Firm News

Levinson and Stefani welcomes new additions to the team

August 17, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

In keeping with our special bobblehead tradition, we’re welcoming two new “faces” to the office. Nicole Prefontaine, our new Legal Assistant, and Matt de la Peña, Director of Communications, have joined Levinson and Stefani as the firm’s newest members.

Nicole recently moved to Chicago from Madison, Wisconsin, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a B.S. in Legal Studies and a Certificate in Criminal Justice. While at UW, Nicole developed knowledge in a variety of legal fields through her internship with US Federal Probation and Pretrial Services and volunteer service at the Family Court Clinic of UW Law School. She plans to attend law school in the near future, after taking the time to acquire professional work experience. When not in the office, Nicole enjoys traveling, weight lifting, horseback riding and spending time with her rescue dog, Hudson.

“In just a few weeks Nicole has proven to be an invaluable member of the team,” said Partner Jay Stefani. “Her experience is right in line with the firm’s needs and the needs of our clients. We’re thrilled to have her on board.”

Matt was recently an Account Executive at Carol Fox and Associates, representing the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage and the Village of Rosemont. Previously, Matt was a section editor at Time Out Chicago and a staff writer at Time Out Chicago Kids. His writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Dance International, See Chicago Dance and the sports journal ChicagoSide Sports. Matt has a B.A. in Journalism and Communications from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University. Matt loves a good cup of coffee, a good book and a good ball game.

“Now that we’ve hit the one-year mark, Levinson and Stefani is looking to take the next step,” said Founding Partner Ken Levinson. “With such a diverse background in journalism, marketing and PR, we know Matt can help us get there. We’re looking forward to the future.”

Founding Partner Ken Levinson accepts AAJ leadership roles

August 11, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Levinson and Stefani Founding Partner Ken Levinson has been appointed Chair of the Education Committee of the American Association for Justice’s Interstate Trucking Litigation Group, announced at a recent board meeting. Levinson will serve a two-year term through 2017.

As part of his appointment, Levinson will plan, coordinate and participate in the TLG’s trucking education initiatives, which includes webinars and downloadable audio presentations for trial lawyers, available on its website. Levinson’s goals is to make sure that lawyers representing clients affected by dangerous truck companies have the tools and resources necessary to litigate their cases.

Up next for the litigation group is the Advanced Trial Advocacy College: Litigating Truck Collision Cases, October 7–10, in Dallas, TX. Levinson is thrilled to be part of the lecture and workshop format. Some of the topics discussed include Crafting the Rules and Themes, Truck Driver Depositions, Safety Director Depositions and Opening Statements and Summations.

In other news, Levinson was also elected Vice Chair of the Motor Vehicle Collision, Highway & Premises Liability Section, addressing federal issues and focusing on auto collision cases, truck safety, highway design, low speed impact and premises liability. Levinson will also chair the section’s Practice Resources Committee, which compiles documents such as pleadings, research, expert reports and other information that might be helpful to fellow trial lawyers.

Sgt. Levinson? Ken Instructs Lawyers at Nursing Home Boot Camp

June 19, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Ken - AAJ Nursing Home — Partner Ken Levinson teaches lawyers at the AAJ Nursing Home Boot Camp

Ken, a drill sergeant? No way! But he is very active in the American Association for Justice, and was honored to be invited to the faculty of Nursing Home Boot Camp. The 3 day program held in Denver, CO, earlier this month was designed to have experienced lawyers like Ken share their stories and strategies on handling clients’ cases against nursing homes.

The nursing homes are highly regulated, and in many states, nursing homes are owned only by a few very large corporations. If you or a loved one are injured in a nursing home – or worse – because the nursing home provided substandard care or was negligent, you want to be able to protect your rights and hold the nursing home, its staff, and its ownership accountable. There is a complicated web of corporate entities and laws to go through in order to accomplish this goal, and having a skilled attorney familiar with how nursing homes operate – for example, how they are staffed, their management structure, and their record-keeping – is extremely important. There are also medical issues that are more common in nursing home patients – like bed sores, elopement (dementia patients wandering away), and injuries from falling while unsupervised.

Handling nursing home cases for people who have been hurt as a result of nursing home negligence is no small undertaking. Ken was happy to teach other trial lawyers how to better litigate nursing home cases and strongly advocate for their clients.

Ken Opens National Conference on Helping Truck Crash Victims

June 11, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Ken Levinson AAJ Trucking Litigaiton Group Presentation — Ken Levinson presenting at the AAJ Trucking Litigation Group Members Only Seminar in Minneapolis (June, 2015)

Last week in Minnesota, Ken was thrilled to kick off the two day “Members Only” seminar hosted by the Trucking Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice.

The event, which draws top personal injury lawyers from across the country, focused on how truck drivers contribute to catastrophic accidents and taught attorneys what they need to do to provide the best possible representation to their clients in accidents involving truck drivers.

Ken was honored to be on the faculty of such an important program. He taught the lawyers there how to handle the nuanced issues that are part of a truck accident lawsuit. Some topics of discussion were:

tractor-trailer driver qualifications;
truckers driving in dangerous conditions;
trucks carrying hazardous materials;
“backing,” “under-ride,” and turning cases;
how to best represent an injured truck driver as a client;
conspicuity cases (safety issues when driving at night),
the rules, regulations, and safety issues related to truck drivers’ driving time and sleep time (hours of service); and
dealing with trucking companies’ typical excuses for causing a crash.

Ken and the other presenters spoke specifically about truckers and issues unique to people injured by a truck driver. Truck accident cases can involve more complex issues and technical rules compared to a car-verse-car crash case. This is largely because of the many federal requirements in place to monitor trucks and truck drivers so as to ensure the safety of the public. Still, the rules are often broken, and lawyers with knowledge of these different laws and issues particular to the trucking industry are more well-equipped to fight for victims of truck drivers’ negligence.

Art in Motion: Levinson and Stefani supports the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s annual fundraiser

June 11, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Art In Motion benefiting Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Last night, the Levinson and Stefani team was proud and wowed at the annual Art in Motion event, a fundraiser hosted by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Associate Board and benefiting RIC’s amazing art therapy program.

The Fundraiser features a silent auction of art created both by local artists and participants in RIC’s art therapy program. RIC has a dedicated artist-in-residence, guiding RIC patients as they endeavor to relearn motor skills and coordination. The benefits of the program are much wider than that, though. The struggles addressed, and challenged, through creating these beautiful works of art help patients express the emotions they feel as they adjust to a new, challenging way of life.

At the fundraiser, RIC artists mingled with guests and even were painting throughout the evening. The art is installed in the lobby at Northwestern University’s Lurie Center Ryan Family Atrium, 303 E. Superior St., Chicago, Illinois, through June 18, 2015. We encourage anyone with the chance in downtown Chicago to visit the exhibit and see the amazing work of these talented artists, each with a unique story to tell.

More information about the event can be found on the Art in Motion Facebook page. Information about RIC can be found here.

Levinson and Stefani remains a dedicated sponsor of Art in Motion and RIC, and we are honored to support the renowned and consistently excellent Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The work RIC puts in for its patients makes it one of the preeminent rehab facilities around, and we are already anticipating next year’s Art in Motion event benefiting this wonderful organization!

Nonprofit Spotlight Event: The TEARS Foundation Rock & Walk 2015

June 9, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The TEARS Foundation is a strong, devoted organization operating in fourteen states and Puerto Rico, with the goal of helping families in one of the toughest times imaginable: after the loss of a baby. Yesterday was the annual Rock & Walk, an event to raise money for families benefiting from the Foundation’s support. Aside from financial support, the event lets them know that they are not alone in their time of need. During the event, the community comes together to walk – or rock in rocking chairs – for their bereaving friends and family members. We’ve profiled this excellent organization back in 2014, as one of our first Nonprofit Spotlights.

Levinson and Stefani is an annual supporter of the TEARS Foundation, and was a Presenting Sponsor of this year’s Illinois Rock & Walk. Despite the clouds and rain, the community joined the TEARS Foundation for this important event that serves a deep and special purpose to those families calling upon the Foundation’s support. Ken Levinson, the founding partner of Levinson and Stefani, spoke to the crowd of supporters at last Sunday’s event, which was held at the St. James Forest Farm Preserve in Warrenville, Illinois. Ken reiterated how honored we were to help support such a wonderful organization and that we will continue to do our part in the future. The event honored many of the children that attendees lost, and reminded the families they are never alone after such a tragic loss. For Ken, being asked to address those in attendance was a humbling moment.

If you’d like more information on The TEARS Foundation, the Rock & Walk, or how you can get involved, visit http://www.thetearsfoundation.org/ or contact Raquel Gorman or Dianne Umphress at (815) 546-4133.