Practice Areas
CIVIL LITIGATION AND INSURANCE DEFENSE
Patton & Ryan’s seasoned trial lawyers lead our Civil Litigation Department. Our attorneys are active across the country and try numerous cases to jury verdict each year. We have extensive experience handling cases involving death and catastrophic injury, each having multi-million dollar trial potential. Cases are tried or settled annually that value in the range of $5 - $15 million dollars. Our national reputation for successful trial results encourages early file closure, which leads to substantial savings on litigation.
Patton & Ryan prides itself on a calculated strategy applying the substantive and procedural law to strike a complaint through dispositive motions to dismiss, judgment on the pleadings, summary judgment, motions in limine and directed verdict. We continually strive for an early dismissal or settlement while still building our case for trial. An aggressive approach to procedural trial preparation allows us to negotiate at all stages of litigation, while being prepared to pursue any case to trial.
Our client base of self-insureds, third party administrators, and insurers have expanded our services into a variety of general tort areas including personal lines, product liability, construction accidents, and premises liability. Patton & Ryan also pursue a specialty practice in professional liability, toxic and intentional tort, transportation, and insurance coverage. We practice nationally in order to better serve our diverse client base and our attorneys have experience working in the state circuit and federal courts, including all appellate forums.
Patton & Ryan’s Transportation Law Department enjoys a leading reputation throughout the nation. We specialize in representing motor carriers including semitractor-trailers and tankers, buses, ambulances, waste haulers, moving and storage van lines, express delivery services, and automobile fleets. Our client list includes self-insured transportation companies, third-party administrators, insurance companies, insurance brokers/producers, and managing general agents. We offer our clients immediate investigation and evaluation of claims, often as early as the day of the accident or loss.
Our litigators use their extensive knowledge and experience of transportation law to achieve the best results for our clients. Patton & Ryan’s strong relationships with trucking companies and the insurance industry help to ensure our goal of controlling legal costs and fees. In addition, our offices are equipped with technology that allows instant access to changes in the law which may affect our clients. Our technology also allows us to provide sophisticated accident reconstruction demonstrations at trial.
Our attorneys have the skill to investigate, defend, and try serious accident cases. We offer the transportation industry the representation they require and deserve.
INSURANCE AND SELF-INSURANCE COVERAGE
The Insurance Coverage Department at Patton & Ryan provides coverage analysis, loss counseling, adjustment advice, policy drafting expertise, and prosecution and defense of coverage claims to a variety of self-insureds, insurers, and reinsurers.
Patton & Ryan is frequently retained to interpret policies for an opinion of whether or not an insured is entitled to defense or indemnification with or without reservation of rights under policy terms, conditions, endorsements, or exclusions.
Patton & Ryan’s Commercial Litigation Department is comprised of seasoned trial lawyers who litigate and arbitrate a variety of commercial, contractual, and transactional disputes. These disputes involve commercial entities relative to contracts, and their interpretation and enforcement including matters such as: indemnification, procurement of insurance, interpretation of buy/sell obligations, assignment of rights, delegation of duties, and corporate successor liability.
Our reputation for successful trial results nationwide encourages early file closures with substantial savings on litigation expenses. We normally have active cases in at least fifteen states and maintain our commitment to aggressive file handling, meticulous pleading practice and discovery, and thorough client reporting.
The Employment Law Department at Patton & Ryan understands all the potential liabilities associated with a work accident, and believe that this is the key to effective representation of employers. We provide a complete analysis of all potential exposures, taking into account the injured employee’s rights under State and Federal statutes as well as under common law. Patton & Ryan has represented clients before the Illinois Human Rights Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Commission, State and Federal Courts in area of age discrimination, ADA-handicap discrimination, intentional tort labor grievances, OSHA, retaliatory discharge, and wrongful termination.
A strong practice in both Civil Litigation and Workers’ Compensation give Patton & Ryan the ability to effectively defend employer’s rights while anticipating any related civil actions.
Patton & Ryan has developed a leading Appellate Litigation Department. Our lawyers possess significant experience in the federal and state appellate courts and have handled a broad spectrum of legal issues including: transportation, product liability, indemnification, and workers’ compensation. We excel at presenting cases in a manner that maximizes their attractiveness to the courts of review.
The Appellate Department is assisted by our multi-discipline base of trial attorneys who develop the recognition of issues in the lower court. The trial attorneys identify procedural, evidentiary, and substantive legal issues early in the trial level. Our Appellate Department then evaluates the results to decide whether or not an appeal is pursuable. The focus of our appellate practice is to clearly and persuasively inform the courts why our client is in the right, and why our client should prevail.
Patton & Ryan understands that cases against physicians, attorneys, pharmacists, engineers, and insurer brokers for malpractice are on the rise. These cases require experienced legal representation. Our Professional Liability Department is staffed with litigators experienced in the areas of medical liability, attorney liability, engineering liability, and insurance broker liability.
Patton & Ryan’s Workers’ Compensation Department provides quality representation from the arbitration and review levels through appeals to the various Circuit, Appellate, and Supreme Courts. We customize our representation to the individual needs of our clients. In addition to handling filed claims, our attorneys provide assistance to claims handlers at the earliest stages of file assessment.
Our Workers’ Compensation Department provides ongoing case consultation including claims reviews, evaluation of claims investigation and handling procedures, and tailoring informational seminars for the specific needs of a particular industry or client. Our experienced attorneys handle all aspects of the claim from injury to resolution.