Payal A. Gurnani

Payal A. Gurnani is an attorney at Simmons Hanly Conroy. She joined the firm in 2019, focusing her practice on mass torts and class actions, with an emphasis on cases involving internet privacy and dangerous drugs and devices.

A member of the Complex Litigation Department, Payal draws on more than 15 years’ experience as an attorney and a former career in information technology to help her clients. She leads a team of attorneys, performs pre-trial evidentiary analysis, assists with witness and trial preparation, and works on several other aspects of litigation strategy.

Before joining the firm, Payal practiced as a civil defense attorney where she worked on all stages of the litigation process, from intake to resolution, including taking and defending depositions, negotiating settlements and drafting, arguing and winning substantive motions. Her practice included a wide array of cases, ranging from medical malpractice and defamation lawsuits to product and employer liability matters.

“While practicing on the defense side gave me a good foundation as a young lawyer,” she said, “I knew plaintiffs’ work was the right place for me long term, as I’ve always wanted to advocate for those who most needed a voice in the legal system.”

Litigating from a Technical Perspective

Before becoming an attorney, Payal held a position in the professional services industry as a software consultant for one of the Big Four consulting firms. She worked with Fortune 500 clients to understand their business and system requirements, and then implemented customized processes and cutting-edge technological solutions to fit their specific needs.

Now as an attorney, Payal leverages this background to provide her clients with a wholistic perspective regarding their cases and to secure the results they deserve.

“My technology and business experience complements my current practice areas and allows me to provide a sophisticated level of legal insight into the unique challenges each of my clients face,” she said.

Payal enjoys the specific learning she acquires for each case in order to fight for her clients.

“Whether it’s becoming informed about how a class of drugs impacts the human body, for example, with my work on the opioid litigation, or understanding how software development affects the end user, knowledge I’ve gained through my work on several Big Tech cases, I appreciate these details,” she said.

Background and Volunteer Work

After earning a B.S. degree in business administration with a concentration in management information systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Payal attended law school at Northern Illinois University College of Law from 2002 to 2005.

“I became an attorney to help people. I believe in justice, doing the right thing and holding those who do wrong accountable for their actions,” she said.

Payal extends her passion for helping people through her volunteer work outside the courtroom where she regularly gives back to her community.  Over the years, she has worked with children’s advocacy programs and organizations that support people who lack basic needs.  She has also served as the director of development for a nonprofit where she secured funding for people with catastrophic spinal cord injuries.