Gerald J. Bekkerman

Gerald J. Bekkerman is a respected trial lawyer with a history of success representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases nationwide. Prior to becoming a joining member of the firm, Gerald ran his own practice, which, in just six years, he grew to six attorneys. During that time Gerald has obtained numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients nationally. 

Gerald has obtained significant and newsworthy jury verdicts for his clients, including a $92 million dollar verdict in a product liability case in California, a $13.5 million dollar excess insurance policy verdict on a wrongful death case in Illinois, a $5.5 million dollar excess insurance policy verdict on an auto crash case in Illinois, a record-setting jury verdict in Tennessee for a family injured in a truck accident, and a headline-making $2.27 million dollar jury verdict against the City of Chicago for an injured postal worker, among many other verdict. He has also obtained significant settlements, including an eight figure confidential product liability settlement in California, an $18.5 million dollar settlement in in a motor vehicle crash in Illinois, a $12 million dollar wrongful death settlement in Florida,  a $7.5 million dollar motorcycle crash settlement in Chicago, a $6 million dollar construction work site accident, a $5.25 motorcycle crash settlement in Indiana, and dozens of other seven figure settlements. including a $4.8 million dollar settlement in a disputed liability automobile crash, a $4.5 million dollar result in a truck accident case in Ohio, a $4 million dollar construction negligence lawsuit in Illinois, a $3 million dollar medical malpractice settlement in Chicago, a $2.25 million dollar settlement for an injured bicyclist in Chicago, a $2 million dollar settlement for a fatality at a construction project, and dozens of other significant seven figure settlements on disputed litigated cases nationally. Over his nearly twenty year career, Gerald has won over $250 million dollars alone for his clients and helped build one of the most prominent personal injury litigation practices in Chicago and the Midwest.   

Gerald has been honored for his accomplishment in the Legal Community. In 2018 he was awarded the prestigious 40 Under 40 Award by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. This exclusive peer-reviewed nomination recognizes the best young lawyers in the state, with only a handful of lawyers in each area of practice. Over 1500 nominations were received in 2018 and only 40 were selected. In addition, the National Trial Lawyers has recognized Gerald as a Top 40 Under 40 trial attorney nationwide. Gerald has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyers or Super Lawyers Rising Star for fifteen consecutive years, an honor given to only 2.5% of all attorneys practicing in Illinois, has been recognized by his peers as an Emerging Lawyer, also an exclusive designation open to only the top 2% of attorneys in the State of Illinois under 40 years of age, and is a lifetime member of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for his trial successes. 

Gerald has been asked to speak at numerous engagements and legal seminars where he instructs other lawyers on the art of jury selection, oral advocacy, business origination and management, and other trial and litigation related practices. He has also lectured at area law schools on topics ranging from starting and opening a law firm, to jury selection. 

Gerald is an active member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, being elected by his peers to the prestigious Board of Managers, and has served on the Executive Board, overseeing membership growth and marketing. He and is also active with the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the American Association of Justice. Gerald is licensed to practice in Illinois and Wisconsin state Court, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, and several federal jurisdictions. Gerald is also fluent in Russian and proficient in Spanish. He is involved with many charities and advocacy groups, including sitting on the Advisory Board of the Active Transportation Alliance, a non-profit advocacy group focused on improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in Chicago and Illinois. 

Results 

Gerald has developed an impressive record as a trial attorney in the courtroom, fighting on behalf of his clients. Some of his verdicts and settlements include: 

• $ Confidential eight-figure product liability settlement for a man who sustained severe spinal cord injuries. 

• $92 million dollar jury verdict in California in a highway tractor-trailer crash with spinal cord injuries.  

• $18.5 million dollar settlement for an Illinois woman seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash with a construction site company vehicle. 

• $13.5 million dollar excess insurance policy jury verdict wrongful death case with a zero offer from the at fault defendant corporation.  

• $12 million dollar wrongful death settlement in Florida in a motor vehicle crash with a tractor-trailer.  

• $ 7.5 million for an injured motorcyclist who was struck by a company vehicle in a disputed left turn case in which the motorcyclist was falsely alleged to have been speeding. 

• $5.25 million for an injured motorcyclist in Indiana who had to have his lower leg amputated after a collision with a negligent left-turning vehicle. 

• $4.8 million dollar settlement for a family who were seriously injured in a disputed highway cut-off collision in Chicago, IL.  

• $4.5 million for two women who were seriously injured in rural Ohio when they were rear-ended by a driver driving a semi-truck for a national trucking company.  

• $4.5 million dollar settlement for a pedestrian struck by a delivery driver in Chicago.  

• $4 million dollar settlement for a construction site injury for a roofer who fell through a roof at a job site. 

• $3.5 million dollar medical malpractice settlement against a Chicago area hospital for the death of a 18 month old in its facility    

• $2.75 million dollar settlement for an injured dockworker as a result of the negligent operation of a forklift operator  

• $2.5 million jury verdict in an automobile case for an injured 25-year-old who sustained traumatic injuries to his right ankle and knee, the Plaintiff was wrongly ticketed for causing the crash with defendant and defense offered zero at trial. 

• $2.27 million dollar jury verdict against the City of Chicago for an injured U.S. Postal worker whose leg fell into a sinkhole while he was walking in a pedestrian crosswalk. There was no offer to settle before trial. 

• $2.25 million for a bicyclist injured by a left-turning company vehicle being operated by a runner for a construction company. 

• $2 million dollar partial settlement from two contractors at a construction project after an worker fell through an uncovered skylight and died while fixing a roof.  

• $1.5 million for the estate of a special needs handicapped adult who died in October of 2011 after she suffered numerous falls at her group home.  

• $1.185 million dollar settlement for a woman who was struck by a bakery delivery truck in Chicago while she was crossing the street.  

• $1.25 million dollar medical malpractice settlement for a placental abruption fetal demise case for a 30 week old fetus 

• $1 million settlement for the estate of a 34-year-old man who was killed by a CTA train.  

• $837,500 for an 85-year-old woman who self-admitted herself into a nursing home for rehabilitation following back surgery and got a stage 4 bed sore at the wound in her lower back 

• $525,000 for the family of a teenage autistic boy who was violently assaulted by a Chicago Police Officer.