Firm News

Now that summer is in full swing and people are enjoying the outdoors, playgrounds are a popular place for families to congregate. That makes it a good time to remind parents and caretakers about the importance of supervising the children that play on and around these structures. The risk of outdoor injury increases as the temperatures rise, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that every year emergency departments in the United States…

A heartfelt congratulations to those of you who are graduating from law school this year and to those who have recently passed the bar! The study of law is no easy feat, but you faced a larger challenge than any other law school class, that of continuing your education through a worldwide pandemic. And still, you persevered.  As you get ready to embark on your career in the legal profession, we would like to share…

Kristofer S. Riddle, attorney at Clifford Law Offices, obtained a total of $56.78 million in settlements involving the derailment of Amtrak Train 501 outside DuPont, Washington, four years ago. The settlement concludes the cases filed by Clifford Law Offices in Federal District court involving a speeding Amtrak 501 train that left dozens of people injured and multiple fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the train was traveling at nearly 80 miles per…

Keith A. Hebeisen and Sarah F. King, partners at Clifford Law Offices, obtained a $1.1 million verdict on June 4, 2021 on behalf of the estate of a 75-year-old man who died following a negligent cardiac catheterization procedure performed at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford in December, 2017. This was the first Winnebago County civil jury verdict in 16 months for a case that had been on hold for eight months due to…

The Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association introduced Tracy Brammeier as its next Chair as well as a new Executive Council at the YLS Annual Meeting that was held virtually on June 2, 2021. Brammeier, an attorney at Clifford Law Offices, P.C., focuses on aviation, transportation, premises, and construction liability in addition to other areas of personal injury and wrongful death litigation. She has been involved in the YLS as Public Services Manager and…

The Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association will introduce Tracy Brammeier as their next Chair as well as a new Executive Council at the YLS Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually on June 2, 2021. Brammeier, an attorney at Clifford Law Offices, P.C., focuses on aviation, transportation, premises, and construction liability in addition to other areas of personal injury and wrongful death litigation. She has been involved in the YLS as Public…

Sarah F. King, partner at Clifford Law Offices, will become the 2021-22 Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) Financial Secretary June 1 for a one-year term. The new officers will be officially installed at a virtual event June 17. King, who has been active with the WBAI for years, also serves on the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors and has been very active with Women Everywhere, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating opportunities…

Pamela Sakowicz Menaker, Communications Partner at Clifford Law Offices, was profiled as the Advocate of the Month in April by the Advocates Society, the Association of Polish-American Attorneys, in Chicago. She has been a member of the Advocates Society for more than a decade and is currently on the Board of Directors as well as the PR/Newsletter Committee. “The purpose of the Society is to promote the welfare of its members; establish and maintain proper…

Zachary D. Clopton, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Professor, is the Inaugural Robert A. Clifford Scholar-in-Residence at DePaul University College of Law. Clopton’s presented on February 16th, 2021 on “Multi-District Litigation (MDL) as Category.” The virtual event featured an introduction by Bob Clifford, commentary from Stanford Law Professor Nora Freeman Engstrom and reflections from Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr. of the Northern District of Illinois. Clifford (JD ’76) endowed the Clifford Chair in Tort Law…