Kevin M. Ringel is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Chicago office. Kevin is a member of the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group and provides counsel on a wide array of legal matters across the healthcare and life sciences industry. He has represented clients nationwide in medical device, product liability, medical negligence, mass tort, class action, medical malpractice, data security and privacy, long term care and other litigation matters. Prior to joining Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP, Kevin served as the chair of the healthcare practice group at one of Chicago’s premiere healthcare litigation firms.
Kevin is an experienced trial lawyer and a national counsel for clients in toxic exposure litigation. He handles the defense of complex, multiparty litigation, class actions and federal court multidistrict litigation (MDL). Kevin is a member of the firm’s PFAS Litigation Team, Life Sciences Team, and Class Action Team. He currently serves as counsel for the firm’s client in the MDL alleging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) caused injuries arising from fire-fighting equipment and fire-suppressing foam that is consolidated and pending in Charleston, South Carolina federal court, known as the Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) MDL.
Notably, Kevin previously represented a large Chicago hospital in a complex mass tort action involving a cryogenic freezer where numerous patients sued the hospital for the loss of their reproductive tissue. More recently, in a landmark case that attracted widespread national media coverage, Kevin tried a mass tort bellwether in federal court in California as trial counsel and conducted trial examinations of expert and fact witnesses for the jury.
In his Data Security, Privacy & Technology practice, Kevin advises businesses on compliance with U.S. federal and state data security and privacy laws. Kevin also defends organization in privacy litigation, including class action and single-plaintiff cases and enforcement actions by government agencies, as well as other Technology Errors & Omissions claims.
Kevin draws on his experience on both sides of the aisle in defending his clients. Early in his career, Kevin gained valuable experience at a prominent Washington, DC area civil litigation firm, serving as lead trial counsel representing clients in wrongful death, medical malpractice, personal injury, and whistleblower protection matters. He also has experience working on mass tort litigation on the plaintiff side, including the BP oil spill litigation and Florida tobacco litigation.
Kevin marries his longstanding roots in the healthcare arena with his complex litigation experience in mass torts and product liability cases to provide a unique and comprehensive perspective in representing his clients both locally in Chicago and across the country.
Kevin is also committed to mentoring the next generation of trial lawyers. He volunteers as a coach of Northwestern University’s mock trial team and is an attorney mentor with the Illinois Supreme Court’s peer-to-peer mentoring program.