Firm Overview
Robert A. Clifford founded a personal injury law firm in his
name in 1984. For decades, the firm has worked to establish a national
reputation, having been named by the National Law Journal as one of the top 20
“Plaintiffs’ Hot List” in 2003, and 2004 as one of the 25 “Go-To” plaintiffs’
law firms in the country. Robert Clifford was named one of the Illinois Super
Lawyers in 2005 by Law and Politics, a national organization that conducted
independent research among his peers across the state. In the initial
announcement of the top five percent of the state’s lawyers, Mr. Clifford was
selected to appear on the cover of the inaugural issue. He also has
consistently been selected as one of the top three Leading Lawyers in Illinois,
an organization that represents five percent of the state’s top lawyers as
selected through an extensive research process including peer
recommendations. The Chicago Lawyer
named Clifford Law Offices the city’s top firm in its Annual Settlement Survey
in 2005 and in 2002, leading with $86.7 million and $136.85 million
respectively in numerous settlements for the year. Robert Clifford was singled
out as the leading individual attorney with the highest total dollar figure in
settlements at $77.32 million in 2002. 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. Its mission: 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. Mr. Clifford was most interested in seeing that the
families of those who lost loved ones in a crash be allowed to get involved in
the investigatory process. Currently, families are not now permitted by statute
to participate in the NTSB fact-finding process. 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.
The lawyers at Clifford Law Offices represent years of practice in the area of
personal injury law including aviation, transportation, medical malpractice and
product liability law. The largest law firm concentrating on plaintiffs’
personal injury and wrongful death law, Clifford Law Offices’ attorneys have
hundreds of years of combined experience. Some of the partners have held
leadership positions within various bar associations on the local, state and
national level. Every member of the firm upholds the highest principle of the
legal profession in placing the individual client first. The firm often is said
to set the standard in professional excellence. Moreover, it is important to
note that as a result of the litigation handled by the firm, many defective
products and dangerous practices have been changed or abandoned altogether.
The very nature of Clifford Law Offices involves a willingness to accept the
challenges and responsibilities inherent in complex litigation. This thinking
and talent has led victims’ families from around the world or their personal
attorneys to refer cases to the firm. Those who find themselves the victims of
such a tragedy turn to Clifford Law Offices because they know it is a firm that
is committed to investing the time and resources required to fully represent
every case through the successive stages of investigation, preparation and
trial in attempting to achieve what is just and reasonable for each client.
Time and again, Clifford Law Offices has demonstrated how it stands out in
helping victims find out what happened to their loved ones while seeking just
compensation for injuries or needless deaths.
The clients of Clifford Law Offices come from every walk of life. The firm has
represented victims of personal injury from state supreme court judges to
business and professional leaders across the country, from construction workers
to teachers. All of these people are important and are treated with dignity and
respect during their time of great need.
To assist in trial preparation, Clifford Law Offices has pioneered many of the
modern courtroom techniques now considered standard practice in the
presentation of tort cases. Responding to the increased complexities of civil
tort practice, the firm has won significant cases using the latest
state-of-the-art computer animation, accident reconstruction techniques,
three-dimensional modeling, computerized deposition recall, flow charts and
document enlargements for the jury to better understand the events that
occurred. Clifford Law Offices was among the first personal injury firms in the
state to use day-in-the-life videos, presenting a chronology of a personal
injury or wrongful death victim’s life following an accident, so that a jury
can get to know those we represent and the impact the tragedy had on the lives
of the injured or wrongfully killed as well as their loved ones. The attorneys
at Clifford Law Offices have the experience to aggressively pursue a case,
assimilating, if necessary, breakthrough technological and informational
resources into its practice – a philosophy the firm embraces in the service of
commitment to the individual needs of each client.
The firm’s ability to respond respectfully and intelligently reflects the
human, financial and professional resources the firm applies to such
litigation. The firm’s experience combined with the experience of its attorneys
and legal staff, ensure thorough development and successful handling of its
cases.
The philosophy of Clifford Law Offices is based upon a dedication to protecting
and preserving the dignity and the rights of all individuals. Without clogging
the courts, without revenge, retaliation or retribution, those still grieving
can channel these feelings in a more positive way in an attempt to change
negligent or reckless behavior. Experience has proven that the power of a
single lawsuit can eliminate the dangers caused by unsafe products and
practices. Clifford Law Offices is committed to pursuing this philosophy on
behalf of its clients.

