Merna A. Abusamen
Merna A. Abusamen
Merna A. Abusamen is an Associate at Mossing & Navarre, LLC, in Chicago, and focuses her practice on personal injury and medical malpractice. Abusamen has been named an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star and has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Arab American Bar Association of Illinois. She received her B.A. from the University of Illinois Chicago and her J.D. from the John Marshall Law School.
Zoë M. Baker
Zoë M. Baker
ZoëM. Baker is a Partner at Sinars Slowikowski LLC, in Chicago, and concentrates her practice in civil litigation and defense of products liability and toxic tort claims. Baker is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago. She received her LL.B. degree from the University of East Anglia and her J.D. summa cum laude from the DePaul University College of Law, where she was Order of the Coif and was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Service.
Benjamin Blekhman
Benjamin Blekhman
Benjamin Blekhman is an Associate at Sinars Slowikowski LLC, in Chicago, and concentrates his practice in civil litigation and toxic tort. Blekhman is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. He received his B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where he was valedictorian.
Laura L. Buecker
Laura L. Buecker
Laura L. Buecker is a Senior Associate at Heyl Royster, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on medical malpractice. Buecker is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the PAWS Chicago Professional Board and a former member of the Illinois Law Alumni Board. She received her B.S. from the University of Illinois and her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Jeffrey F. Clement
Jeffrey F. Clement
Jeffrey F. Clement is a Partner at BCM Law, P.C., in Chicago, where he chairs the firm’s Civil Litigation practice group. Clement is a member of Illinois Defense Counsel, the National Business Aircraft Association, and the Defense Research Institute, where he is Chair of Publications and Podcasts. He received his B.S. from Florida State University, his M.B.A. from the DePaul University Driehaus College of Business, and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law, where he was a member of the DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal and received the CALI Award for Senior Research Seminar, Advanced Copyrights.
Julia P. Dacy
Julia P. Dacy
Julia P. Dacy is Senior Counsel for Media Law at Chicago Public Media. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. Dacy received her B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Denver and her J.D. with honors from the George Washington University Law School.
Joe Giamanco
Joe Giamanco
Joe Giamanco is the Managing Partner at Giamanco Law Partners, Ltd., in Bolingbrook, where he focuses his practice on traumatic injury, wrongful death, and general litigation. Giamanco was named Business Leader of the Year by the Bolingbrook Area Chamber of Commerce in 2026. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Will County Bar Association. He received his B.A. from the University of Denver and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law.
David J. Handley
David J. Handley
David J. Handley is a Partner at Burke & Handley, P.C., in Glen Ellyn, where he concentrates his practice in civil litigation. Handley is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Civil Practice and Procedure Section and has been a participant at the ISBA’s biennial Allerton Conference. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Illinois and his J.D. cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Timothy R. Herman
Timothy R. Herman
Timothy R. Herman is a Member at Clark Hill PLC, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on business litigation, class action defense, and consumer litigation defense. Herman is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice’s Forms Committee. He received his B.A. cum laude from Kalamazoo College and his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School, where he was valedictorian.
Dahna Kazemyan
Dahna Kazemyan
Dahna Kazemyan is an Associate at Sinars Slowikowski LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on civil corporate defense litigation. Kazemyan is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. In 2024, her article, Spilling the Beans on Trade Dress: Whether Trade Dress Protection Gives Rise to Liability under a Section 32 Claim on Trademark Infringement, was published in the UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law. She received her B.S. cum laude from Texas A&M University and her J.D. cum laude from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
Alex B. Mahler
Alex B. Mahler
Alex B. Mahler is a Partner at Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP, in Chicago, and concentrates his practice in insurance coverage. Mahler is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, and the American Bar Association. He received his B.S. magna cum laude from Arizona State University and his J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Adria East Mossing
Adria East Mossing
Adria East Mossing is a Partner at Mossing & Navarre, LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on personal injury and medical malpractice. Mossing has served as President of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (2016 – 2017). She has been chosen by Leading Lawyers Illinois as one of the Top 10 Women Leading Lawyers in Illinois in personal injury and medical malpractice and by Illinois Super Lawyers as a Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyer, and she was also named as a Top 50 Women Illinois Super Lawyer. Mossing received her B.A. from Northwestern University and her J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law, where she was the Notes and Comments Managing Editor for the DePaul Law Review.
Sean P. Murray
Sean P. Murray
Sean P. Murrayis the Managing Partner of Murray Legal Group, in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, construction negligence, and workplace injury litigation. A veteran trial attorney with more than 25 years of experience, Murray has secured multiple multimillion-dollar jury verdicts and settlements, including several state and county record recoveries in Illinois. He has been recognized multiple times as one of the Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyers and serves on the Board of Managers of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. He earned his B.A. cum laude from Western Illinois University and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Leah Garland Nolan
Leah Garland Nolan
Leah Garland Nolan is a Senior Associate at Heyl Royster, in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice in medical malpractice, personal injury, and §1983 actions. Nolan is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Defense Counsel’s Practice Development Committee. She received her J.D. summa cum laude from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.
Stephen J. Phillips
Stephen J. Phillips
Stephen J. Phillips is an attorney at Phillips Law Offices, in Chicago, and focuses his practice on catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Phillips is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, where he is on the Board of Managers and Vice Chair of the Seminar & Member Education Committee. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice and the Illinois State Bar Association. Phillips received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Julie L. Pustilnik
Julie L. Pustilnik
Julie L. Pustilnikis a Partner at Taxman, Pollock & Bekkerman, LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on plaintiff’s personal injury. Pustilnik has been listed in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under Forty, and she is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the Chicago-Kent College of Law Alumni Board of Directors. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Illinois and her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Terrence M. Quinn
Terrence M. Quinn
Terrence M. Quinn is an attorney with Phillips Law Offices, in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in personal injury, with a focus on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Quinn is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association’s Board of Managers, the American Association for Justice, and the Illinois State Bar Association. He received his B.A. from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Esther J. Seitz
Esther J. Seitz
Esther J. Seitz is a Partner at Mandell P.C., in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on commercial and constitutional litigation and appeals, including media and intellectual property, construction, transportation, and eminent domain law. Seitz is the Chairperson of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission Review Board, President of the Lincoln-Douglas American Inn of Court, and a member of the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys. She received her B.A. from Centenary College of Louisiana, her J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law, and her LL.M. from the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition.
Patrick W. Stufflebeam
Patrick W. Stufflebeam
Patrick W. Stufflebeam is a Partner at Stufflebeam|Johnson LLC, in Edwardsville, where he concentrates his practice in the defense of complex civil litigation claims. Stufflebeam has been recognized as an AV Preeminent^® Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and by Best Lawyers in America for mass tort litigation and class action defense. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Western Illinois University and his J.D. from the Saint Louis University School of Law.
Marc A. Taxman
Marc A. Taxman
Marc A. Taxmanis a Founding Partner of Taxman, Pollock & Bekkerman, LLC, in Chicago, where he focuses on personal injury, wrongful death, medical negligence, transportation negligence, premises liability, sexual harassment, employment, and trial practice. Taxman has been practicing law for 35 years, and he has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer and Leading Lawyer and recognized in Best Lawyers in America. He received his B.S. from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Brett A. Thomaston
Brett A. Thomaston
Brett A. Thomaston is an Associate at Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on insurance coverage. Thomaston is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, and Illinois Super Lawyers has named him a Rising Star (2020 – 2026). He received his B.A. from Butler University and his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School.
Panos T. Topalis
Panos T. Topalis
Panos T. Topalis is Managing Director at Tribler Orpett & Meyer, P.C., in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in civil litigation. Topalis is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, where he was previously a member of the Insurance Law Section; the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, where he was previously Spring Seminar Chairman; and the Hellenic Bar Association, where he was Past President. He received his B.S. from Northern Illinois University and his J.D. from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Jackson D. Wingert
Jackson D. Wingert
Jackson D. Wingert is an Associate at Taxman, Pollock & Bekkerman, LLC, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on plaintiff-side personal injury. Wingert is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. He received his B.A. from Wichita State University and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Highlight Options

Hide Notes

Civil Practice: Opening the Case 2026 Edition

An IICLE® Online Library subscription is required to view this content. For more information or to subscribe, click here.

Merna A. Abusamen

Zoë M. Baker

Benjamin Blekhman

Laura L. Buecker

Jeffrey F. Clement

Julia P. Dacy

Joe Giamanco

David J. Handley

Timothy R. Herman

Dahna Kazemyan

Alex B. Mahler

Adria East Mossing

Sean P. Murray

Leah Garland Nolan

Stephen J. Phillips

Julie L. Pustilnik

Terrence M. Quinn

Esther J. Seitz

Patrick W. Stufflebeam

Marc A. Taxman

Brett A. Thomaston

Panos T. Topalis

Jackson D. Wingert

Civil Practice: Opening the Case 2026 Edition