Clifford Law Offices

Clifford Law Offices
Headquarters	Chicago
No. of offices	1
No. of attorneys	22
Major practice areas	Personal injury, wrongful death, aviation
Key people	Robert A. Clifford, founding partner
Date founded	1984
Website
cliffordlaw.com

Clifford Law Offices is a personal injury law firm based in Chicago. Robert A. Clifford founded the firm in 1984. Presently, Clifford Law Offices has over twenty attorneys on staff. Firm practice areas include the following: personal injury and wrongful death include aviation, transportation, medical malpractice, and product liability law. Their 2009 settlements totaled $100.7 million. The Chicago Lawyer named Clifford Law Offices the city's top firm in the Annual Settlement Survey in 2009, 2008, 2005 and 2002, leading with$100.7 million, $121.82 million, $86.7 million and $136.86 million respectively in numerous settlements for these years.

Notable Cases in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

• Rachel Barton Pine, an internationally acclaimed violinist, was dragged almost 300 feet along the tracks of a commuter rail train when the doors of the train closed on her bags, pinning her to the doors. Clifford Law Offices secured a $29.6 million jury verdict on her behalf. After appeals, the final amount paid out was $35 million.^[1]
• Clifford Law Offices obtained a $75 million settlement for the victims injured when the scaffolding collapsed at the John Hancock Building in Chicago.^[2]
• Faulty construction on the 12th floor of the Cook County Administration Building was found to be the cause of six deaths and sixteen injuries in a 2003 fire. Clifford Law Offices served as lead counsel for the plaintiffs and obtained a $100 million settlement.^[3]

Aviation Law

One of the primary areas of experience at Clifford Law Offices is aviation law. They have represented clients in both domestic and international aviation cases. The firm is not only involved in suits regarding aviation accidents, but attorneys also are involved in other aspects of legislation and research surrounding aviation law.

Mr. Clifford was chosen to be part of a select group of aviation attorneys to advise the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, a California-based research think-tank. Whose mission was to study the investigative process of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the government arm that oversees investigations of major transportation accidents in the air, on the rails or at sea. He and partner Kevin Durkin also were appointed to the Aviation Law Institute at DePaul University College of Law, an Advisory Board on aviation matters composed of lawyers and experts from around the world.

Notable Commercial Aviation Cases

• September 11 Attacks on the World Trade Center: Robert Clifford and Timothy Tomasik, partners at Clifford Law Offices, served as Liaison Counsel for all property damage claims arising from the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when two Boeing 767 jets slammed into the 110-story twin towers.
• Alaska Airlines Flight 261: In 2000, this flight crashed into the Pacific Ocean killing all 88 people. Clifford Law obtained $40.1 million for the families they represented.
• American Eagle Flight 4184: In 1994, this flight crashed near Roselawn, Indiana, killing all 68 people aboard. Clifford Law Offices served as lead counsel, representing sixteen families. The case was settled for $110 million.

Partners

Robert A. Clifford

Richard F. Burke, Jr.

Susan A. Capra

Kevin P. Durkin

Keith A. Hebeisen

Michael S. Krzak

Robert A. Strelecky

Timothy S. Tomasik

Robert P. Walsh

Managing Partner

Thomas K. Prindable

Communications Partner

Pamela S. Menaker

Associates

Sean P. Driscoll

Colin H. Dunn

Kimberly M. Halvorsen

Courtney Boho Marincsin

Shannon M. McNulty

Brian T. Nash

Brian S. Shallcross

Craig J. Squillace

Mary C. Sweeney

Of Counsel

Robert P. Sheridan

References

1. ^ Jon Hilkevitch Ben Grove, Tribune staff writers, "Violinist's Love Nearly Causes Her Death - Instrument Case Pulls Woman Under Train", Chicago Tribune, Jan. 17, 1995, "[1]", July 20, 2010
2. ^ Lorene Yue, "Hancock Lawsuits Settled", Chicago Tribune, Feb. 2, 2006, "[2]", July 20, 2010
3. ^ Tribune staff writers, "Fire Compensation", Chicago Tribune, Apr. 29, 2008, "[3]", July 20, 2010

4. ^"U.S. News - Best Lawyers - Clifford Law Offices." U.S. News - Best Lawyers Best Law Firms. US News & World Report LP. Web. 08 June 2011. <http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/firms/clifford-law-offices/overview/7486/>.