Chicago, Illinois
Partner

Phone: (888) 326-6131
Fax: (312) 782-0040
E-mail: Contact Me

Daniel J. Cheely, a partner in the firm, received his B.A. degree at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, cum laude, from Princeton University in 1971, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, senior class vice president, and a leader of the undergraduate assembly.  He then received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1974.

Mr. Cheely practiced in Baker & McKenzie's Chicago Litigation Department from 1974 to 1994 before joining Cheely, O'Flaherty & Ayres.  He was elected an income partner at Baker & McKenzie in 1981 and a capital partner in 1985.  Mr. Cheely handled a wide variety of cases at Baker & McKenzie, including commercial litigation as well as toxic tort, employment, medical malpractice, non-medical professional negligence, product liability, contractual disputes, and litigation.  He is an experienced appellate practitioner, having appeared approximately ten times in the First District Illinois Appellate Court and in the Illinois Supreme Court.  At Baker & McKenzie, Mr. Cheely headed the litigation group's Associate Training and Evaluation Committee.

At Cheely, O'Flaherty & Ayres, Mr. Cheely has principally focused his practice in the areas of toxic tort and employment litigation.  In the toxic tort field, he has defended hundreds of cases alleging injuries or disease from asbestos and other environmental agents, brought against equipment and building material manufacturers, construction contractors, and property owners.  He was named in 2005 by his peers in the Illinois Bar as one of the "Leading Lawyers in Illinois" for his work in that field over the last 30 years.  He also served as a vice-chairman of an A.B.A. practice subcommittee in the area of toxic tort litigation.

Mr. Cheely has also served individual and corporate clients in employment related matters, for the purposes of both litigation and counseling.  Most of the time, the retentions were for the purposes of litigation representation in response to claims brought under federal or state civil rights statutes.  In this capacity, he handled retaliation, sexual harassment, age discrimination, alleging racial discrimination, and unlawful discharge cases.  He also frequently has been called to render advice on termination agreements and the scope or enforceability of restrictive employment covenants upon departing employees.

Areas of Practice

• Toxic Tort Litigation
• Employment Litigation
• Medical Malpractice Defense
• Products Liability
• Church Law and Religious Institutions
• Business Litigation

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

• Illinois, 1974
• U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1975
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1975

• Harvard University Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1974 J.D.
• Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, 1971 B.A.
  -Honors: Cum Laude
  -Honors: Senior Class Vice-President
  -Honors: Leader, Undergraduate Assembly
  -Honors: Phi Beta Kappa

• Member of the Board of Advisors for Ave Maria University Law School

• October 24, 1949, Illinois, United States of America