• Skip to main content

Levinson and Stefani Injury Lawyers

Client-first legal representation for injury victims. Injured? Free Consultation:

(312) 376-3812

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Attorneys
      • Ken Levinson
      • Jay Stefani
      • Vanessa A. Gebka
    • Practice Areas
      • Truck Crashes
      • Bus Collisions
      • Auto Accidents
      • Child Injuries
  • Firm News
  • Library
    • Articles
    • Cases
    • Law
    • Video
  • Blog
  • For Lawyers
    • Focus Groups
  • Free Case Review

Brett Manchel

Associate Attorney Brett Manchel wins appellate argument

August 8, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Brett_Lawerist

A few weeks ago, Levinson and Stefani associate attorney Brett Manchel argued in front of the First District Appellate Court of Illinois on behalf of one of our clients. We’re pleased to announce that Brett has won the appeal and the case is headed back to the Circuit Court for further hearings.

The Appellate Court hearing stems from a workers compensation case in which our client, a CTA employee, injured her ankle while on the job. The injury required surgery and she missed work. The workers compensation commission ruled in favor of our client, awarding her a sum that covered all medical bills, time off from work, as well as future physical therapy sessions to rehab her ankle.

On appeal, the Circuit Court judge questioned the commission’s decision and sent the case back with suggestions. The commission agreed with the judge’s findings and returned a much smaller award for our client, which prompted us to bring the case back before the Circuit Court. The judge agreed with his original ruling and the commission’s decision. We brought the case before the Appellate Court where it was fully briefed and argued.

The Appellate Court ruled that the Circuit Court’s findings needed further consideration, sending the case back to the Circuit Court to be reheard. We’re currently waiting on a date for that hearing.

Congratulations to Brett for all his work on this case and for winning the appeal.

Levinson and Stefani attorneys recognized by Super Lawyers

January 13, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Jay-Ken-Brett_Super-Lawyers
Levinson and Stefani is thrilled to announce that all three of its attorneys have been recognized by the rating service Super Lawyers in 2016. Ken has been selected to the 2016 Illinois Super Lawyers Top 100 list, his second appearance on the list, while Jay and Brett have been recognized as 2016 Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars. More information can be found in the release below. Congratulations, gentlemen!

LOGO_Final_Files_Gradient Color1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2016

CHICAGO — Founding partner Ken Levinson has been selected to the 2016 Illinois Super Lawyers Top 100, part of Super Lawyers’ annual listing. This marks Levinson’s second appearance on the Top 100 list; he has been listed an Illinois Super Lawyer every year since 2010. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Levinson was recognized for his work on behalf of injury survivors and child abuse victims, including a record $43 million jury verdict for a child abuse victim. He has successfully handled hundreds of personal injury and wrongful death cases. Levinson is also the co-author of the newly released 2015-2016 edition of Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases, an ongoing series that helps plaintiff’s attorneys build strong cases for their clients. The two-volume set is published by AAJ Press/Thomson Reuters.

Additionally, Partner Jay Stefani and Associate Attorney Brett Manchel were honored as Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars. Stefani was previously named to the list in 2012, 2014 and 2015. This year marks Manchel’s first appearance on the Rising Stars list. Fewer than 2.5 percent of Illinois lawyers under the age of 40 are selected Rising Stars.

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Super Lawyers Magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and the ABA-accredited law school libraries. Super Lawyers is also published as a special section in leading city and regional magazines across the country.

In the United States, Super Lawyers Magazine is published in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., reaching more than 13 million readers.

Founded in 2014, Levinson and Stefani is a Chicago-based law firm offering client-first legal representation. Founded by Ken Levinson and Jay Stefani, the firm focuses on truck, auto and bus-related accidents, as well as child injury cases.

Download a PDF version by clicking here

Associate Attorney Brett Manchel featured in ‘Lawyerist’

January 7, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Brett_Lawerist
Earlier today, the online magazine Lawyerist put together a great list of ways that firms can maximize time by delegating tasks to their legal assistants or third-party services.

Writer Cari Twitchell referenced several options, with commentary from practicing lawyers about the benefits of the services they use. Levinson and Stefani Associate Attorney Brett Manchel was asked for his perspective, discussing how we use a third-party call service to take on the heavy lifting, and how it benefits our cases and clients.

From the article:

Phone Calls

“Disrupting work to answer the phone leaves you wondering where you left off and leaves the caller feeling like you are uninterested or frustrated.

You deserve focused time to work. Your callers deserve a good experience. Give everyone the experience they deserve by outsourcing your phone calls to a virtual receptionist service.

Brett Manchel, associate attorney with Levinson and Stefani, finds great value in having someone else answer the phones. ‘I love being the go-to contact for our current and potential clients. But in a small firm, delegation is key. I’ve got to manage my time so I can focus on strategizing and moving cases forward. Having someone there to answer phone calls—providing assistance to the caller or taking a message—allows me to work more efficiently while giving clients the attention they deserve.’”

Thanks, Brett, for sharing your thoughts.

Associate Attorney Brett Manchel Speaks on Law Firm Technology

October 9, 2014 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Associate attorney Brett Manchel spoke to the Chicago Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Committee on Tuesday.  The presentation, given with attorney Richard C. Balough, of Balough Law Offices, was titled “It’s on the Internet so it Must be True, and Other Technology Myths.”  Manchel and Balough addressed ethical considerations attorneys should be aware of with popular services like Gmail and Dropbox, best practices for legal online advertising and social media use, and law firm technology policies.  The goal of Manchel and Balough’s discussion was to help lawyers understand popular technologies and the risks associated with each.

Levinson and Stefani partner Ken Levinson, who is the Co-Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Committee, invited Manchel and Balough to speak because of each attorney’s interest in helping other lawyers make smart choices about technology from both a legal practice perspective and a client perspective.  “I’m very thankful for Brett and Richard, and I’m very glad they could share their valuable knowledge with the practicing attorneys of the Committee,” said Levinson.  The diverse audience at the CBA meeting included new lawyers and veteran practitioners from a variety of practice areas, but “all lawyers, at the very least, need to incorporate email, mobile, and online tech into their practice in order to thrive in today’s legal market,” said Manchel.

This was Manchel’s first presentation to the Chicago Bar, and, said Levinson, “He did a wonderful job.  Our firm is very lucky to have him!”

Ken Levinson introducing Brett Manchel to Speak on Law Firm Technology
Ken Levinson introducing Brett Manchel to the Chicago Bar’s Solo & Small Firm Committee

 

 

Attorney Brett Manchel Speaks to the Chicago Bar about Law Firm Technology Issues
Attorney Brett Manchel speaks to the Chicago Bar Association on law firm technology issues.

Levinson and Stefani Injury Lawyers in Chicago / Attorney Advertising