Raj N. Shah

Raj has represented:

• A leading global technology and hardware company in numerous consumer and privacy class actions brought across the country under various federal and state laws, including under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, Stored Communications Act, California Invasion of Privacy Act, California’s Unfair Competition and False Advertising Laws, and Consumers Legal Remedies Act 
• A leading global technology and services company against claims brought related to Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act and tracking and analytics software
• A leading technology company in a class action related to claims asserted for theft of cryptocurrency from an app
• A leading technology company in multi-district litigation proceedings related to claims related to gaming apps
• Leading franchises in multiple lawsuits defending against claims brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act for the alleged use of facial recognition, voice, and fingerprint technologies
• A leading global gaming and entertainment company in data breach litigation that involved more than ten class actions filed in multiple jurisdictions allegedly involving tens of millions of individuals and threatened parallel mass arbitration proceedings
• Directors of a for-profit institution in multi-jurisdictional litigation and class action alleging violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Trade Practices Act, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation
• Two of the world's leading airlines in a more than USD3 billion high-profile lawsuit seeking to enjoin the City of Chicago from commencing expansion of O'Hare International Airport through the issuance of billions of dollars of bonds without contractually mandated airline approval
• The presidential nominee for Surgeon General in Senate proceedings, resulting in successful confirmation of the nominee as 19th Surgeon General of the United States and the first of Indian descent
• One of the world's largest airlines, defending against a class action brought on behalf of plaintiffs asserting consumer fraud, breach of contract, and other claims relating to the airline's ticket cancellation policies 
• Two leading car rental companies in a lawsuit seeking to enjoin the City of Chicago from allocating to the rental car industry more than USD800 million in costs for proposed capital projects tied to the City's award of rental car concession licenses and leases in violation of state laws and local ordinance
• A global conglomerate in coordinating global strategy for defending against two putative class actions and 134 mass action lawsuits involving over 10,000 individual plaintiffs for asserted claims of strict liability, negligence, property damage, and medical monitoring related to the alleged release of environmental toxins
• One of the three national credit bureaus defending against numerous class actions across the US for claims of violation of federal statutes, consumer protection statutes, and state privacy common law and in multi-district litigation proceedings 
• A leading global healthcare company defending against breach of contract claims alleging hundreds of millions in damages for alleged failure to pay royalty and milestone payments from a topical cream to treat osteoarthritis
• A leading benefits and insurance company in high-stakes breach of contract and fraud claims related to alleged failure to execute subrogation recoveries

Chambers USA described Raj as “excellent,” “strategic” and “thoughtful.” Chambers added that “[h]e knows exactly how to prepare a case around exactly what the client's goal is.”

Chambers USA identified Raj as a key contact and notable practitioner in general commercial litigation. The publication identified him as the leader of a group that is "fantastic: very smart, organized and efficient."

The Best Lawyers in America 2026 recognized Raj for his “high caliber” work in defending class actions as selected by peers. 

Crain’s Chicago Business named Raj to its list of Chicago Business Notable Minorities in Accounting, Consulting & Law and its Notable Gen X Leaders in Law.

The National Law Journal named Raj a Top 40 Under 40 Rising Star in Chicago, recognizing him among the top young talent that will play a leading role in the legal community for years to come. 

Illinois Super Lawyer, a Thompson Reuters business, has repeatedly named Raj a leading lawyer in Illinois.

Raj was named the Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyer of the Year.

Major, Lindsey & Africa named Raj to its inaugural Lawyers of Color: Nation’s Best list.

Raj has received the international Pride of India Gold Award from the Non-Resident Indian Institute, for his significant accomplishments and contributions in the field of law. 

In 2003, AKD Partners named Raj its Pro Bono Associate of the Year in recognition of his contributions to the community and civil rights.

Representative matters

On a pro bono basis, Raj has represented:

• More than 40 plaintiffs in a highly publicized nationwide civil rights action brought against a national restaurant chain. The lawsuit alleged that the chain engaged in public accommodations discrimination in violation of Title II and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. Following the case, the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights awarded Raj its Outstanding Achievement Award in the area of Public Accommodations, calling his work "one of the finest examples of civil rights advocacy in the Committee's history." 
• Tamms Correctional Center inmates in retaliation and due process claims through trial and various appeals before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The suit, which lasted more than a decade, alleged due process and other violations in the transfer and placement of prisoners at Tamms. After trial, injunctive relief was awarded, establishing certain due process protections. Subsequently, the Illinois Department of Corrections shut down the Tamms facility.

In January 2020, Super Lawyers Magazine published a lead story on Raj’s litigation approach, entitled “The Simple Story of Raj Shah: the litigator masters the facts, then focuses on the critical issue.”

His high-profile representations and accomplishments have been recognized in the national and international press, including, among others, the Economic Times of India, Garavi Gujarat, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Lawyer, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Detroit News, India Abroad, IndUS Business Journal, India Tribune, and India West. Raj also has been featured in the executive profile sections of the IndUs Business Journal and Biz India. Law360 has reported on his work more than two dozen times.

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin quoted Raj in a February 2025 article entitled "In India, lawyers see emerging market.”