Asbestos Attorneys in Crest Hil il
Mark P. Munninghoff
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
Education
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
- J.D. – 2011
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: Dean’s Honor’s List
- Honors: Moot Court Competition Team
- Honors: Multiple CALI Excellence for the Future Awards
- University of Notre Dame
- B.A. – 2007
Bar Admissions
- Illinois, 2011
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association, Member, 2012 to Present
- American Association of Justice, Member, 2014 to Present
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
Past Positions
- Honorable Samuel Der-Yaghiayan in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Legal Extern, 2009
- Honorable Richard A. Stevens in the Circuit Court of Cook County – Child Protection Division, Courtroom Coordinator, 2009
- Goldstein, Fluxgold & Baron, PC, Clerk, 2009 to 2010
Bruce R. Pfaff
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
Bruce Pfaff has been a trial lawyer since 1979, representing people injured or killed by wrongful conduct. He received excellent training from two premier law firms before starting his own practice in 1991. Bruce has succeeded for clients in cases including those hurt by unsafe or defective products, medical malpractice by obstetricians, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons, other doctors and hospital personnel, careless driving, poor maintenance of property, sexual assault, legal malpractice, and other forms of personal injury cases in Chicago.In six cases, his clients have each received more than $10 million in jury verdicts. He is one of only a handful of Illinois lawyers who individual have had similar trial success. He has also achieved settlements for clients exceeding $10 million.
Bruce has been rated among the Top Ten of Illinois lawyers rated by Superlawyers continuously from 2018.
Bruce has twice received the President’s Award from the Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association, once in 2000 and again in 2022. He also received the ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award 2020, the ABA’s “Access to Justice Award,” July 2015, Chicago’s Product Liability Litigator of the Year, 2011; and “Trial Lawyer Excellence” awards from Jury Verdict Reporter, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, 2010, 2015.
Jack L. Zaremba
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
Jack began his dedicated legal career in the area of criminal law as a clerk for the Illinois Attorney General while attending law school. After graduating in 2003, Jack was offered a position in the Medicaid Fraud Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General, where he prosecuted complex white collar and financial crimes.
In 2006, Jack accepted an appointment as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Will County. As a well-respected prosecutor in Will County, Jack disposed of hundreds of criminal cases with offenses ranging from DUI to first degree murder. Jack has acted as first chair on over fifty bench trials and over thirty jury trials. His courtroom performance is unrivaled, and his aggressive and effective courtroom demeanor has even been described as “electrifying”.
In 2001, Rhonda branched out as a sole practitioner and began assisting law firms as an independent contractor. She continued to work on personal injury claims, which included medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, and automobile accident cases. She represented both plaintiffs and defendants, which helps her assess cases from an objective perspective.
As a litigation attorney, Rhonda has represented clients over the years in numerous arbitration hearings and many trials held before judges and juries. She also worked on appeals and argued before the Illinois Appellate Court.
In 1996, Rhonda was trained to be an arbitrator in Illinois’ Mandatory Arbitration Program. Soon after she began working as an arbitrator, she was certified as a Lead Arbitrator in that program due to her experience and performance.
HOWARD M. LEVINE
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
Howard was not only the founding partner of the firm, he was its very spirit, including every iteration it has undergone over the past 50 years of his career. To me, Howard was a mentor, a friend, a teacher, a champion, and a fast member of my family. He was an unstoppable force and an immovable object, packaged in the form of a good-natured smile and an unshakeable sense that he always knew something more that was apparent. In many ways, at least to me, Howard was a contradiction: a fierce competitor and adversary, but humble and kind; a staunch advocate, yet a consument compromiser; and an obsessive worker who loved his family and his hobbies.
While it was my absolute intention to share this sad news and these sad sentiments quickly, they have been slow to take their proper form. Anyone who knew Howard would have to acknowledge that getting it right was always more important than being on time in his world. And so I’m sure that like so many of the good habits that he insisted on, some of the others have left their mark as well.
While almost everyone I know who knew him has a “Howard story,” for each of those, he had a story of his own. These ranged from courtroom battles, to client interactions, to tales of the family he loved more than they knew. And for a man whose personality regularly filed up the room, he loved to joke about being the shortest lawyer in a given moment. He could disarm you with his self-deprecating charm, while marching unwaveringly towards whatever goal he had decided was his to have.
To say that the Domestic Relations division has lost an exemplar, an icon and something of an institution, seems both inadequate and overstated. Howard was all of those things and still no collection of words seems to do justice to his legacy. I know that his partners will endeavor to be faithful standard bearers of the firm that will always carry his name, just as all the “LeVine alums” will each carry on so many distinguished careers that he had some influence over shaping.
Daniel Flaherty
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
Daniel R. Flaherty, founder and managing attorney of Flaherty Law, LLC, is a respected and accomplished trial lawyer with a history of success representing both plaintiffs and defendants. His practice focuses on personal injury matters, wrongful death, nursing home negligence, product liability, and worker’s compensation.
Daniel began his career in insurance defense litigation representing individuals in personal injury and property damage matters. In 2010, he decided his true passion was representing individuals injured due to no fault of their own. Daniel joined a larger, Chicago-area trial firm and began exclusively representing individuals in various personal injury matters. In his nearly five years at that firm, Daniel recovered millions of dollars for his clients.
In 2015, Daniel followed his entrepreneurial spirit and founded the law firm of Flaherty Law, LLC. He continues to represent the injured and also assists individuals with workers’ compensation matters.
Daniel attended the University of St. Thomas, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship. He went on to William Mitchell College of Law, where he focused his studies on litigation. In just his second year in law school, Daniel was a member of his school’s advocacy team, which competed in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America’s national advocacy competition in Boston, MA. The knowledge gained in school and his many years of experience have given Daniel the foundation to be the trial lawyer he is today.
Adam Budz
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
Attorney Adam Budz is the son of Polish immigrants, both of whom he credits with instilling within him a mentality founded on drive and determination. He prides himself on the solid work ethic he gained as a young boy watching his mother and father work and sacrifice for a better life.
Experiencing an injury is already devastating in and of itself. Whether it’s a bruise, burn, or broken bone, your entire life can seem to be flipped upside down. Matters are made even worse when the injury was caused due to the negligence of someone else.
In these circumstances, you deserve to be compensated fully and fairly. At Marker & Crannell, we help people just like you collect the financial payments they are entitled to receive. Our attorneys are passionate, experienced, and capable of representing you with gentleness and compassion.
Considering all you’ve been through, the last thing you need is another layer of stress to your life. Studies have proven time and time again that mental and emotional strain can cause physical suffering, as well. It goes without saying that unwarranted financial hardship can bring on extra stress that you could very well do without
MARK W. MATHYS
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
My name is Mark W. Mathys, and I take all the injury cases I handle personally. Several years ago, a driver on a cell phone ran a red light and smashed into my car. More recently, I was involved in another collision when another vehicle crossed the centerline and hit my car head-on at highway speeds. Unfortunately, the other driver and his passenger did not survive. Sustaining injuries in these serious crashes gave me a firsthand look at what it’s like to walk in the footsteps of my clients and to really understand how your entire life (and your family’s) is thrown into utter chaos (both physically and financially) and how important it is for me to help maximize your financial recovery.
And personally, there’s another benefit to helping those who’ve been hurt. It lets me put the gloves on and fight relentlessly against abusive insurance companies, greedy corporations, and a massive health system that treats an individual more like a number than a human being. It lets me be on the side of the little guy and to hold those who hurt people, no matter how big they are, accountable for their actions. I just love it.
Like I said, I take my cases personally.
And on the really good days, not only do my clients get what they financially deserve, but together we actually get to protect our community. By standing up and speaking out, we force those responsible for causing injury to be safer in the way they act and do business going forward preventing future injuries and deaths.
Shawn M. Collins
Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys
An outstanding trial attorney, Shawn Collins is at his best in a courtroom. Since 1986, Shawn Collins has combined his powerful communication skills with an unrelenting commitment to his clients’ causes to win trials and secure favorable settlements in courts across America. Shawn has extensive experience handling “high stakes” litigation in the following areas:
- Environmental contamination
- Toxic chemical contamination
- Personal injury
- Wrongful death
- Product liability
- Business fraud
- Partnership/ownership disputes
- Breach of contract
- Unfair business practices
- Injunctions
His success can be measured in the results he has earned for his clients. Most recently, Shawn served as co-counsel in a case resulting in a $363 million jury verdict for a woman who contracted breast cancer after decades of exposure to the defendant’s ethylene oxide. He has also been instrumental in acquiring clean water and contamination-free homes for thousands of families. In addition, Shawn has recovered millions on behalf of clients, including: $34.5 million for a neighborhood with toxic vapor intrusion, $10 million on behalf of homeowners whose wells were contaminated by dangerous chemicals; $8.5 million for the wrongful death of a firefighter killed in a motor vehicle accident; $16.9 million for families in a groundwater contamination case; $8.19 million for a town with vapor and groundwater contamination; more than $12 million for plaintiffs who contracted cancer after exposure to toxic chemicals; $8 million in settlements to families affected by landfill contamination, and over $30 million for condominium owners in property disputes.
You might need asbestos attorneys in New Lenox, IL, or anywhere else, if you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos and subsequently developed health issues, particularly mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis. Asbestos attorneys specialize in handling cases related to asbestos exposure and its harmful effects. Here’s why they are essential and what their roles entail:
1. Specialized Knowledge: Asbestos cases involve intricate legal and medical aspects. Asbestos attorneys have specialized knowledge about asbestos regulations, its history of use, its health impacts, and the legal precedents related to asbestos-related diseases. This expertise is crucial in building a strong case.
2. Case Evaluation: Asbestos attorneys can assess whether you have a viable case by analyzing factors such as your exposure history, the diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease, and the parties responsible for your exposure. They can determine the potential for pursuing a legal claim for compensation.
3. Identifying Liability: Determining who is responsible for your asbestos exposure can be challenging due to the latency period between exposure and disease development. Attorneys can investigate your exposure history and identify liable parties, such as employers, manufacturers, or property owners.
4. Gathering Evidence: Asbestos cases require substantial evidence linking your exposure to the development of your illness. Attorneys can help gather medical records, employment history, witness testimonies, and other evidence to establish the connection between your exposure and your condition.
5. Medical Expertise: Asbestos attorneys often work with medical experts who can provide a detailed understanding of your condition, its progression, and its link to asbestos exposure. These experts can provide testimony that strengthens your case.
6. Filing Claims: Asbestos attorneys can assist you in filing legal claims against the responsible parties, whether it’s through personal injury claims or wrongful death claims on behalf of a deceased family member. They handle the necessary paperwork and ensure that claims are filed within relevant statutes of limitations.
7. Negotiation: Many asbestos cases are settled out of court. Attorneys negotiate with defendants, insurance companies, and other parties to secure a fair settlement that covers medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
8. Trial Representation: If a settlement cannot be reached, your attorney can represent you in court. They will present evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and argue your case before a judge or jury to seek a favorable verdict and appropriate compensation.
9. Emotional Support: Dealing with asbestos-related illnesses is emotionally challenging. Attorneys provide not only legal guidance but also emotional support throughout the legal process.
10. Maximize Compensation: Asbestos attorneys work to ensure you receive the maximum compensation possible for your medical expenses, ongoing care, lost income, pain, suffering, and other damages.
In summary, asbestos attorneys play a vital role in helping individuals who have suffered from asbestos exposure and related illnesses. Their expertise in the legal, medical, and technical aspects of asbestos cases enables them to guide you through the legal process, hold responsible parties accountable, and secure the compensation you deserve for the harm you’ve experienced.