 | Thomas A. Demetrio
Corboy & Demetrio
33 North Dearborn St.
21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
312-346-3191 (firm)
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EDITORIAL REVIEW
Demetrio demonstrated his mastery again by landing a $29.6M verdict
for a young Chicago woman who suffered grave injuries when a Rock
Island Metra train derailed and hit her.
—2008 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
The lion of Chicago's trial bar is challenging security failures at the Grand Hyatt in Amman, Jordan, which allegedly allowed Al-Qaeda members to detonate a bomb, killing a renowned Hollywood film director and his daughter.
— Lawdragon,
January 2008
Stands alone atop the Chicago
trial bar for 100 million reasons, including the biggest injury verdict upheld by Illinois supremes.
— Lawdragon,
February 2007
Chicago’s top trial lawyer is holding the White
Sox’s feet to the fire over their treatment of Frank Thomas.
— Lawdragon,
October 2006
The powerhouse of aviation and medmal owns the largest compensatory award for an individual ever upheld by the state high court.
— Lawdragon,
March 2006
Thomas Demetrio has earned his reputation as one of the best personal-injury lawyers in the country with a consistent string of multimillion recoveries for clients during three decades in practice. The star of the Chicago plaintiffs' bar is adept at securing big settlements and taking cases all the way to a jury verdict. The $22 million verdict he won on a behalf of a woman rendered quadriplegic from a car accident is the largest of its kind upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court. Demetrio has continued his winning ways since that landmark 1997 decision, nailing down a $25.2 million settlement for the family of a man who perished in a USAir crash outside Pittsburgh. In September 2005, he reached a $16 million settlement for the family of a Northwestern University football player who died of an asthma attack during practice.
This attorney is a member of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
— Lawdragon,
October 2005
Submit your evaluation of this attorney. Contact Lawdragon about the information in this review.
Thomas A. Demetrio is a trial lawyer with an emphasis on medical negligence, airplane crashes, product liability and
commercial litigation on behalf of plaintiffs. He is Past President of the Chicago Bar Association and Illinois Trial
Lawyers Association.
He is a fellow of:
The American College of Trial Lawyers, (top 1% of trial lawyers in U.S.),
The International Academy of Trial Lawyers, (top 500 trial lawyers worldwide) and
The Inner Circle of Advocates, (top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in U.S.).
Tom has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since its inception in 1987 and was named by Best Lawyers as the
Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year for 2011. The National Law Journal has named him as one of the
Nation's Top Ten Trial Lawyers and subsequently listed him as one of the top ten trial lawyers in Illinois. Since 2003, Tom
has been voted by his peers in the top ten of the top 5% of all lawyers in Illinois, and has been named in the top five of
the state's 80,000 lawyers since 2007.
Lawdragon has named Tom one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America since its inaugural publication, describing him as
the "powerhouse" of aviation and medical negligence law. Lawdragon has said of Tom, "In the windy city, he's the name
for everything from medical malpractice claims to aviation disasters. When tragedy strikes, the families of plane crash
victims have no greater ally. Tom is Chicago's top trial lawyer and stands alone atop the Chicago trial bar."
He has done extensive teaching and lecturing worldwide in the field of trial techniques and has authored numerous continuing
legal education articles in the field of civil litigation.
In 2010, Tom was presented with two awards from the Illinois Jury Verdict Reporter / Law Bulletin Publishing Company for
Trial Lawyer Excellence: one for the largest wrongful death settlement ever in Illinois ($25.25 million) and one for
acquiring five or more verdicts in excess of $5 million since 1990.
Tom has negotiated over $1 billion in settlements and has acquired over $130 million in jury verdicts which includes the
largest personal injury verdict ever upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court. All of Tom’s verdicts have been paid. He has
never lost an appeal.
Honors
- Chicago Bar Association, President, 1992
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1988
- Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year for 2011, The Best Lawyers in America
- Inner Circle of Advocates, Fellow
- “One of the Top Plaintiff’s Lawyers in Nation,” Lawdragon Magazine
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- American Inns of Court, Chicago Inn of Court, Master of the Bench
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America’s National College of Advocacy, Dean, College of Damages, 1987
- AV rated - Highest level awarded - Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Big Shoulders, Archdiocese of Chicago, Board of Directors,
- Center for Elder & Disability Law, Board of Directors
- Chicago Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
- Chicago Neurosurgical Center Leadership Committee, Chairman
- “50 Under 50,” The National Law Journal, 1989
- Illinois Law Foundation, Fellow
- Illinois Bar Foundation, Life Fellow and Charter Member
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Alumni Merit Award, 1989; Professional Achievement Award,
1990; Distinguished Service Award, 2000
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, President, Alumni Association, 1988
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Downtown Center Campaign, Chair
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, President’s Council
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Professor Ralph Brill Endowed Faculty Chair Campaign,
Chairman
- Illinois Super Lawyer - Top 5% of all Illinois lawyers
- Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Jury Instructions
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- Leading Lawyers Network, One of the Top Ten Lawyers in Illinois in All Areas of Law, Consumer Law and Personal Injury
Plaintiff’s Law
- Lawdragon - Top 500 Leading Lawyers in America, 2005-present
- Legal Aid Society of Chicago/Metropolitan Family Services, Silver Family Circle Charter Member
- Mundelein Seminary, Board of Advisors, 1992-1997
- Northwestern University, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Dispute Resolution Research Center Advisory
Committee
- St. Ignatius College Prep, Board of Trustees, 1990-1995
- The Best Lawyers in America, Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation
- “Top 10 Illinois Litigators,” The National Law Journal, 1999
- “Top 10 National Litigators,” The National Law Journal, 1990
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Board of Directors
Professional Affiliations
- American Association for Justice (AAJ), formerly known as
Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), Executive Committee Board Member, 2008-present; Editorial Board Member,
2008-present
- American Bar Association (ABA), Task Force on the Contingency Fee,
2003-present
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow; Upstate Illinois State
Committee, 1997-present; National Trial Competition Committee, 2004-present
- Chicago Bar Association (CBA), President, 1992
- Chicago Bar Foundation, Life Fellow; Board of
Directors, 1994-1996, Lend A Hand Advisory Board, 1994-present
- Chicago Inn of Court, Master of the Bench
- Chicago Neurosurgical Center Leadership Committee, Chairman, 1991-1995
- Dispute Resolution Research Center Advisory Committee, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management Northwestern
University, Chicago, 1993-present
- Illinois Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
- Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law, Board of Overseers, 1992-present, Alumni Association,
President, 1988-1989
- www.lawgarcia.comIllinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
- Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Pattern Civil Jury Instructions, 1978-1997
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), President, 1988
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- Inner Circle of Advocates, Fellow
- Lawdragon, Top 500 Leading Lawyers in America, 2005-present
- Leading Lawyers Network Advisory Board, 2003-present
- Legal Aid Society of Chicago/Metropolitan Family Services,
Silver Family Circle Charter Member
- Mundelein Seminary, Board of Advisors, 1992-1997
- St. Ignatius College Prep, Board of Trustees, 1990-1995
- Supreme Court Historical Society, 2004-present
- The Center for Conflict Resolution, Board of Directors,
1990-1993
- The Lawyers Club of Chicago
- The Seventh Circuit Bar Association
- The Society of Trial Lawyers
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Board of Directors,
1988-1997
- University of Notre Dame Law School, Advisory Council, 1987-2002
Community Involvement
- Big Shoulders - Archdiocese of Chicago, Board of
Directors, 1993-present
- Center for Disability and Elder Law, Board of Directors,
1990-present
- Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, Board of Directors,
2009-present
- Illinois Handgun Committee on Violence, Member, 1998-present
- The Institute of Medicine of Chicago, Patient Safety Forum, Committee
Member, 2002-present
- Vatican Restoration Committee, 2000-present
- Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre
of Jerusalem, 1992-present
Practice Areas
Education
Bar & Court Admissions
See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations
by Tom Demetrio |
