Illinois Products Liability Lawyers

C. Eric Bodo grew up in Mundelein, Illinois, and attended Carmel High School in the northern suburbs. Eric graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts. He went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago in 1996 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar.

Before coming to VanDerGinst Law, Eric was a partner in his own firm with offices in Chicago and Northbrook, Illinois where he represented seriously injured individuals and their families. Before starting his firm in 2014, Eric worked for a large, high-volume personal injury firm...

Joseph W. Balesteri is a partner at the Chicago-based plaintiff’s law firm Power Rogers. He joined the firm in 2000, and since that time, has handled many cases successfully, resulting in more than $400 million in verdicts and settlements for his clients, an average of $25 million per year. In recognition of his dedication to plaintiffs and achievements in the field, Mr. Balesteri has been awarded with honors such as “Super Lawyers” and “Leading Lawyers” by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

Paul Ciesielski is dedicated to providing assistance to those that find themselves in need of help navigating the complicated area of personal injury law. Not everyone knows what to do following a Chicago car accident, truck crash, health care error, or other incident. Paul walks clients through the legal process step-by-step.

Paul received his B.S. from Indiana University. He earned his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School, where he gained valuable knowledge, as well as relevant experience outside of the classroom. While in school, he volunteered at JMLS Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic. The veterans he helped...

John’s legal experience includes Personal Injury, Real Estate, and Appellate Litigation.

Joseph Curcio was raised in Chicago in the old Italian neighborhood along Grand and Damen Avenues on Chicago’s West Side. The son of a shoemaker, Mr. Curcio learned very early the importance of hard work and paid his own way through college at DePaul University and law school at John Marshall working various night jobs, including repossessing cars. Upon his graduation from law school in 1956, Joe had a very brief stint as a claims adjuster for an insurance company before striking out on his own as a solo practitioner. From the beginning of his career, he had a passion and...

Aviation Injuries and Accident Attorney
Steven M. Sandler has worked as a civil litigation trial attorney for the last 35 years. “In the courtroom, there is no substitute for experience,” shares Mr. Sandler. What a fulfilling experience it has been.

Mr. Sandler has spent the majority of his career representing the victims of catastrophic injury. While doing so, he obtained several multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for his clients. For the ten years prior to joining Woodruff Johnson & Evans, Steve defended individuals and corporate entities faced with lawsuits arising out of airplane, trucking and auto accidents. This unique perspective from both...

Melanie K. Fairman is an experienced trial attorney who has represented plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death actions since 1994. Over the years, she has obtained millions for clients through settlement and trial. A large percentage of her practice involves cases arising from medical malpractice and nursing home negligence, but over the years she has litigated quite a few significant vehicular collision and premises liability cases, including a $3.8 million verdict in a case tried by Melanie and her partner, Steve Seidman, against JW Marriott based on exposing a guest who was an attorney to Legionella bacteria, causing him...

Gary Newland is an experienced trial attorney evidenced by the hundreds of cases he has successfully won at trial. Many of Gary's cases have been covered by USA Today, Forbes, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, NBC, The Daily Herald, Oprah Winfrey, and the list goes on. Many of the clients Gary represents are referrals from other attorneys who are aware of his skills and reputation in the community. He has been an invited guest lecturer to the Bar Association and other legal organizations as well as an author of published articles on legal issues. He has been a member of the...

Olivia N. Schwartz has worked at Kralovec, Jambois & Schwartz since 2015, first as a law clerk, and currently as an associate attorney. She represents victims for injuries arising from medical malpractice, premises liability, motor vehicle negligence, products liability, and other personal injury claims.

Olivia received her J. D., cum laude, from Chicago-Kent College of Law. During law school, Olivia interned at the Cook County Public Defender’s Office and for the Honorable Justice T. Lavin at the Illinois Appellate Court, First District. She also competed on Chicago-Kent’s nationally ranked Trial Team. Olivia was honored as a three-time CALI award recipient for...

"Whiting Law Group focuses on personal injury law and litigation. Our successful team of proven personal injury lawyers in Chicago and Wisconsin represent victims involving personal injury, trucking accidents, automobile accidents, construction accidents, wrongful death and medical malpractice actions. Whiting Law Group understands how the harm caused by the negligent conduct of others affects our clients and their loved ones. We strive to reduce the stress, trauma and hassles of seeking justice so that our clients may focus on their health and their families in their time of hardship. Our expertise, experience and aggressive approach extend to every...

Since 1999, Lawrence Maya has focused his practice on representing injury victims in Chicago and throughout Illinois. Licensed in both state and federal courts, he has successfully prosecuted a wide array of cases, including medical malpractice, automobile accidents, food poisoning, products liability and toxic mold exposure. Mr. Maya also remains active in the community. He has served as a member of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce in Chicago. He has also written a legal column for a local area newspaper. In 2017, Mr. Maya was asked to appear in and recorded a videotaped discussion on the Concealed...

Attorney Scott D. Lane is a managing partner of the reputable Chicago personal injury law firm, Lane & Lane, LLC. This boutique family-managed law firm specializes in medical and professional negligence, advocating for survivors of sexual abuse, promises and product liability, motor vehicle accidents, and other related practice areas that involve catastrophic injury and wrongful death. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude; from Southern Methodist University, Mr. Lane earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law in 1988. In 2002, Attorney Lane was selected as a 40 Under 40 Attorney to Watch in Illinois....

Receiving his B.A. from Cedarville University and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Jonathan Thomas is an integral part of the legal practice at Power Rogers. Mr. Thomas often handles cases concerning product and premises liability, automobile liability, and aviation litigation. His dedication to his practice warranted selection to The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 under 40. Mr. Thomas is also an active member in the legal community, and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Illinois Bar Association, and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

About Bill

Bill is a Southern Illinois native. He and his wife live in the Carbondale area with their five children. He attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He later earned Masters’ degrees in Special Education and Counseling Psychology, from McKendree University. He in Special Education classrooms in public and private schools.

Later, Bill worked as a counselor-intern for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, and as a clinician for Chestnut Health Systems. He provided mental health and addiction recovery services, clinical analysis, and employee assistance support. His clients included Federal and State probation,...

Margaret Galka joined the Collins Law Firm in 2018 as an associate attorney. She focuses her practice in environmental litigation and personal injury.

Margaret graduated Magna Cum Laude from Vermont Law School, where she concentrated on environmental and energy law. While attending law school, Margaret worked as a clinician in the Environment and Natural Resources Law Clinic and clerked for a prominent law firm in Burlington, Vermont. Margaret also served as a Co-Chair of the Women's Law Group and as an editor of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.

Prior to law school, Margaret graduated from the University of Vermont with a...

Mr. Fisher is a personal injury lawyer and partner at GWC Injury Lawyers LLC. With a proven track record of success including having obtained more than $90 MILLION in successful recoveries on behalf of his clients, Michael is a highly skilled lawyer and a valued asset at our law firm. If you have been injured in an accident, contact Mr. Fisher today at (312) 464-1234 or toll free at (800) 464-4772.

Rob is a Partner at The Collins Law Firm, chairing its Banking & Financial Department. Rob focuses his practice on the representation of financial institutions and corporate clients in commercial banking and real estate litigation and transactions. Rob also serves as special counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Rob is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He has also litigated in the federal and state courts of Virginia, Texas, California, Indiana and Wisconsin. Rob's representative clients include:...

Clarissa Rietveld was born in Iowa and raised in Rushville, Indiana. She received her Associate’s Degree in Nursing in 2009 and worked as a registered nurse in operating rooms across the Midwest and on the East Coast. While working as a nurse, Ms. Rietveld had a patient whose medical history documented that he did not have regular access to food and was starving. Ms. Rietveld spent the afternoon working with hospital social services to arrange for her patient to gain access to regular meals and was shocked to learn that he didn’t qualify for any of the available programs. She...

Kathryn L. Conway joined Power Rogers in November of 2011. A staunch advocate for protecting the rights of individuals, she goes to great lengths to achieve optimal outcomes for her clients. She obtained her J.D. from Loyal University Chicago School of Law, and handles cases including wrongful death, automobile negligence, bicycle, and motorcycle collisions. Ms. Conway is also passionate about giving back to her community. She serves on the Associate Board of Chicago Jesuit Academy and Sarah’s Inn. For her accomplishments, she was named an Illinois Rising Star by Super Lawyers, an honor only awarded to 2.5% of injury attorneys...

Thomas G. Siracusa is a partner at Power Rogers & Smith and has been with the firm since 1996. He earned his B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago and his J.D. from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Since his admission to the Illinois Bar in 1986, Mr. Siracusa has obtained many multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts in cases involving medical malpractice, birth trauma, and other serious injury cases. When not staunchly advocating for his clients, Mr. Siracusa publishes articles about medical malpractice and product liability in the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education publications.

Mr. Munninghoff graduated cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011 after completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame in 2007. While at Chicago-Kent, Mark was repeatedly named to the Dean’s Honor List. In addition, Mark was a member of Chicago-Kent’s Moot Court Competition Team and competed in several Moot Court competitions. In addition, Mark received multiple CALI Excellence for the Future Awards.

Since being admitted to practice law in Illinois, Mark has practiced in many areas of personal injury litigation including medical malpractice, premises liability and automobile and trucking negligence cases. Mark has successfully represented injured...

At Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, Loren handles personal injury and wrongful death cases arising out of medical malpractice, product defects, trucking and motor vehicle collisions, and dangerous construction and premises conditions.

Prior to joining Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, Loren worked as a trial attorney at another Chicago personal injury firm, where he was part of trial teams that obtained millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients wrongfully killed or injured, including a $5.97 million record verdict in DeKalb County for an injured worker who fell 30 feet from a bucket truck after the support arm of a boom lift...

High-Stakes Litigation - Business Disputes - Franchise Litigation

I represent individuals and companies in high-stakes lawsuits, business and investment disputes, and franchise matters. I trained at a top global law firm where I practiced complex commercial litigation for a decade. I practice now at a boutique law firm where I help entrepreneurs and small businesses with their most important "bet the company" matters.

My practice includes:
- Contract disputes
- Fraud cases
- Franchising and dealer terminations and regulatory compliance
- Securities & commodities litigation / enforcement and...

Levin & Perconti welcomed Michael L. Shanahan to the firm in November 2014. As an associate attorney, Michael handles all types of medical malpractice, nursing home, products liability, personal injury and wrongful death cases. Prior to joining the firm, Michael worked for a general liability and workers’ compensation firm in Chicago.

Michael graduated from the DePaul University College of Law in May 2013 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in November 2013. As a law student, Michael received the CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Trial Advocacy and Legal Drafting and was a Dean’s Merit Scholarship Recipient....

For more than twenty-five years, attorney Mark A. Brown, of respected Chicago personal injury law firm, Lane & Lane, LLC, has dedicated his legal career and skills as a litigator to helping countless individuals and families who have been injured, harmed, and abused at the hands of another. Attorney Brown majored in Economics and minored in Business while attending the University of Illinois — Champaign-Urbana. He graduated in 1989 and went on to attend the Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology and graduate in 1993. He joined Lane & Lane, LLC in 2002 after starting off his...

Matt Caraway is a trial attorney at Sam C. Mitchell and Associates. He focuses on representing people who have been injured as a result of another’s negligence. He enthusiastically represents his clients with the energy and dedication required to deliver excellent results. He aggressively pursues individuals, insurance companies, and businesses that have wronged his clients.

Matt represents clients in both Illinois and Missouri. He practices in State and Federal Court. His trial experience includes jury and bench trials in both states.

Matt was also in the Illinois Air National Guard and served for seven years, becoming Staff Sergeant in Operation Enduring Freedom...

Joseph D. Parente is a Chicago personal injury attorney with extensive litigation experience. He has represented injured persons in the Chicago area for many years, including injured members of the Cook County Forest Preserve, the Fraternal Order of the Police, Electrician’s Union, Carpenter’s Union, Plumber’s Union, and Pipefitter’s Union.

Personal injury attorney Joseph Parente earned his law degree from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois. Attorney Parente was awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from the Loyola University in Chicago.

He has represented injured persons in the Chicago area for many years, including injured members of the...

I love working with my clients and I treat them as best as I can. My number one goal is to get them the compensation they deserve after they have been injured. I have won millions of dollars on behalf of my clients over the years.

John A. Culver has over a third of a century of experience as a trial lawyer in the areas of medical and professional negligence, health care and products liability, as well as all variety of torts including wrongful death, catastrophic injury, premises liability, auto and other accidents. John also is National Counsel for a Chicago-based power press manufacturer, as well as General Counsel for Ultimate Chicago, which operates Ultimate Frisbee leagues and tournaments.

Athena Farmakis was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, graduated with a B.A. from Northwestern University, and received her law degree from DePaul University College of law. With over 25 years of litigation experience, Athena has tried 67 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials in complex and media-sensitive cases. Athena currently practices in all areas of personal injury including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, construction accidents, animal attacks, negligent security, wrongful death, nursing home abuse and medical malpractice.

As a former prosecutor, Athena dedicated much of her legal career to serving the public for over 20 years...

Throughout his career, Attorney Kevin M. Collopy has helped clients recover tens of millions of dollars for injury and workers’ compensation cases. Representing injured individuals throughout Chicago, he prides himself on delivering reliable, trustworthy, and effective counsel in all legal matters. He has dedicated his more than 15 years of legal practice to advocating for injury victims.