Paul has successfully worked as a personal injury trial attorney since 1992. He has been a name partner at our firm since 2001. Paul was designated a Leading Lawyer which purports to rate the top 5% of lawyers in Chicago.
Paul has tried a number of cases for our firm, including several in excess of $1 million. Paul obtained one of the largest verdicts in Illinois history in the case of Gant v. City of Chicago. Gant was a very difficult case involving a dispute over the length of time involved in the City of Chicago responding to a 911 call for an 18 year old asthmatic young man, who ultimately died due to the delay in the response. Despite only receiving an offer of $50,000 to settle the case prior to trial, the jury awarded a verdict of $50,000,000 for the boy’s family. This verdict was featured in the NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL as one of the most noteworthy verdicts in the United States that year. More recently, he was featured in local and national newsmedia, including the TODAY show for his work in the case of Miller-Parrish v. Center for Reproductive Health.
More recently, Paul tried a very sophisticated case involving electrical injuries to the legs of a man who was working in his backyard. JULIE had mismarked where the electrical lines were to be found. The man’s condition went undiagnosed for almost two years. Working with physicians and neuropsychologists from the University of Chicago and from the University of Illinois, Paul was able to explain to the jury the exact nature of the injury. The man had no lost time from work as of the date of trial and had very limited medical bills. However, Paul was able to demonstrate how this injury affected not only the man’s legs, which showed visible damage from the shock, but also how that muscle and nerve damage in his legs otherwise affected the man’s everyday life. Paul also concentrated on how the pain and sleeplessness caused by the injury had or will have an impact on the man’s ability to be a good husband and father as well as his ability to continue as a proud and productive working man. The insurance company offered $250,000 at the beginning of trial. It increased the offer to $750,000 and indicated that it would settle for $1,500,000. Paul recommended to the clients that they turn down the settlement offers, which they did. The jury then returned a verdict of $4.75 million.
Paul is a lifetime member of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, and a past President of the St. Athanasius Parish Council. Paul has been a frequent lecturer on trial skills in continuing legal education courses. In particular, Paul has provided a number of lectures to other lawyers on how to prove to a jury, in an intelligent, honest fashion, the exact nature of a client’s physical injuries and how the client’s physical injuries may have an adverse impact on the social and work life of the client – as well as the client’s family – for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education.
Paul has also served as a volunteer attorney at the St. Sabina legal ministry on the south side.
Paul grew up in Rogers Park on the north side of Chicago where he was the youngest of nine children. His father was a union electrician, in Local 134. With their large family, Paul was only able to afford college and law school through his military service. Paul believes that growing up in a family that struggled to make it financially gave him a sense of understanding, humility and compassion that helps him to honestly convey the stories of his clients. Paul has been happily married for 26 years to his high school sweetheart, Ruth, and lives with her and their four children in Evanston.