It’s impossible to know when the initial moment of a butterfly effect is taking place.
Antonio Romanucci and Frank Sommario both grew up in the Chicago suburb of Melrose Park. Their paths didn’t cross, however, until they first met at a gathering for the Justinian Society of Lawyers – an organization that they’d both belonged to since the earliest days of their legal careers. That moment would initiate a sequence of events that would ripple across the next several decades.
Romanucci, a legendary civil rights and personal injury attorney who founded Romanucci & Blandin in 1998, became a mentor to Sommario, and though Sommario wanted to work with him right after law school, Romanucci was just starting his firm and couldn’t hire him. That could have been the end. But as dedicated members of multiple bar organizations, both lawyers knew the value of fostering connections. They stayed in touch – Romanucci even represented Sommario in a legal battle after he was unexpectedly caught in the middle of a public fight and injured. Finally, Sommario joined Romanucci in 2007. They’ve now practiced together for 18 years.
That journey, like so many others, began with their memberships to legal organizations and bar associations. It’s a topic that many lawyers may want to avoid; lawyers are, to put it mildly, busy. How can one devote extra time? But take it from Romanucci and Sommario, both of whom have held top leadership positions across scores of organizations: You never know when being a part of one may change the course of your career – or your clients’ lives.
Romanucci and Sommario are both renowned lawyers in their respective practice areas. Since he started his firm with Stephan Blandin, Romanucci has secured landmark victories – notably, he represented the family of George Floyd after Floyd’s murder by police sent shockwaves through the country and world in 2020. With millions of eyes trained on Floyd’s grieving family and the ensuing legal battle, Romanucci and co-counsel Ben Crump secured a historic $27M settlement in the case. Romanucci was named Chicago Lawyer’s 2021 Person of the Year, among other honors.
In a similar matter, Romanucci and Crump recently represented the family of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman and mother of two who was killed by a sheriff’s deputy in July of 2024. The attorneys secured a $10M settlement for Massey’s family, and in August, Illinois passed the Sonya Massey Law, a police reform bill which improves and places more accountability on police hiring practices.
Sommario, meanwhile, is a celebrated advocate in the workers’ compensation space. In 2018, he and his team secured a $6M settlement and nearly $1M workers’ compensation lien for union plumber whose on-the-job injuries permanently damaged his back, leaving him unable to work. In 2023, meanwhile, he secured death benefits, penalties, attorney fees, and costs for the widow of a Cook County correctional officer who died after contracting Covid-19 on the job.
With so many high-profile, demanding cases, the lawyers wouldn’t be blamed for focusing exclusively on work and home. But the pair explain that these organizations are natural and necessary extensions of the work they do. The Sonya Massey Law and other pieces of legislation, Romanucci says, would not be possible without the support of organizations like the American Association for Justice (AAJ) or the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA). The organizations advocate for legislation that protects people like their clients and ensures that the doors of justice stay open.
Their service to these organizations is also vital to their own practices. Outside of each other, Romanucci and Sommario have forged connections with fellow plaintiffs’ lawyers who have become co-counsel, with arbitrators they have presented cases before and defense lawyers with whom they have stood on opposite sides of the courtroom. Those connections have been invaluable.
“The lawyers I formed relationships with 40 years ago are still practicing today. We are still friends, we're still referring cases to each other, and we've all done well as a result of it, both from a friendly standpoint and a professional standpoint,” Romanucci explains.
Romanucci currently serves on the Civil Rights Committee of ITLA, where he served as President from 2019-2020. He has also held significant leadership positions in many other organizations, including the Justinian Society of Lawyers, the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Foundation and more. Nationally, he serves on the Executive Committee of AAJ, where he has previously held 16 other roles going back 25 years. He has also served on the International Society of Barristers’ Board of Governors, 2020-2021, on the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), with the National Italian American Bar Association, and many more.
Sommario, meanwhile, recently concluded his two-year term as President of the National Italian American Bar Association and currently serves as the Chairman on its Board of Directors.
He served two terms on the Board of Governors for the Illinois State Bar Association, and he is a previous president of both the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association and the Justinian Society for Lawyers, the latter of which awarded him its Vanguard Award this year.
While it’s the known quantities – networking, firm recognition and philanthropy – that draw lawyers to these organizations, it’s the unexpected that makes it truly worth it. Romanucci comments, “You never know how the butterfly effect can work with what you do.”
The key is to be in the right place to take advantage of those moments when they come.
As Romanucci says, “I end all my presentations by saying, ‘It's time for you to do something, because if we don't act, then nothing can happen.’”
Lawdragon: How do you see these organizations’ missions mirroring your practice fighting for injured plaintiffs?
Antonio Romanucci: When you look at two of the organizations that I'm most active in right now, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice, they perfectly align with not only our practice areas, but with where we feel our country should be and what our clients’ rights should be. Illinois Trial Lawyers fights for justice, accountability and our clients’ constitutional rights. The AAJ does the same thing except on a national level. In my point of view, that’s even more important now because we're seeing an undermining of those rights.
Frank Sommario: I would also highlight two organizations that I've been involved in, the first being the Workers' Compensation Lawyers Association. We have both plaintiffs and defendants on that board and as officers. So, we pursue the rights of injured workers and obviously the defense does for the employer's behalf, but we're all trying to do the best for our clients. So, we work together to ensure that we have a great bar group that accommodates the needs of the practicing lawyers and the bench because the arbitrators and the commissioners also participate.
The other organization is the National Italian American Bar Association. I got involved with them because the Justinians are the Italian group here in Chicago, and there are many groups across the country. So, the national group tied all the groups in the country together, to help everyone share ideas. We’ve actually gone international now, so we have attorneys in Canada and Australia and we’re also talking to lawyers in Argentina and Spain. It’s amazing that it’s turned into a national and international arena.
[These organizations] perfectly align with not only our practice areas, but with where we feel our country should be and what our clients’ rights should be.
LD: Have there been any instances where those relationships you’ve built have helped move a case along?
FS: The work comp arena is small. There are about 700 attorneys that make up the Workers' Comp Lawyers Association. For the most part, they’re practicing attorneys that you'll deal with on a daily basis, and those arbitrators are the ones that we've been dealing with for years. So it helps because we have networking opportunities within the organization. Arbitrators and lawyers on both sides are at our monthly CLEs. When you're around people you have cases with frequently, it just makes it easier to get those cases resolved because you're going to deal with those people again. So yes, you're going to fight vigorously for your client, but also you're also going to work well with the other side.
LD: That’s interesting. To that end, how do you see your clients being impacted by these leadership roles? Do they appreciate seeing their attorneys in high-profile legal industry positions?
FS: I think that the injured workers who hire me to represent them like to know that their attorney was once a president of a bar organization because of just the relationships that you build with the defense side as well as the arbitrators in that practice area.
AR: I think it does make a difference. Leading organizations not only helps you assist in leading the law firm, but also in leading litigation – it gives you control, organization. So, I tell my clients that my leadership within these organizations is what's going to drive us in the leadership to get your case ready for trial.
LD: Many attorneys are hesitant to take time away to work with organizations like these when they’re handling high-stakes, time-consuming cases – as you both do. Why is it important to take this time?
AR: I understand that work-life balance is a very important part of one's personal growth, health, family life achievements, happiness. But I chose to front-load a lot of my early work and work as hard as I could very early in my career, and I think it paid dividends. It did call for sacrifice on occasions. But I'm very proud to say that my daughter works for our firm right now as a non-attorney, and my son chose to go into the practice of law. So I think that it's possible to front-load and sacrifice, but still be a good parent. It's a unique challenge and every individual must find the right fit for them. But I can tell you that by not risking any of it, the rewards at the end are harder to get. And the rewards are not solely financial; it’s personal gratitude. It's being able to achieve good things for good people, meaning our clients.
FS: I would echo that by saying that when you're involved with these groups you see the good that they do, like the Justinians’ charitable arm. We have the scholarships that we give away each year, and we also have the Children's Endowment Fund where we give grants to entities that help disadvantaged and disabled children. By doing those things, it's like Tony said – it's not just about the money on cases or networking that you do when you get involved in these groups – it's the good that you do for people as well.
LD: For each of you, what initiatives stand out to you from your time in leadership roles for these organizations?
AR: I have two proudest moments that come to mind. The first was during my leadership of the Justinian Society of Lawyers, when I set up the Justinian Children's Endowment Fund, which has now been in existence for more than 20 years. Every year, that organization contributes well into the five figures of money to children's groups or organizations. One year, for example, we gave a contribution to an organization called the Illinois Eye Institute, and we were able to donate many eye exams and pairs of glasses to children who couldn't afford them. During one of the examinations for one of the children, they discovered a spot in the back of his child's optic nerve, and it turned out that it was a tumor. We wound up saving a child's life as a direct result of what we did. You never know how the butterfly effect can work with what you do.
And then of course, I loved being leader of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association just because that is my signature. I'm a trial lawyer, I'm an Illinois trial lawyer, and I got to be president of Illinois Trial Lawyers. That was a defining moment for me and a very proud one for my family too.
It's not just about the money on cases or networking that you do when you get involved in these groups – it's the good that you do for people as well.
FS: For me, with Workers’ Comp Lawyers as well as Justinians, even though I was president many years ago, they ended up asking me to remain as comptroller, and I’ve been serving in those roles for both of them ever since because I also have an accounting background. It’s really nice to know that after my presidency is over they still want me to be involved. As for the National Italian American Bar Association, knowing that you're impacting the lives of lawyers throughout many nations is exciting.
LD: For both of you, you started in these organizations at the beginning of your careers. What was the transition like from mentee to mentor, and how does mentorship play a part in the organizations you’re involved in now?
AR: I take on the role of mentor very gladly. Mentorship was so important to me as a young lawyer, so I'm going to pay it back. I do not miss any opportunity for anybody who wants to talk to me about their careers and future and how to improve. I will always, always take that opportunity. I've never said no.
LD: What is the most common advice you find yourself giving young lawyers?
AR: I have a strategy that I’ve been using probably since I was in my late twenties: Every day, I have a five-year plan. Every single day I wake up, and at some point during my morning process, I'm always looking ahead five years trying to understand not only where I will be personally and professionally, but also where the firm will be. It sounds mundane, like there’s no way you can do that every day. But I do, because things change day-to-day and your outlook can change, too. As lawyers, we have a very long shelf life. We start practicing generally at 25, 26 years old, and if you stay healthy and vibrant, you can practice easily 40-plus years, like me. So, five years is really just a small percentage of your time as a lawyer.
LD: What about you, Mr. Sommario? Any advice that you find yourself giving?
FS: One of the things I tell young lawyers or law students is to participate in the bar associations because you never know who you're going to meet, and it could evolve into something later in your career. The key is to not burn bridges with somebody because you don't get something you want in the moment. Sometimes, you have to wait.
