Kevin P. Durkin is a nationally recognized personal injury attorney and partner at Clifford Law Offices with a 45-year track record of achieving groundbreaking results. He has successfully represented clients in transportation accidents, premises liability, and medical malpractice, and is especially known for his work in international aviation litigation, as well as his involvement in nearly every major commercial airline crash over the past four decades, often serving as lead counsel.
Throughout his prolific career, Durkin has handled over 100 cases that resulted in verdicts or settlements exceeding $1 million, including some of the largest verdicts recorded in Illinois. Among those record-breaking cases is a $35 million settlement Durkin secured in 2018 on behalf of a 24-year-old woman who was severely injured when a truck struck her and dragged her for 60 feet at a Chicago street corner. This settlement is regarded as a record in Illinois for any verdict or settlement involving a pedestrian.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2026 | Aviation, Plaintiff Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers | 2025 | Aviation Accidents, Transportation Liability, Premises Liability |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers | 2024 | Aviation Accidents, Transportation Liability, Premises Liability |
| The 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers | 2023 | Aviation Accidents, Transportation Liability, Premises Liability |
| The 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers | 2022 | Aviation Accidents, Transportation Liability, Premises Liability |
| The 2021 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers | 2021 | Aviation Accidents, Transportation Liability, Premises Liability |
| The 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers | 2020 | Aviation Accidents, Transportation Liability, Premises Liability |
Notable Results:
- $112 million verdict for two men injured in a grain bin explosion; honored with a Trial Lawyer Excellence Award.
- $38.3 million verdict for a mother and two children in a truck-car collision — recognized as the largest transportation verdict in the country in 2005.
- $24 million verdict for a young boy struck by a speeding CTA bus.
- $22.75 million wrongful death verdict for a woman whose husband died in a crash on I-294—then the largest Cook County wrongful death verdict in a decade.
- $16 million verdict for two minors killed in a grain bin — an Illinois record outside Cook County, for which he was honored with a Trial Lawyer Excellence award.
- $9 million verdict on behalf of a man who lost an arm and his spleen in a rail tragedy involving the Chicago and Illinois Midland Railroad, following a three-week trial in federal court in central Illinois.
- $7.5 million verdict was obtained on behalf of a man who suffered permanent brain damage from an automobile accident. The case resulted in the largest personal injury verdict in South Dakota.
- $14.2 million verdict was obtained on behalf of a Boy Scout who was permanently brain-damaged following a car accident.
Throughout his career, Durkin has been at the forefront of some of the most high-profile and complex personal injury and wrongful death cases in Illinois and nationwide. He served as co-counsel in the high-profile case of violinist Rachel Barton, who was severely injured by a commuter train. The case resulted in a $29.6 million verdict after a month-long trial.
In another highly publicized case, Durkin secured a $10 million settlement on behalf of a suburban police officer who was severely injured when a speeding hearse ran a red light and struck him during a routine patrol. The case drew media attention because of the so-called “black box” discovered in the hearse, which revealed the vehicle’s speed at the time of the incident and contradicted the driver’s initial police statement.
Durkin was instrumental in seeking justice for the victims of the devastating 2003 Cook County Administration Building fire, which resulted in six deaths and injured sixteen others. As the lead plaintiffs attorney, his unwavering commitment to justice and relentless pursuit of accountability culminated in a $100 million settlement and prompted public safety reforms in Chicago’s 911 and fire response systems.
Outside of Illinois, Durkin also represented several men who were severely burned in a power plant explosion in Hammond, Indiana, recovering multi-million dollar settlements on behalf of the injured workers.
Among his many aviation case results, Durkin was part of the plaintiffs’ team that negotiated a $110 million settlement for several families in the American Airlines Flight 4184 crash in Roselawn, Indiana. He also served as one of three members of the Management Committee leading the complex litigation in the tragedy of Alaska Air Flight 261 that crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 2000 en route to Seattle from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He took dozens of depositions, including those of the top engineers in the case against the airline and Boeing, despite the NTSB giving the corporate giant a virtual pass. Additionally, Durkin secured more than $40 million in settlements on behalf of seven families who lost loved ones, including the largest settlement among the 90 cases in the mass disaster litigation. His dedication to seeking justice, alongside the skilled team at Clifford Law Offices, has set a high bar for aviation law and industry-wide policy reform.
