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Founding Partner Ken Levinson to speak at Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys Seminar Series

March 7, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Ken_Headshot

Ken’s presentation takes place on Wednesday, March 9

Levinson and Stefani founding partner Ken Levinson will headline the upcoming edition of the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys Seminar Series, an ongoing presentation that welcomes prominent trial lawyers to share practical insight on ways to better represent their clients. The Seminar Series takes place on Wednesday, March 9 from 12-1:30pm at The Club at Key Center (127 Public Square, Cleveland, OH).

Titled Using Focus Groups to Maximize Case Value, Levinson’s talk will address the use of focus groups to improve odds of winning cases. The process involves recruiting a panel to evaluate evidence and testimony to help attorneys analyze facts, frame positions, and shape questioning based on answers provided by participating group members.

Levinson has successfully conducted hundreds of focus groups on behalf of attorneys and firms both locally and nationally, many of which have gone on to achieve successful jury verdicts as a result. He frequently speaks at seminars around the country to discuss best practices and ways to capitalize on the information gathered during the litigation process.

Levinson is a graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College and the author of Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases, the newest volume of the reference litigation series published by AAJ Press/Thomson Reuters. He was recently listed in the Illinois Super Lawyers Top 100 in 2016, his second appearance on the list. He is the founding partner of Levinson and Stefani, a Chicago-based law firm offering client-first legal representation. The firm focuses on truck, auto and bus-related accidents, as well as child injury cases.

Download a PDF version of the release by clicking here

Day care ‘fight club’ is a reminder for vigilance

September 3, 2015 by Ken Levinson Leave a Comment

Research is key to good decision-making

The first rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club.

That’s a bit of an understatement if you’re the Lightbridge Academy Center in Cranford, New Jersey, where two former day care workers are accused of encouraging toddlers to take part in fighting and rough housing.

Yesterday, CBS reported that the staffs—22 and 28-years-old—had been encouraging kids (4 to 6 years old) to hit and shove one another. The duo took video of the scuffles and shared it on social media with their friends, sparking outrage from parents. Both are facing child abuse and child endangerment counts.

Keeping this under wraps was unlikely, no matter how much Lightbridge was hoping for it to simply fly under the radar. The CBS story mentioned that parents were stunned and outraged that such a thing could happen. The center has come forward with an apology, calling the pseudo fight club an “isolated incident.” That may not be enough to satisfy disgruntled parents. One was quoted as saying, “I hope these awful people get what they deserve,” referring to the ex-employees. The county prosecutor continues to investigate.

This scenario brings to mind several abuse cases we’ve handled involving day care centers. Parents put their trust in strangers all the time, and when strangers betray that sense of trust, it can be emotionally and physically traumatic for the child. We’ve written about insurance policies and determining whether your center is licensed and protected by insurance, just one of the many ways parents can maintain some degree of protection in the face of a legal problem, though that could turn out to be the least of your worries.

Just last year I worked on a civil case involving a child abuse case at a facility near St. Louis. This particular case was extremely painful and gut wrenching for the parents, whose six-year-old daughter was sexually abused by a day care employee. The incident in New Jersey shares a few similarities, one of which was the parents’ disbelief that a day care employee would willingly inflict harm upon a child.

Hopefully you or your family will never face the same circumstances. Here are some ways you can prevent it from happening:

The first rule of day care is…

Knowing the difference between licensed and license-exempt facilities
The state defines a day care center as “any child care facility which regularly provides day care for less than 24 hours per day for more than 8 children in a family home, or more than 3 children in a facility other than a family home, including senior citizen buildings,” just one of many criteria.

Day care centers that meet the criteria are required to file for a license barring some exemptions, which include:

  • The facility receives no governmental aid,
  • is operated as a component of religious, nonprofit elementary school,
  • operates primarily to provide religious education, and
  • meets appropriate State or local health and fire safety standards.

There are several requirements outlined by the state that allow for exemption. Understanding why a center qualifies for exemption is not necessarily a bad thing. Your preferences could simply differ from what the state requires under certain circumstances. A non-exempt facility could align with your religious beliefs, or the preferred size of the center. It could also mean different standards for employees. For example, a license-exempt facility could choose to hire employees with prior experience, paying them more than the state standard in comparison to a licensed facility. If you choose to go this route, make sure you’re thorough, as certain protections apply for licensed facilities.

Taking advantage of the Internet
Use all resources at your disposal before you make a commitment. This can range from a simple Google search to crowdsourcing consumer reviews by way of resources like Yelp, Angie’s List, even LinkedIn. You might be surprised by how much information you’ll gather by taking this first step. It may cut your options in half right from the get-go. Private School Review is another great resource that aggregates some helpful information—financial and otherwise—for private schools and a handful of daycare centers in Illinois.

Gathering references from friends/using a referral agency
Generally, nothing beats the recommendation of a friend. An endorsement from the people you trust most can provide great peace of mind. It’s also beneficial to seek out a referral agency with a proven track record of success, even a social worker that makes recommendations as part of their job. One of the best ways to do this is to seek out a social worker that’s familiar with the area.

Make a random visit
Perhaps the most productive option at your disposal is the one most parents never consider. A random visit can make or break your decision. Is it clean? Are the kids engaged? Is it well staffed? Those little things can mean a lot in the long run. You may find something that looks dirty or in disrepair. The only way to know for sure is to see it with your own eyes. If you’ve showed up randomly and the center is skeptical of giving you a tour, it’s time to cross it off your list.

Levinson and Stefani concentrates on child-injury cases as part of its practice. We offer free legal advice for families with any questions or concerns.

Levinson and Stefani welcomes new additions to the team

August 17, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Nicole Prefontaine and Matt de la Peña.
Nicole Prefontaine and Matt de la Peña.

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.”

Bobbleheads

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.
Levinson and Stefani Founding Partner Ken Levinson.

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.

Happy Birthday to Levinson and Stefani

June 2, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Levinson Stefani Law Firm
Levinson and Stefani celebrating our 1 year anniversary

Tuesday, June 2, 2015, marks our law firm’s one-year anniversary.  The lawyers and staff of Levinson and Stefani enjoyed dinner in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood – a favorite spot of founding partner Ken Levinson (but to be honest, it really is a favorite of everyone’s)!

We are proud of our successes over the course of our first year, and are excited to work towards our goals for year two and beyond.

Here’s to many more anniversaries of client-first legal representation for injury victims and their families.

Giving Back: Levinson and Stefani at the St. Jude Give Thanks. Walk

November 24, 2014 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Levinson and Stefani participates in the St Jude Give Thanks Walk at Soldier Field
The Levinson and Stefani Team

Despite the clouds, it was a great weekend in Chicago.

On Saturday, the Levinson and Stefani team hit the pavement for the St. Jude Give. Thanks. 5K at Soldier Field, supporting cancer care and research at St. Jude Children’s Hospital; and on Sunday, the Bears squeaked out a 21-13 win at home over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, adding a double dose of awesome to our already stellar weekend.

Thank you for participating in today’s St. Jude #GivethanksWalk to help support the life-saving mission of St. Jude! pic.twitter.com/nmunLgYRAE

— St. Jude (@StJude) November 22, 2014

Despite a gloomy morning, nearly 2,000 people strapped up their laces for the 7th annual fundraiser. We’re proud to say that our team completed the 5K just shy two hours, going the distance for what we hope to make an annual tradition. We hear the organizers are looking to move next year’s walk to September, which hopefully means warmer weather and a great fall backdrop to make the day even more memorable.

We want to extend a big thank you to all those who donated to our team goal of $1,500, which we proudly exceeded.  It’s great to know that our small, but important, contribution will benefit those in need. If you’ve been following the blog lately, you know that St. Jude’s is committed to helping families both financially and medically. Events like the St. Jude Give. Thanks. Walk ensure that patients of St. Jude never receive a medical bill for treatment or care, lifting a tremendous financial burden off their shoulders. Donations also go toward the St. Jude cancer research center, one of the leading research institutions in the country.

You can learn more about St. Jude Children’s Hospital by clicking here. We hope you’ll take some time to learn more about this great organization and all it’s doing in the fight against cancer.

Thanks again, friends, and we’ll see you at the next run!

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