Firm News

Ken to speak at Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association convention, April 27

April 26, 2017 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Levinson and Stefani founding partner Ken Levinson will participate as an invited faculty member at the Arkansas Trial Lawyer Association’s annual convention, beginning on Thursday, April 27 at the Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Levinson’s topic: Using Focus Groups to Maximize Your Cases. On Thursday, Levinson will shed light on how attorneys can utilize focus groups as a tool for strategy development, discovery intake, and gaining insight into the minds of potential jurors. He will also provide examples from his own experience as a moderator, and how participation influenced several outcomes for prominent cases.

Over the course of his career, Levinson has conducted hundreds of focus groups that have led to successful trial verdicts on matters of personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, and wrongful death, among others. He has conducted focus groups on behalf of his namesake firm, as well as for several high-profile attorneys across the country. He is invited frequently by nationally recognized trial associations to speak on matters related to focus groups and personal injury cases.

The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association Convention welcomes thousands of trial lawyers each year for networking opportunities and speaking engagements by featured guests. The convention covers a broad range of topics, including focus groups, robot cars, new ways to prepare for trial, and connecting with the jurors. The convention takes place April 27–29.

We’re hiring

December 19, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

We want you! Levinson and Stefani is looking to hire the newest member of our team to begin in 2017. Our firm is growing and so is our client base. We need someone to fill an important role as part of our daily intake process. Legal experience is a plus. Interested parties should download the job posting below to learn more about the Client Relationships Specialist position and instructions for how to apply.

Application for Client Relationship Specialist

Announcing the release of the 2016-2017 edition of ‘Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases’

December 12, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The 2016-2017 edition of Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases, co-authored by Levinson and Stefani founding partner Ken Levinson, has been published by AAJ Press/Thomson Reuters.

The two-volume litigation series provides attorneys with expert legal and scientific/medical advice for preparing and litigating serious motor vehicle collision cases, the goal of which is to achieve maximum damage awards for severely injured clients. The series features written discovery, depositions, medical and other expert witness testimony, and aspects of automobile jury trials, as well as the necessary forms needed to handle a case from beginning to end. Updates to the 2016-2017 edition include:

A revised chapter related to Voir Dire and preliminary examination tactics and best practices;
Chapter 37, Forms for Litigating Successful Wrongful Death/Survivor Claims in MAID Cases, with practice commentary from the author;
A revised chapter that provides updates to two high-profile cases — the litigation involving Takata airbags and the General Motors ignition switch.

Along with Levinson, the series is co-authored by Thomas D’Amore, Karen Koehler, and Michael D. Freeman.

Wrongful death case leads to $6.25 million settlement for Levinson and Stefani

October 26, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Levinson and Stefani has settled the wrongful death case of the Estate of Carlos Garcia for $6.25 million. The settlement amount, overseen by founding partner Ken Levinson and partner Jay Stefani, was approved today by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The Garcia case stems from a lawsuit filed by Nayeli Delgado-Gutierrez (Plaintiff), Garcia’s partner and the mother of his children. On the morning of March 15, 2015, Garcia was driving northbound on I-294 near mile marker 44 when the wheel from a southbound van—owned and operated by Professional Transportation, Inc.—disengaged from its axle, crossed the median and struck his vehicle. Garcia died almost immediately from his injuries. He is survived by five children, all of whom are minors. They are the only heirs entitled to receive the net proceeds of the settlement amount.

“Obviously, this was a challenging time for the Garcia family,” said Levinson and Stefani founding partner and lead counsel Ken Levinson. “We can’t bring Carlos back, but we hope Nayeli and her kids feel some small measure of relief knowing their future is financially secure. Helping them find a degree of closure was our goal coming into this situation.”

Through discovery, attorneys detailed a series of events that constituted negligence. Defendants in the case included Professional Transportation, Inc., United Leasing, LLC, JB Seeboth, LLC, and Randall L. Burrell.

Download a PDF copy of coverage in the Chicago Law Bulletin

Download a PDF version of the release by clicking here

Partner Jay Stefani talks with the Chicago Reader

October 3, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Jay_End-Distracted-Driving — Partner Jay Stefani

Recent crash deaths have shaken the city’s cycling community to the core, and it may be time for lawmakers to start prioritizing ways to protect them, according to experts like our own Jay Stefani.

As reported by the Chicago Reader, four cyclists have recently been killed in incidents related to “right-hook” crashes that involve large trucks.

“The truck blocks your path, you’re stuck, and you fall under the massive vehicle. The rear wheels roll over your body, causing severe, likely fatal, injuries,” writes reporter John Greenfield, also editor at Streetsblog Chicago.

That sums up a nightmare scenario that has become increasingly problematic in big cities like Chicago, whose residents rely on bikes as a primary mode of transportation. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Jay pointed out to Greenfield, specifically with regard to protective side guards—features installed on the sides of trucks that could potentially prevent these kinds of fatalities from happening at all.

From the article: “What makes the truck right-turn incidents all the more tragic is the refusal of lawmakers to require side guards,” [Stefani] said. “Sadly, to make them mandatory here, there needs to be a tipping point where enough people are fed up with the deaths.”

The U.S. continues to lag far behind European countries like the U.K., which have adopted stricter safety regulations and implemented the side guards that Jay mentions. Will Chicago’s City Council soon do the same? It seems obvious that they should.

Read the Reader’s complete coverage here.

Partner Jay Stefani appointed to AAJ’s Sole Practitioner & Small Firm Section

September 1, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Levinson and Stefani is pleased to announce that Jay has been elected Parliamentarian for the American Association for Justice’s Sole Practitioner & Small Firm Section, serving a one-year term for 2016-2017.

The Solo Practitioner & Small Firm Section is comprised of attorneys that focus on improving the stability of solo and small firms around the country, including how to market their practice and gain visibility by taking advantage of resources like blogging and social media.

Members pay particular attention to the use of technology as a way to increase productivity and navigate the financial obstacles of running a business. The group also addresses staffing issues, employee benefits, and law firm management.

This is one of four AAJ committees Jay serves on. He also sits on the Trucking Litigation Group, the Motor Vehicle Collision, Highway and Premises Liability Section and the Nursing Home Litigation Group. He also serves as a member of the Trucking’s Litigation Group’s Side Underride Guard Task Force, advocating for improved trucking safety across the country, most notably here in Chicago.