Phil focuses his defense litigation practice on construction negligence, personal injury, toxic tort and wrongful death claims. He also concentrates on corporate defense, professional liability and medical malpractice. Representative matters include defective products, construction defects, motor vehicle accidents and other casualties. Phil defends insureds, contractors and tradesmen as well as manufacturers and distributors in actions alleging injuries or property damage. Phil litigates throughout Illinois and Indiana, in state and federal courts.
While attending the Chicago Kent College of Law in Chicago, Illinois, Phil organized and supervised the Self Help Web Center desk at the Daley Center that serves as a resource for guiding pro se litigants through the legal process. He also volunteered with World Relief, a not-for-profit organization providing immigration services to those in need in the greater Chicagoland area.
Practices
- Obtained favorable verdict following oral arguments on behalf of a credit union client in a bench trial in Lake County Superior Court wherein plaintiff claimed discrimination based on race, age and other unfair business practices
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a development company client in a construction defect case, successfully arguing that an alleged oral contract was too vague to be enforceable under Illinois law
- Successfully defended an insurance company client and a credit union client at trial against a plaintiff’s allegations of fraud, conversion and violations of various banking regulations relating to her application for an insurance policy and subsequent automatic payments for the policy
- Successfully obtained the dismissal of an asbestos product manufacturing client from all pending Indiana state court matters based on a lack of personal jurisdiction
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a manufacturer of asbestos-containing component parts in Indiana state court, meeting Indiana’s strict summary judgment standard requiring a defendant to “affirmatively negate the plaintiff’s claims”
- Obtained summary judgment in Indiana state court on behalf of a construction manager in a construction defect case, successfully arguing that the construction manager owed no duty of care to the patron after premises were damaged following construction
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a Chicago professional sports team and its league in a premises liability action, successfully arguing that the premises were maintained solely by a third party
Education
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, JD, 2014, cum laude
- Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) Award Recipient for: Torts (fall 2011), Legal Writing IV (spring 2013) and Public Interest Law & Policy (spring 2014)
- Augustana College, BA, History and Asian Studies, 2011, magna cum laude
- Phi Beta Kappa
Admissions
- Illinois
- Indiana
- United States District Court: Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana, Northern District of Ohio
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Professional Memberships
- Chicago Bar Association
Related News
Presentations/Publications
- Author, “State of Illinois to Allow Collection of Pre-judgement Interest in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Actions,” Litchfield Alert (March 2021)
Recognition
- Included among the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch© 2023 and recognized annually since in the categories of Construction Law and Litigation – Construction
- Named an Emerging Lawyer by Illinois Leading Lawyer by peers in the practice areas of personal injury defense, products liability and financial and legal professional malpractice defense law, a designation received by fewer than two percent of all lawyers licensed in Illinois