Firm News

A federal judge in Miami, Florida, will be ruling in June whether Carnival Cruise ships will be allowed to dock in U.S. ports because of alleged probation violations of the cruise line for dumping oil and garbage into the ocean. The cruise line has been on probation for two years as part of a record $40 million settlement for these violations. U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz, Senior United States District Judge of the United States…

Chronicle Ganawah, an employee at Clifford Law Offices for three years in office services, guest stars on the popular NBC-TV series Chicago Fire, tonight at 8 p.m. He’s also been on the popular Chicago P.D. series. You can see some of the Kenwood Academy High School’s acting work here. Be sure to tune in tonight to see his debut with some of Hollywood’s most popular actors!

The Illinois House voted Nov. 27 to increase the cap on damages made in the Illinois Court of Claims to $2 million in a 71-36 vote overriding Governor Rauner’s veto. The Illinois Senate already had voted to override the veto, so the bill is now law. The change comes in response to the tragic deaths from Legionnaires’ disease of several Illinois residents of Veterans’ Homes. In particular, the state had been criticized for its slow…

A sobering statistic recently was released by the International Transport Forum: the United States leads the world in increased traffic deaths with a primary cause believed to be distracted driving. According to the new study of 29 nations, only five of the countries saw an increase between 2010-2016. The U.S., which jumped 13.5 percent in this period, was ahead of Argentina that experienced a 9 percent increase, followed by Chile that experienced a 5 percent…

Charles Haskins’ favorite fictional legal character is lawyer and former district attorney Paul Biegler (played by James Stewart) from the movie Anatomy of a Murder. Charles’ favorite line from the movie came from Paul Biegler’s colleague, Parnell Emmett McCarthy, who drunkenly states on juries: “Twelve people go off into a room: twelve different minds, twelve different hearts, from twelve different walks of life; twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes, and sizes. And these twelve people…

Kevin Durkin’s favorite fictional character is lawyer Jake Brigance from Time to Kill. According to Wikipedia, “The film involves the rape of a young girl, the arrest of the rapists, their subsequent murder by the girl’s father, and the father’s trial for murder.” Durkin’s favorite quote from Jake is, “Now it is incumbent upon us lawyers not to just talk about the truth but to actually seek it, to find it, to live it.”

Patrick F. Bradley has been practicing in the area of personal injury and wrongful death litigation since 1980. Having worked as a solo practitioner, he has achieved a level of respect among his colleagues for embracing ethical responsibilities and promoting civility in the courtroom to achieve justice for his clients. For nearly four decades, Patrick has tried cases to verdict so that his clients receive financial compensation that is fair in some very complex litigation….

Honorable Henry R. Simmons’s (Ret.) favorite fictional character is Boston Lawyer Frank Galvin from the film, The Verdict. The film is about an alcoholic lawyer who takes on a medical malpractice case to save his career, even though no one thinks he can win the case. Judge Simmons’s (Ret.) favorite line is when Frank says, “Your honor, with all due respect, if you’re going to try my case for me, I wish you wouldn’t lose…

Craig J. Squillace, partner at Clifford Law Offices, has been elected to the board for the Western Springs Foundation for Educational Excellence (WSFEE). WSFEE is a group of volunteers that helps raise money through fundraisers and solicitations and then manages the distribution of those funds for the schools in School District 101. WSFEE Board member terms are three years in duration. Squillace also serves on the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Board of Managers. ___________ For…