John P. Ryan

Partner

Chicago, IL

He/Him

"I take a tenacious approach in defending class actions, while simultaneously understanding the need for a cost-effective litigation strategy."

312-704-3464

Email anJ5YW5AaGluc2hhd2xhdy5jb20=

John P. Ryan

Partner

Chicago, IL

He/Him

"I take a tenacious approach in defending class actions, while simultaneously understanding the need for a cost-effective litigation strategy."

312-704-3464

Email anJ5YW5AaGluc2hhd2xhdy5jb20=

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About John

John’s litigation practice includes defending clients against state and federal statutory claims, especially those involving fee shifting. Whether at the state or federal level, John litigates individual claims and class actions, having argued cases to verdict and defended appeals. He has appeared before the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the Illinois Supreme Court, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

He defends companies and attorneys in class actions under statues including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), Illinois Consumer Fraud Act (ICFA), and the Illinois Right of Publicity Act (IRPA), as well as other common law and statutory claims. As a leading defense counsel in the state and the nation, he focuses on statutory privacy claims seeking statutory or liquidated damages. He has secured favorable rulings for clients in trial courts, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and state supreme courts.

John obtained a decision denying class certification before the plaintiff conducted voluminous class discovery. He is proud of this outcome because it demonstrates his commitment to protecting clients from unnecessary burdens and risks in class action litigation.

Areas of Focus

Industries:

Services:

Initiatives:

- Nationwide Litigation Portfolio Management

Experience

Prevailed in the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit) on Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) claims that the debt collector failed to report the debt dispute to a credit agency. The appellate court affirmed the district court's summary judgment dismissing the case on the grounds that the debt collector complied with the FDCPA and the FCRA did not provide a private right of action for the alleged violation.
Secured a victory on behalf of passive debt buyers in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The court held that passive debt buyers are not debt collectors under the licensing statute. The court reviewed the legislative history of the Massachusetts Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) and the FDCPA and noted that the Massachusetts licensing regulator has consistently concluded that a passive debt buyer is not included in the definition of a "debt collector."
Represented an asset buyer in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, who had obtained a default judgment against a consumer on a delinquent account. After the default judgment, the consumer sued the company for not being licensed under the New Jersey Consumer Finance Licensing Act (NJCFLA). The appellate court affirmed a lower court finding that plaintiffs were barred by res judicata and the Entire Controversy Doctrine from bringing a claim that the consumer could have presented in an earlier action.
Prevailed on successive motions to strike a plaintiff's proposed class definitions. Ultimately, the court ruled that the plaintiff could only proceed on an individual basis. As a result, the litigation never proceeded to expensive electronic discovery.
Prevailed on a motion to strike a plaintiff's proposed class definitions, limiting the plaintiff's ability to only represent people who could assert claims like his own. The Hinshaw team was able to establish why a class of those like the plaintiff's could never be certified.

Recognition

Leading Lawyers Magazine, Emerging Leader, 2015 – 2019
University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Moot Court, Executive Board

Credentials

Education

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (formerly The John Marshall Law School), JD, cum laude, 2006
St. Norbert College, BBA, 2002

Bar Admissions

Illinois

Court Admissions

US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
US District Court for the Central District of Illinois
US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
US District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Thought Leadership

Presentations

Co-Presenter, "Wolf of Wall Street Legal Edition: Business Development," Hinshaw University, CLE Webinar, June 26, 2025
Co-Presenter, "Privacy, Information Sharing, & Connected Cars," 2025 Auto Finance Seminar, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago, Illinois, May 1, 2025
Panelist, "Updates on the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)," Municipal and Law Committee MCLE, Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, Illinois, January 23, 2025
Co-Presenter, "Privacy, Information Sharing & Connected Cars," 2024 Auto Finance Seminar, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago, Illinois, May 16, 2024
Co-Presenter, "Consumer – State Law Updates," 2023 Auto Finance Seminar: Driving Ahead: Auto Finance Insights from Industry Leaders, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago, Illinois, May 4, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Recent Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA) Cases, Compliance, and Best Practices," Hinshaw's 26th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, October 27, 2022
Moderator, "Attorney Panel - Latest Trends and Tips plus Q&A," 6th Annual Conference, Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA), May 13, 2022
Panelist, "Reg F Session Part 2: Best Practices, What's Working, What's Not Working, Work Arounds," 6th Annual Conference, Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA), May 12, 2022
Panelist, "Reg F Session Part 1: Best Practices Around Compliance and Compliance Litigation," 6th Annual Conference, Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA), May 12, 2022
Moderator, "Latest Trends and Tips Plus Q&A," Great Lakes Credit & Collection Association Conference, Bloomington, Minnesota, October 29, 2021
Panelist, "Reg F… Let's Discuss," Great Lakes Credit & Collection Association Conference, Bloomington, Minnesota, October 29, 2021
Co-Presenter, "Ethics Session: Privacy And Technology's Effect On the Attorney-Client Relationship," National Creditors Bar Association, San Antonio, Texas, October 14, 2021
Co-Presenter, "Do Your Workplace Screening and Monitoring Policies Acknowledge Employee Privacy Rights?" Hinshaw's 25th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Virtual Event, October 29, 2020
"Biometric Privacy: Litigation Trends and Defenses," Hinshaw University, Chicago, Illinois, February 12, 2019
"The Supreme Court's Trilogy on Consumer Law - Gomez, Spokeo and Gillie - How Will These Opinions Affect Your Practice?," The National Creditors Bar Association, 2016 Fall Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 29, 2016
"Extra Judicial Efforts to Regulate Attorney Debt Collection Harms the Profession, Clients and the Courts," Annual Consumer Financial Services Conference, Chicago, Illinois, September 16, 2016
"The Ethical Implications on the Use of Technology," The Illinois Credit Union League's 39th Annual Attorneys' Conference, September 9, 2016
"The Continuing Evolution of the TCPA," Lorman Education Services, Webinar, July 2016
"Licensing Requirements and Their Implication on Collection Attorneys," Defense Bar Education Session, NARCA 2014 Fall Collection Conference, October 2014

Publications

John assisted in the research and editing of "The Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 – Navigating Through its Sea of Uncertainty, Parts I and II," which was authored by Hinshaw attorney Steve Puiszis. It was published in For the Defense, Vol. 47, Nos. 10 and 11, Defense Research Institute, October and November 2005, and also in the UIC Law Review (formerly John Marshall Law Review), Volume 40, Fall 2006, Number 1.

Blog Posts

Events

Third Annual Driving Ahead Auto Finance Seminar: Insights from Industry Leaders, May 1, 2025
Driving Ahead Auto Finance Seminar: Insights from Industry Leaders, May 16, 2024
Driving Ahead: Auto Finance Insights from Industry Leaders, Thursday, May 4, 2023
26th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Thursday, October 27, 2022 | 9:00 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Trio of Hinshaw Attorneys to Present at the Great Lakes Credit & Collection Association Conference, Oct 29, 2021

Hinshaw Alerts

U.S. Supreme Court Holds Consumers Can Sue the Government for Violating the FCRA, Feb 26, 2024
In Significant Check on Federal Consumer Class Actions, U.S. Supreme Court Holds "No Harm, No Foul", June 26, 2021 | Consumer Law Hinsights – Special Edition
Breaking News: U.S. Supreme Court Decides Whether Claims are Moot in Gomez, Jan 20, 2016
SEC Exempts Restricted Stock Units From Exchange Act Registration, Feb 28, 2012

Hinshaw Newsletters

Consumer & Class Action Litigation Newsletter - June 2015 Edition, Jun 9, 2015
Consumer & Class Action Litigation Newsletter - March 2015 Edition, Mar 23, 2015
Consumer & Class Action Litigation Newsletter - September 2014 Edition, Sep 18, 2014
Consumer & Class Action Litigation Newsletter - June 2014 Edition, Jun 23, 2014
Consumer & Class Action Litigation Newsletter - April 2014 Edition, Apr 22, 2014

In The News

Insights for Employers Alerts

Press Releases

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Reviews Recent Hinshaw Debt Buyer Victory at the Supreme Judicial Court, Apr 30, 2018
27 Hinshaw & Culbertson Attorneys Honored as Emerging Lawyers, Apr 1, 2015
Hinshaw Partners Score Significant Win Before Illinois Supreme Court, Mar 5, 2015
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Announces Election of 9 New Partners, Jul 1, 2013

Privacy, Cyber & AI Decoded Alerts

Hinshaw's 5 Data Privacy Day Regulatory and Litigation Predictions for 2025, Jan 28, 2025
A Surge in Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) Claims Poses Threat to Employers, Mar 5, 2024
Marking Data Privacy Week With Four 2024 Predictions, Jan 31, 2024
Lucky Number 13: What to Look Out For in New Jersey’s Data Protection Law, Jan 24, 2024

View all of John's Insights

Interests

Did you know...

John enjoys spending time with his kids, attending their activities, coaching his son's baseball team, and golfing.

Thought Leadership

Presentations

Co-Presenter, "Wolf of Wall Street Legal Edition: Business Development," Hinshaw University, CLE Webinar, June 26, 2025
Co-Presenter, "Privacy, Information Sharing, & Connected Cars," 2025 Auto Finance Seminar, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago, Illinois, May 1, 2025
Panelist, "Updates on the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)," Municipal and Law Committee MCLE, Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, Illinois, January 23, 2025
Co-Presenter, "Privacy, Information Sharing & Connected Cars," 2024 Auto Finance Seminar, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago, Illinois, May 16, 2024
Co-Presenter, "Consumer – State Law Updates," 2023 Auto Finance Seminar: Driving Ahead: Auto Finance Insights from Industry Leaders, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago, Illinois, May 4, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Recent Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA) Cases, Compliance, and Best Practices," Hinshaw's 26th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, October 27, 2022
Moderator, "Attorney Panel - Latest Trends and Tips plus Q&A," 6th Annual Conference, Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA), May 13, 2022
Panelist, "Reg F Session Part 2: Best Practices, What's Working, What's Not Working, Work Arounds," 6th Annual Conference, Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA), May 12, 2022
Panelist, "Reg F Session Part 1: Best Practices Around Compliance and Compliance Litigation," 6th Annual Conference, Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA), May 12, 2022
Moderator, "Latest Trends and Tips Plus Q&A," Great Lakes Credit & Collection Association Conference, Bloomington, Minnesota, October 29, 2021
Panelist, "Reg F… Let's Discuss," Great Lakes Credit & Collection Association Conference, Bloomington, Minnesota, October 29, 2021
Co-Presenter, "Ethics Session: Privacy And Technology's Effect On the Attorney-Client Relationship," National Creditors Bar Association, San Antonio, Texas, October 14, 2021
Co-Presenter, "Do Your Workplace Screening and Monitoring Policies Acknowledge Employee Privacy Rights?" Hinshaw's 25th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Virtual Event, October 29, 2020
"Biometric Privacy: Litigation Trends and Defenses," Hinshaw University, Chicago, Illinois, February 12, 2019
"The Supreme Court's Trilogy on Consumer Law - Gomez, Spokeo and Gillie - How Will These Opinions Affect Your Practice?," The National Creditors Bar Association, 2016 Fall Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 29, 2016
"Extra Judicial Efforts to Regulate Attorney Debt Collection Harms the Profession, Clients and the Courts," Annual Consumer Financial Services Conference, Chicago, Illinois, September 16, 2016
"The Ethical Implications on the Use of Technology," The Illinois Credit Union League's 39th Annual Attorneys' Conference, September 9, 2016
"The Continuing Evolution of the TCPA," Lorman Education Services, Webinar, July 2016
"Licensing Requirements and Their Implication on Collection Attorneys," Defense Bar Education Session, NARCA 2014 Fall Collection Conference, October 2014