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Gary P. Annes is a Founder and Partner with Abels & Annes, P.C., in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in personal injury and medical malpractice. He has frequently written and spoken on issues related to medical malpractice and litigation in general. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice (formerly ATLA), the Public Justice Foundation, the State Bar of Arizona, and the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations. Mr. Annes is licensed in Illinois and Arizona and maintains offices in both Chicago and Phoenix. Mr. Annes received his B.A. from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Christian D. Biswell is a Shareholder and President of Drake, Narup & Mead, P.C., in Springfield, where he concentrates in the areas of civil litigation, insurance and medical malpractice defense, contracts, civil rights, and subrogation. Mr. Biswell received his B.A., M.A., and J.D. from Southern Illinois University.
Colin A. Brietzke is the founder of Chicagoland Neuropsychology LLC, a multidisciplinary neuropsychological and neuroscientific assessment practice based in Oak Park. Dr. Brietzke’s areas of expertise include acquired brain injuries, dementia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He has extensive experience assessing a wide range of legal competencies, as well as evaluating malingering and deception. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and a clinical neuropsychologist. His education includes a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology, a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Prior to entering private practice, Dr. Brietzke worked in a variety of clinical and forensic settings, including the DuPage County Probation Department and Elgin Mental Health Center’s Forensic Treatment Program.
Kevin J. Caplis is Of Counsel to Querrey & Harrow, Ltd., in Chicago, where he focuses his practice in construction liability, civil defense, and insurance coverage and arbitration. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Federal Trial Bar, and the United States Supreme Court Bar. He has been named a Leading Lawyer and Super Lawyer and is a past President of the Trial Lawyers Club of Chicago. Mr. Caplis received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law.
Laura A. Castagnais a Partner at Kelly & Castagna in Bloomington, where she focuses on plaintiff’s personal injury. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Illinois Bar Foundation Board of Directors — Fourth District. Ms. Castagna received her B.A. from Eastern Illinois University, her M.A. from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and her J.D. from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
Julie L. Cibulskis is a Partner at Speers, Reuland & Cibulskis, P.C., in Aurora, where she focuses on civil litigation including personal injury, wrongful death, and commercial litigation. She is a past President and member of the of the Kane County Bar Association, a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Jury Instructions — Civil, and a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness — Second District. Ms. Cibulskis received her B.A. summa cum laude from Creighton University and her J.D. magna cum laude from the Seton Hall School of Law.
Lauren F. Crissie is an attorney at McCabe Kirshner P.C. in Lincolnwood, where she focuses her practice on the litigation of professional and general liability cases, with an emphasis on the defense of complex medical, dental, and nursing home issues. She is a member of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Ms. Crissie received her B.A. from Northern Illinois University and her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where she was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for the highest grade in Evidence (Spring 2013) and Illinois Civil Procedure (Spring 2014) and served as staff editor for the Review of Intellectual Property Law.
Lawrence DeBrock is Professor Emeritus of Finance and Dean Emeritus at the Gies College of Business of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has served as a consultant and expert to several public panels as well as foreign governments. He has published numerous articles in economics journals such as the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Bell Journal of Economics, the International Journal of Industrial Organization, the Journal of Law and Economics, the Journal of Labor Economics, and the Journal of Human Resources. Professor DeBrock received his B.S. from Bradley University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Robert E. Elworth is a Partner at HeplerBroom LLC in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice on the defense of complex liability claims. He has served as an instructor of business law and environmental law at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He is a member of the Appellate Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute (DRI), and the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. He is admitted to practice law in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin. Mr. Elworth received his B.A. from the University of Nebraska and his J.D. from the Creighton University School of Law.
Timothy W. Kelly is a Partner at Kelly & Castagna, LLC, in Bloomington, where he focuses his practice on plaintiff’s personal injury/mediation. A frequent speaker for IICLE® and the Illinois State Bar Association, he is a Past President of the Illinois Bar Foundation and a Past Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice. He has been voted one of the Top Three Attorneys in McLean County by his peers. Mr. Kelly served on the IICLE® Board of Directors (2000 – 2007) and was selected as IICLE® Volunteer of the Year for Publications in 2008. He received his B.S. from the University of Dayton and his J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law.
Jeffrey J. Krollis a Partner at Kaveny + Kroll in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in personal injury and wrongful death. He has been named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list since 2005 and has been named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Illinois by the American Association for Justice (formerly ATLA) for ten consecutive years. Mr. Kroll received his B.A. from DePaul University and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law.
Charles M. Linke is a Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Gies College of Business of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has served the University as the IBE Distinguished Professor of Finance, Chair of the Department of Finance, and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. A contributor to numerous treatises and journals, he is a member of academic and professional organizations including the American Economics Association, the American Finance Association, the American Risk and Insurance Association, and the National Association of Forensic Economists. Professor Linke received his B.S., his M.B.A., and his D.B.A. from Indiana University.
Noah A. Menold is an associate at Howard & Howard Attorneys, PLLC, in Peoria, where he focuses his practice in commercial litigation. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Civil Practice & Procedure Section Council and Construction Law Section Council. He has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers in the areas of commercial litigation, closely and privately held business law, and medical malpractice defense law. He has also been recognized as “One To Watch” by Best Lawyers in the area of commercial litigation. Mr. Menold received his B.S. summa cum laude from Bradley University, where he was recognized as the Kalman Goldberg Outstanding Senior Business Student (2010 – 2011) and awarded the rank of Top Collegiate Scholar: Management (2011). He received his J.D. magna cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law, where he was the Brian E. and Tamra A. McGough Prize Recipient (2014) and the Northern Illinois University Law Review: Notes & Comments Editor (2013 – 2014).
Kevin M. Miller is a Partner at Quinn Johnston in Peoria, where he focuses his practice on medical malpractice defense. He has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer in the area of medical practice defense law and has been given a preeminent rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Miller is a Past President of the Peoria County Bar Association. He received his J.D. cum laude from Southern Illinois University School of Law.
John L. Nisivaco is the Managing Partner at Chicago Injury Law, where he concentrates his practice on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful-death cases. He is the Past Secretary of the Board of Governors of the Illinois State Bar Association, Past Chair of the Tort Law Section Council, and Past Chair of Judicial Evaluations for the Alliance of Bar Associations in Cook County. He has been the Editor of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Tort Trends publication for over 20 years. Mr. Nisivaco received his B.A. from Northern Illinois University and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Andrew C. Pattonis a Partner at Franco Moroney Buenik LLC in Chicago, where he focuses on commercial litigation and tort defense, with an emphasis on construction litigation, including breach of contract; construction and design defect, delay/impact, and personal injury; insurance coverage; transportation litigation, including trucking and railroads; maritime litigation; business disputes; professional liability claims; and catastrophic injury defense. He practices in both state and federal courts throughout the United States and has tried numerous cases to verdict. He has been repeatedly recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer in the area of construction litigation. Mr. Patton received his B.A. from Boston College and his J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Patrick M. Spellman is an associate at Franco Moroney Buenik in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in tort defense related to personal injury, premises liability, transportation, construction law matters, labor and employment litigation, and commercial litigation. He is a member of the Chicago, Illinois State, and American Bar Associations. Mr. Spellman received his B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Steven C. Ward is Of Counsel to Brown, Hay & Stephens, LLP, in Springfield, where he focuses on litigation. He is a member of the Sangamon County and Illinois State Bar Associations. He has written several chapters for IICLE® and spoken at seminars on various topics. Mr. Ward earned his B.A. from DePauw University and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
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