast experience.”

Heisalsocitedannuallyby BenchmarkLitigation and TheBestLawyersinAmerica, which named him the 2024 Lawyer of the Year in Litigation-Antitrust for Chicago. In 2017 he was named to the Lawdragon Hall of Fame as a Power Broker.

Godfrey is a trustee of various cultural and educational institutions, including Boston University, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Augustana College, the Newberry Library and the American Air Museum in Britain, among others. He also serves as chancellor for the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Godfrey earned a BA, magna cum laude, from Augustana College, and a JD, magna cum laude, from Boston University School of Law.

Married with two children, Godfrey traces his Irish ancestors to counties Londonderry and Antrim five generations back.