Primary Industries
Bar & Court Admissions
- State Bar of Illinois
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- Supreme Court of Illinois
- Supreme Court of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court, Northern and Central Districts of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Western and Eastern Districts of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 6thand 7th Circuits
Professional Affiliations
Chicago Bar Association, Judicial Evaluation Committee (Former Legislative Liaison and Chair of Commercial Litigation Committee)
Education
DePaul University College of Law, J.D.
Truman State University, B.S.

Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson is a partner in M&R’s Chicago office. He maintains a practice that focuses on employment advice and counseling and related litigation and transactional matters, as well as complex commercial, real estate and construction disputes. Bryan does so for businesses in the advertising, cannabis, hospitality, marketing, real estate, construction and technology industries. He also leads the firm's standalone COVID-19 Practice Group made up of an inter-disciplinary team of M&R attorneys—all subject matter pros—singularly focused on piloting clients through the laundry list of challenges stemming from the novel coronavirus and what is sure to be its troubling aftermath. For his part, Bryan is an authority who has written and spoken extensively on the Paycheck Protection Program.
Having successfully resolved matters involving breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims, restrictive covenants, wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, trade secrets, partnership disputes, business torts, defamation, fraud and a variety of real estate- and construction-related litigation, Bryan’s caseload brings him to state and federal courtrooms nationwide. Beyond his work as a litigator, Bryan counsels corporate clients regarding a broad range of transactional matters, including business formation, entity structure, contract negotiation and strategic organizational and operational considerations, including risk assessment and risk minimization advice.
Bryan is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association. He sits on the CBA's Judicial Evaluation Committee, and formerly served as Chair of its Commercial Litigation Committee. In addition, Bryan maintains a robust pro bono practice, including work on behalf of elderly and disabled tenants seeking reasonable accommodations under the Fair Housing Act. Likewise, he volunteers his services to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Awards & Recognition
In 2022, Bryan was designated as a Super Lawyer by Illinois Super Lawyers. Every year prior to that (since 2015), he was recognized by the publication as a Rising Star in Business Litigation (representing the top 2.5% of Illinois attorneys under the age of 40). He has been named an Illinois "Emerging Lawyer" by The Leading Lawyers Network for five years running as well.
Representative Matters
COVID-19: Advised clients on issues related to the Paycheck Protection Program, Families First Coronavirus Response Act and American Rescue Plan.
COVID-19: Created return-to-work and vaccination policies on behalf of employers across industries.
COVID-19: Advised clients regarding compliance with pandemic-related local, state and federal regulations.
Employment Advice & Counseling: Drafted and negotiated employment, independent contractor and severance agreements for several management-side clients.
Employment Advice & Counseling: Created background check policies for a series of employers.
Employment Litigation: Successfully resolved fraudulent unemployment claims before the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).
Trademark & Copyright: Represented a leading photo entertainment website against copyright infringement claims.
Banking & Finance: Represented mortgage servicing agents in borrower suits alleging violations of mortgage agreements and federal statutes, including FDCPA, RESPA, EFTA
Advertising Litigation: Represented a men’s lifestyle and photoblog website in an international lawsuit alleging breach of online advertising sales and licensing contract.
Complex Litigation: Represented title insurer and escrowee against breach of contract and breach of fiduciary claims in litigation concerning development of $50M senior living facility.
Purchase & Sales: Represented a restaurateur in the purchase and sale of ten businesses since 2013.
Advertising & Digital Media: Represented a healthcare technology company in the negotiation of hundreds of advertising contracts and buyout agreements with international pharmaceutical manufacturers and their media agencies.
Healthcare/Intellectual Property: Represented a healthcare technology company in the negotiation of dozens of master services agreements with international pharmaceutical manufacturers with specific emphasis on retention and assignment of intellectual property rights.
Class Action: Obtained dismissal of a putative class action lawsuit filed against a well-known insurance carrier that alleged failure to pay interest on settlement of claims. Successfully argued that the Illinois Interest Act did not apply to settlement agreements. The dismissal was affirmed by the First District Appellate Court of Illinois in matter of first impression.
Construction Litigation: Obtained summary judgment on behalf of an architect in a multi-million-dollar suit alleging breach of contract and violations of express and implied warranties related to significant construction defects and maintenance defects in a 35-floor condominium building.
Healthcare Litigation: Aggressively defended a healthcare consulting firm against a hospital’s $10M breach of contract and breach of fiduciary counterclaims arising from development of $250M senior living facility, resulting in extremely favorable settlement.
Insurance Broker Litigation: Advocated for an insurance broker plaintiff in a federal lawsuit alleging breach of fiduciary duty, professional negligence, and fraud against sub-brokers arising out of a failure to procure insurance coverage. Aggressively negotiated a seven-figure settlement against two sub-brokers and secured a seven-figure restitution in favor of the client in vigorously contested restitution proceedings.
Headlines
Media Mentions
- San Francisco Business Times, December 22, 2020
Publications
- Marijuana Venture, January 2022
- HR Dive, December 15, 2021
- Insurance Journal, December 28, 2020
- Risk Management, October 15, 2020
- RE Journals, February 12, 2020
- RE Journals, December 18, 2019
- Cannabis Business Executive, December 5, 2019
- Cannabis Business Executive, October 2, 2019
Past Speaking Engagements
- Webinar, April 14, 2021
- Webinar, November 10, 2020
- June 11, 2020
Blog Posts
- Contracts Are Now A Must for Domestic Workers in Chicago January 18, 2022
- Attention Illinois Employers:Â Your Use of Restrictive Covenants Is About to Be Severely Limited October 26, 2021
- Delta-8 THC Is All the Rage, But Its Legality Is in the Crosshairs September 14, 2021
- NYC to Require Proof of Vaccination for Indoor Activities August 3, 2021
- PPP Loan Forgiveness to Be Made Even Easier for Small Businesses July 30, 2021
- Cannabis Legalization Means Opportunities for Small Businesses June 17, 2021
- American Rescue Plan Signed into Law March 11, 2021
- Senate Approves $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill March 8, 2021
- A Trend Toward COVID-19-Related Business Interruption Coverage March 2, 2021
- New $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate March 2, 2021
- State Tax Treatment of Forgiven PPP Loans February 25, 2021
- Back to Basics: Small Businesses Given Priority for PPP Loans February 25, 2021
- Round Two of the PPP Up and Running as of Today January 11, 2021
- $900 Billion Coronavirus Relief Package Is Now Law December 28, 2020
- Paycheck Protection Program: The Sequel December 23, 2020
- New Cal/OSHA Mandates in Effect That Require Immediate Employer Attention December 10, 2020
- Congress Working Toward $908 Billion Coronavirus Relief Package December 7, 2020
- New Statewide Stay-at-Home Orders in Effect as COVID-19 Surges December 7, 2020
- Direct Physical Loss and Business Interruption Coverage in the Wake of COVID-19 October 28, 2020
- California Law Now Conforms to Federal Income Tax Treatment of PPP Loan Forgiveness October 22, 2020
- Hope for Companies Where COVID-19-Related Business Interruption Claims Have Been Denied Without Investigation October 20, 2020
- PPP Loan Borrowers At Risk for Potential Federal False Claims Act Liability October 15, 2020
- For Some, PPP Loan Forgiveness Has Been Simplified October 12, 2020
- SBA Issues Procedural Notice Regarding PPP Loans and Changes of Ownership October 8, 2020
- Michelman & Robinson Launches COVID-19 Practice Group October 5, 2020
- U.S. Senate Gets Additional Stimulus Conversation Started With Introduction of HEALS Act August 4, 2020
- Paycheck Protection Program Extended to August 8th July 6, 2020
- PPP Loan Deadline May Be Extended as SBA Issues New Rules Relating to Loan Forgiveness and Eligibility July 1, 2020
- Defy State and Local Executive Orders at Your Own Risk June 29, 2020
- PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Forms Updated and Streamlined June 17, 2020
- Senate Passes Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 June 4, 2020
- House Contemplates Revisions to the Paycheck Protection Program May 27, 2020
- SAFE Banking Act for Cannabis-Related Businesses Included in the HEROES Act May 14, 2020
- U.S. House Democrats Introduce HEROES Act, a New $3T Stimulus Package May 14, 2020
- PPP Guidance Issued by the SBA and U.S. Treasury at Odds With the CARES Act—Michelman & Robinson Files First-of-Its-Kind Lawsuit Challenging FAQs May 4, 2020
- Fed Updates Terms of Main Street Lending Program May 1, 2020
- Attention Cannabis Businesses: Hope May Be on the Horizon for Federal COVID-19-Related Relief April 24, 2020
- PPP Loan Certification: the Need for Caution Continues! April 23, 2020
- Certifying Your PPP Loan: Proceed With Caution April 21, 2020
- Additional Funding Is on the Way to Resurrect the PPP April 21, 2020
- Paycheck Protection Program Funds Exhausted April 16, 2020
- You Successfully Applied for and Received a PPP Loan Under the CARES Act: Now What? April 10, 2020
- U.S. Treasury Provides Further Guidance to PPP Borrowers and Lenders April 8, 2020
- Congress Looks to Bolster the PPP with Another $250B in Funding April 8, 2020
- Clarifying the Paycheck Protection Program: Payment of Insurance Premiums and Loan Forgiveness under the CARES Act April 7, 2020
- What Small Businesses Need to Know About the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) April 3, 2020
- Tax Implications of the CARES Act at a Glance April 2, 2020
- Force Majeure Clauses in Commercial Real Estate Contracts March 19, 2020
- M&R Deciphers the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Just Passed by the Senate and Signed Into Law by the President March 18, 2020
- 5 Key Considerations When Starting Your Cannabusiness December 5, 2019
- Commercial Leasing in the Cannabis Age October 29, 2019