Illinois Super Lawyers Articles

Jeanne Gills honors her father in name, intellect and determination to uplift others

If not a lawyer, Steve Levin might have been an oceanographer or marine biologist

How Cynthia Hyndman won before the highest court in the land

Stephanie Scharf asks tough questions about gender and race in law, then finds answers

How Victor Pioli and Ramses Jalalpour won a case after losing two key witnesses

Before family law, Umberto Davi was there for the John Wayne Gacy trial

In 50 years, Flint Taylor has battled Nazis, the KKK, police and the FBI, and he’s still standing

DJ Alan S. King remains vital to Chicago’s house music scene

Or it is when Sherby Scurto is one of the attorneys

How education attorney Darcy Kriha helped a blind immigrant gain citizenship

After 14 books and 40 years in the law, the bestselling author is still going strong

Inside Equip for Equality’s efforts to serve and protect people with disabilities

An oral history of trailblazing women in Illinois law

The litigator masters the facts, then focuses on the critical issue

Jen Novoselsky helps rehabilitate court case dogs

Mark DeBofsky contends with Illinois’ slayer statute

The IP litigator’s engine always runs at full speed

Foster care advocate Jay Paul Deratany fights injustice in the courtroom and on the stage

Craig Tobin tried the last ‘heart balm’ case in Illinois history

Employment lawyer Renee Coover talks up pregnancy rights from the TEDx stage

David Inlander builds bridges between world religions

Kimberly Cook on family law, oversharing and all things Beyoncé

Jodi S. Green tells us what’s good in the neighborhood

Kathleen Zellner lives for impossible cases, including Steven Avery’s

Peter Strand earned his rock ‘n roll stripes in Yipes!

How Anthony Licata’s Hannibal’s Niece finally saw the light of day

An oral history of immigrants in Illinois law

Kwabena Appenteng on crisps, fatherhood and his stellar Kwabena Appenteng impersonation

Personal injury lawyer Patrick A. Salvi is a powerhouse in the courtroom and as a ballclub owner

How civil rights lawyer Dana Kurtz used her legal skills to overcome a family tragedy

Why Edelson PC takes its cues from tech startups

Larry Eppley helps clients transform historic buildings into high-end hotels

Meet a couple of re-married divorce attorneys

The author takes us inside his new book

The Chicago attorney tells us what’s good in the neighborhood

And other memories of the high court from eight former SCOTUS clerks

Environmental lawyer E. Lynn Grayson saves companies green

Perpetually moving bankruptcy attorney James Sprayregen can’t be outworked

Chicago immigration attorney Kai Lo helps his clients by staying true to himself

Lloyd E. Shefsky’s irregular path to consulting entrepreneurs around the world

How IP attorney Brett A. August was knighted for enhancing relations between Paris and Chicago

Family law attorney Gemma Allen of Ladden & Allen on creative applications of the law, overcoming sexism and why it’s riskier for clients to dance on tables nowadays

Jim Franczek is a management-side bargainer, but he never forgets what life is like for working men and women

Unless you want it done

Maurice Grant makes it his business to boost diversity

Donald Ramsell is the authority on Illinois’ drinking and driving laws

Appellate lawyer Linda Coberly fights for immigrants’ rights

From rioting prisoners to Black Panthers to animal-rights defenders, Michael E. Deutsch has been on the front line of the fight for civil rights

Angela Elbert has her business clients—and her community—covered

An oral history of the investigation that took down a corrupt Cook County court system

Li-Hsien “Lily” Rin-Laures is an M.D., but these days she’s healing biotechs

The former broker fights back for victims of bad investment advice

Lenny Sachs on reinvesting in the community

The Chicago attorney says everyone makes mistakes—but there’s a time for accountability

CareerBuilder’s Alex Green started in the NFL before redirecting to the law

Lessons in Cross-Examination and Life from Chicago Trial Lawyer Jeffrey Stone

Defense attorney Patrick Dowd learned the craft from his father’s generation of ‘Rat Pack’ lawyers

How Paula Litt’s sleuthing skills ignited the business litigator’s career

Michael Kanovitz accuses the former secretary of defense of condoning the torture of his clients

Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Life After Innocence, the only program of its kind, opened its doors in 2009 for exonerated prisoners struggling to get back on their feet

Miles N. Beermann, with Beermann Pritikin Mirabelli Swerdlove, teaches splitting spouses how to be in the same room together

Bruce Pfaff sways juries without raising his voice

How Kevin M. Forde cleared the way for Rahm Emanuel’s mayoral aspirations

Collaborative lawyer Sandra Crawford brings consensus to family law

William Gibbs, Linda Coberly and Richard Levin believe in giving back

Illinois attorneys fight for the family of 3 murder victims

The 3-dimensional career of intellectual property attorney Christopher Carani

The Ottawa appellate attorney is all about the details

Laurel Bellows won’t shy from a fight, but she’d rather work things out

Why governors, mayors—and even Donald Trump—have consulted him

The IP attorney crosses borders to protect inventions

Tim Cavanagh turns lost causes into courtroom victories

Steven J. Harper on law, letters and comedy

Kevin Durkin cushions the blow for accident victims and their families

Chicago attorney Matthew Piers is a big defender of the U.S. Constitution

The intellectual property lawyer at Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson is not afraid to litigate

Roger Wilson helps revitalize the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand

Donald Schiller is a gentleman in a volatile practice area

In Patricia Brown Holmes’ biggest victory, she beat death

Lorna Propes rode a wave of cultural change to become a lawyer—and the law’s gain is, well, the teaching profession’s gain, too

The two terms of Steven M. Harris

Antitrust attorney Amy Manning’s got the beat

Why Tim Carroll quit working for the president of the United States and got a real job

How the labor lawyer at Despres, Schwartz and Geoghegan almost broke the Watergate scandal

A minister’s son, Deere & Co.’s Jim Jenkins credits his father for his worldview

Michele Coleman Mayes leads Allstate's legal team

Thomas Demetrio studied the masters, then became one

Emily Nicklin keeps it simple, believable and fun

Jack Butler Jr. adopts distressed companies

The quick rise of Meredith Addy

Personal trainer Michael Rusin doesn't just talk the talk; he runs the run

Judd Azulay lifts his lamp

Flying jets? For Robert Held, estate law is more exciting

Daliah Saper arrived from Iran at age 6 and hasn't slowed down

Where sports and business intersect, you'll find Adam Klein

McDonald's GC Gloria Santona has ketchup running through her veins

Taking a measured view of things with Thomas P. Sullivan

Dan Reidy on Operation Greylord and the needs of the client

From immigrant to immigration lawyer to president of the AILA

An IP attorney stakes out the new Wild West: China

For William J. Quinlan, counsel to Gov. Blagojevich, father knows best

Cardelle Spangler helps employers help employees

John Nethery went from computer engineering to law—and almost into outer space

How Joseph Power and a “gotcha” moment caused George Ryan’s downfall

The world’s leading real estate lawyer, Nina Matis, cuts through the crap

The good works of Donald Hubert

Frederick J. Sperling’s low-key approach wins cases—and clients like Michael Jordan

Vicki Abrahamson has a reputation for toughness, but wins clients with compassion

Six Illinois lawyers talk about the six stages of arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court

How Marvin Brustin’s love of mountains led to a diplomatic post with Nepal

Jordan Margolis continues the centuries-old tradition of the Purim shpiel

How Gordon B. Nash Jr. advocated for White Sox great Nellie Fox

Philip Beck’s clients include Bayer, Merck, DuPont and, oh, the president of the United States

Dan K. Webb has been called the best defense attorney in the country; George Ryan hopes so

Joseph N. Welch II has a famous grandfather and a sense of decency

Langdon Neal carries on the traditions of a great Chicago family

Kevin G. Burke moved from defending the big guys to defending those “with the smallest voice”

Lisa Madigan follows in the footsteps of ... her mother

Three Chicago lawyers take on Clear Channel Communications

Burton Joseph represents Playboy, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and you

Thomas Geraghty and his students fight for truth, justice, but not necessarily the American way

Bob Clifford is a lamb who turns into a lion when he’s confronted by injustice

How Ron Safer and his team took down the Gangster Disciples

Bill Clinton's pal Mike Cherry is a Chicago legend

His clients — from Big Tobacco to nuclear weapons plants — aren’t always popular, but no matter: David Bernick knows how to win over a jury

Bill Schiller’s work in the former Yugoslavia helped the U.N. identify the bad guys

It takes a smart lawyer to work with rocket scientists