Choose whether or not to include highlighting and notes in the print view. Depending on your browser, you may have to change print options to include background colors.
Michael F. Bonamarte IV is a Managing Partner at Levin & Perconti in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in personal injury, medical malpractice, birth injury, and wrongful death. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association’s Board of Managers, a member of the American Association for Justice and Past Chair of its Nursing Home Litigation Group. He has been recognized by Leading Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Crain’s 2021 Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law and is a recipient of the Trail Excellence Award. He received his B.S. with academic distinction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where he was recognized on the Dean’s List.
John A. Bruegger is a senior attorney at Parafinczuk Wolf, P.A., in St. Louis, where he focuses on plaintiff’s mass tort litigation. He is AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, has a Avvo Superb 10.0 Rating, and is a member of the Missouri, Illinois, and California Bars. He received his J.D. from the Saint Louis University School of Law and his LL.M. and J.S.D. from the Washington University School of Law.
Amelia S. Buragas is an attorney at law in Bloomington, where she focuses on appeals, tort law, media law, and municipal law. She is a member of the Appellate Lawyers Association Board of Directors and the ISBA’s Special Committee on the Rural Practice Initiative and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She received her B.S. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and her J.D. magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Bret P. Coale is a Partner at Hughes Tenney Postlewait Coale, LLC, in Decatur. His practice focuses on medical malpractice defense, general litigation, and healthcare. He is member of the Illinois State Bar Association, a Past President of the Decatur Bar Association, and the downstate representative of the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program. He received both of his bachelor’s degrees from University of Illinois and his J.D. from Rutgers Law School.
Kristen A. Cooke is a Partner at Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice in product liability and FELA and railroad crossing litigation. She is a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel. She received her B.A. from Saint Louis University and her J.D. from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law.
David N. Damick is the Owner of the Law Offices of David N. Damick in St. Louis. His practice focuses on litigating cases in the areas of professional malpractice, the Federal Tort Claims Act, birth injuries, and product litigation. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, and the American Association for Justice, and he has been a member of IBEW Local 1 for over 40 years. He received his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and his J.D. cum laude from the Saint Louis University School of Law.
Michael K. Demetriohas been a practicing attorney for over 40 years. He is a Partner at Corboy & Demetrio in Chicago. He works on both commercial and general aviation disaster cases and has been appointed Lead Counsel for Multi-District Federal Litigation and State Court Aviation Disaster cases. He has been a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and is currently an elected board member. Further, he has served as a both as a board member for eight years and as past President of the Chicago Bar Association. He received his B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Tom Demetrio is an associate at Corboy & Demetrio in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in personal injury and wrongful death, premises liability, vehicular accidents, and toxic torts. He is a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association of Justice. He received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, where the received the CALI Award for Trial Advocacy.
Robert R. Duncan is the Founder of and Principal at Duncan Law Group in Chicago. His practice focuses on litigating cases in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and consumer protection class action. He has been recognized by Leading Lawyers (2017 – 2022), in Illinois Super Lawyers Top 100 (2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022), and by Top Verdict for one of the Top 50 Class Action Settlements in the United States (2020). He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Ehsan Eftekhari is the Founder of Eftekhari Law Offices, LLC, in Des Plaines. His practice focuses on litigating cases in the areas of personal injury, workers’ compensation, and medical malpractice. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association and the American Bar Association and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer. He received his B.S. from Loyola University, his M.A. from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
David R. Gray, Jr., is the owner of Gray Law Offices, Inc., in Chicago, where he concentrates in civil litigation and appeals concerning real estate taxation, contracts, and tort claims. He is a former Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Real Estate Taxation Committee and a member of the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations and the American Land Title Association. He received his B.A. from the College of Charleston and his J.D. from the Valparaiso University School of Law.
Charles C. Hughes is a Partner at Hughes Tenney Postlewait Coale, LLC, in Decatur. His practice focuses on litigating cases in the area of medical malpractice defense. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of both the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the International Association of Defense Counsel. He received his B.B.A. from the University of Kentucky and his J.D. from the Drake University Law School.
Nicholas P. Kelly is an associate at Duncan Law Group, LLC, in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. He is a member of the National Trail Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Chicago Bar Association. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois Chicago and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Daniel S. Kirschner is a Partner at Corboy & Demetrio in Chicago, where his practice focuses on personal injury. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and has been recognized as one of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in American and as an Illinois Super Lawyer. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Jade D. Kline is Lead Compliance Counsel for Rural King in Mattoon, where she concentrates her practice in corporate law. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the ISBA Judicial Evaluations Committee, and the Washington Bar Association. She received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Millikin University and her J.D. from the Seattle University School of Law.
A. Jay Koehler is a Managing Partner at Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, in Chicago. His practice focuses on FELA, crossing, and wrongful-death litigation; construction; products liability; commercial; transportation; and fire and explosion litigation. He is a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, the Defense Research Institute, and the Construction Lawyers Society of America. He received his B.A. cum laude, for Morehead State University and his J.D. cum laude from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where he was Executive Editor of The John Marshall Law Review (1990 – 1991).
Daniel M. Kotin is a Partner at Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC, in Chicago. His practice focuses on trial law. He is a Past President of the Chicago Bar Association (2016 – 2017), a member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association, and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. He received his B.A. cum laude from Boston College and his J.D. cum laude from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Lawrence R. Kream is the Owner of the Law Office of Lawrence R. Kream, L.L.C., in Chicago. His practice focuses on litigating cases in the areas of medical and professional negligence, products liability, and construction injuries. He is a member of the Amicus Curiae Committee of the American Association for Justice, the Amicus Curiae Committee of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association and is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. He received his J.D. with distinction from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
Kenneth T. Lumb is a Partner at Corboy & Demetrio in Chicago, where his practice focuses on medical negligence. He is a member of the American Association of Justice, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. He received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law.
Michael K. Muldoon is a Partner at Muldoon & Muldoon, LLC, in Chicago. His practice focuses on plaintiff’s personal injury and wrongful death. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and he is a recipient of the Excellence in the Field of Law Award from the Saint Ignatius College Prep Law Society. He received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Mary Beth O’Brien is an associate with Chilton Yambert Porter LLP in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on insurance defense litigation, with an emphasis on construction, premises, and dramshop liability. She is a member of the Illinois State, Chicago, Lake County, and Women’s Bar Associations and the Society of Trial Lawyers. Ms. O’Brien received her B.B.A. from St. Mary’s College and her J.D. from DePaul University School of Law.
Michael L. Shanahan is an associate at Levin & Perconti in Chicago. His practice focuses on litigating cases in the areas of negligence, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and nursing home negligence. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Illinois State Bar Association. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law.
Hon. Lindsey A. Shelton is an Associate Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois in Decatur, where she hears criminal cases and orders of protection. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar and Illinois Judges Associations, and she is the President-Elect of the Decatur Bar Association. Judge Shelton received her B.A. from Valparaiso University and her J.D. from the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.
Madison C. Shepley is an associate at Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on FELA and wrongful-death litigation, class action, insurance, and products liability. She is a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel and Defense Research Institute. She received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her J.D. from the Seattle University School of Law, where she served on the Law Review and belonged to the Order of Barristers.
Matthew S. Sims is a Shareholder at Rapoport, Weisberg & Sims P.C., in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on plaintiff’s personal injury and wrongful death. He is a member of the executive committee of the American Association for Justice’s Aviation Section and is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He has been recognized as one of the 40 Under 40 Illinois Attorneys (2022) by Chicago Daily Law Bulletin/Chicago Lawyer Magazine. He received his B.A. from Purdue University, where he received a Certificate of Superior Achievement, and his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where he received a Certificate in Trial Advocacy, First Place and Best Brief at the Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition, Second Place at the American Association of Justice Trial Advocacy Competition, and recognition for Trial Advocacy at The Honorable Society of the King’s Inn in Dublin, Ireland.
Patricia A. Small is an associate with the firm Barrett, Twomey, Broom, Hughes & Hoke, LLP, in Carbondale, where she concentrates her practice in civil and appellate litigation and eminent domain matters. She has served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for land acquisition and real estate matters since 1996. She is a former law clerk for Chief Justice William C. Hastings of the Nebraska Supreme Court and is a member of the American Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association. She is a contributing author to EMINENT DOMAIN PRACTICE (IICLE®, 2020). She received her B.S. from the University of Nebraska — Omaha and her J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law.
Andrew J. Thut is a Partner at Levin & Perconti in Chicago. His practice focuses on litigating cases in the area of plaintiff’s personal injury. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and he was recognized in the 2017 Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch and received the Illinois Super Lawyer’s Rising Star Award from 2016 to 2022. He received his J.D. from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Melanie J. VanOverloop is an attorney at Rapoport, Weisberg & Sims P.C., in Chicago. Her practice focuses on litigating cases in the area of plaintiff’s personal injury. She is a member of the Board of Managers and the Women’s Caucus of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice. She received her B.A. from Purdue University and her J.D. from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
An IICLE® Online Library subscription is required to view this content. For more information or to subscribe, click here.
Free monthly e-updates in 15 practice areas