Our Blog

“Privacy, Data Theft, and Corporate Responsibility” was the theme of the 22nd Annual Clifford Symposium on Tort Law and Social Policy at DePaul University College of Law on April 28-29, 2016. Discussions and remarks were split over two days with the first day focusing on tort perspectives and real-world challenges, and the second day focusing on privacy. Expert faculty from all over the country came together at DePaul University to share their expertise and perspective…

Kevin P. Durkin, partner at Clifford Law Offices, obtained a $22.7 million verdict on behalf of widow and son whose young husband was killed in a trucking accident four years ago. A jury in Cook County Circuit Court reached the record result in favor of Theresa Swenson, now 31, of Chicago following a two-week trial in the Daley Center before Judge Thomas Lipscomb. The verdict of $10 million for grief and sorrow ties a previous…

Clifford Law Offices is a Philanthropic Patron of the annual spring Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth dinner. The organization, which channels the legal community’s resources to promote best practices mentoring and tutoring disadvantaged youth in Chicago’s communities through annual grants and the recruitment of volunteers, was created in 1995. It has awarded more than $1.6 million in grants and has affected the lives of tens of thousands of needy youth. Robert Clifford’s daughter, Erin Clifford who…

Volkswagen agreed (on Thursday, April 21, 2016), to repair or buy back nearly 500,000 diesel cars in the United States that are equipped with illegal emissions software. Following the filing of class action lawsuits from thousands of disgruntled car buyers of certain models that were affected, the once largest car maker in the world, VW, reached a proposed settlement in San Francisco federal court with the federal government as well as with lawyers for the…

Bob Clifford participated in the American Bar Association (ABA) mock trial The Trial of Al Capone for Murder at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on April 13th, 2016 at the Goodman Theatre. Bob played the role of Al Capone. In the mock trial, Capone stood trial for the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre that allegedly included gang members of the rival North Side. The jury verdict and audience vote was not guilty. The event included…

Shannon McNulty and Bradley Cosgrove, partners at Clifford Law Offices, obtained a $6.5 million settlement on behalf of a 35-year-old man who died after negligent care at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. A jury was selected before Judge Thomas V. Lyons of the Cook County Circuit Court and opening statements were set to begin when the parties reached a settlement late Friday afternoon. An order was entered Monday, April 4, 2016 dismissing the case…

Craig J. Squillace, attorney at Clifford Law Offices, has been invited to speak at the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) annual Ethics and Professionalism Seminar Friday, May 6. Squillace, who has handled hundreds of vehicular accident cases including a recent $4 million record in Will County last year in a trucking crash, will be speaking on “Social Media – Protecting Yourself and Your Client.” The half-day program will be held at the Hilton Oak Brook…

Pamela Sakowicz Menaker, Communications Partner at Clifford Law Offices, has been named to a two-year term on the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA). Menaker, who currently serves on the CBA’s Judicial Evaluation Committee, Public Affairs Committee and CBA Record Editorial Board, was chosen as one of eight members of the new Board. A CBA Nominating Committee selected 16 lawyers and judges vying for the eight positions. Also among those selected were…

People who bought certain kinds of flooring from Lumber Liquidators “are potentially at a greater risk of cancer than previous[ly] thought,” according to a warning from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), perhaps as much as three times higher. The sale of certain types of laminate flooring has been halted and customers are being offered air quality tests. The flooring in question is manufactured in China and reportedly has too high a concentration of formaldehyde…