Jim was born in Chicago and currently lives in the city with his wife, Joey Christine, and their two sons, James and Brooks. Jim graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Prior to attending Law School at Valparaiso University, he spent several years as an Aide to United States Congressman William O. Lipinski, one of organized labor’s strongest supporters in Congress. Born into a Union family, Jim has always had a deep respect for working men and women that continues to this day. His father is a retired Chicago Firefighter who helped organize the historic 23-day long Chicago Firefighters’ strike in 1980. Jim’s mother and two sisters are teachers who also remain active in their respective unions.
Jim has spent his entire legal career helping injured workers and their families. He has argued vigorously on behalf of his clients before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Cook County Circuit Court, and the Illinois Appellate Court.
Jim is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Bar Association, and the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association (WCLA), where he has served on the Board of Directors since 2009 and is slated to become President in 2019. In addition, Jim is honored to have served on the Board of Directors of the Illinois chapter of Kid’s Chance of America, since its inception in 2014. Kid’s Chance is a national organization that provides college scholarships for the children of workers that were seriously or fatally injured on the job. Jim is proud to manage the Workers’ Compensation Division at Taxman, Pollack, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC.
Results
Some of Jim’s noteworthy Workers’ Compensation results include:
- $400,000 settlement on behalf of a Union Laborer who was struck by a backhoe bucket resulting in multiple rib fractures and spinal stenosis.
- $350,000 settlement for Union Construction Worker struck by a vehicle while directing traffic, crushing his left foot resulting in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).
- $344,000 for Local 1 Iron Worker who sustained a fall resulting in multiple injuries including a Lumbar Disk Herniation.
- $300,000 settlement for a Kane County Union Carpenter who sustained an ankle injury while working.
- $300,000 for a Local 399 Operating Engineer Apprentice who sustained a Right Leg ACL tear resulting in permanent restrictions. Jim successfully argued at Trial that his wage differential be calculated using Journeyman wages, although he never finished his Apprenticeship.
- $299,000 plus lifetime medical benefits for a Maintenance Mechanic who sustained a 15-ft. fall at work necessitating a Cervical Fusion.
- $262,000 settlement for a Local 1 Ironworker who sustained a Rotator Cuff Tear requiring multiple surgeries.
- $260,000 on behalf of a member of Glazier’s Union Local 27 who sustained a slip and fall carrying a pane of glass, necessitating a three-level Lumbar Fusion.
- $250,000 for a Local 63 Iron Worker who sustained bilateral arm fractures during a fall on a construction site. Notably, this settlement included a full waiver of the Workers’ Compensation insurance carrier’s lien, allowing the Iron Worker to recover a seven-figure Third Party settlement against the general contractor.
- $250,000 on behalf of an IBEW Local 21 Electrician who sustained a Rotator Cuff Tear while working as a Utility Lineman.
- $250,000 for a Power Plant Laborer. Jim successfully argued that the repetitive physical nature of his work duties aggravated a preexisting Lumbar Spine injury, triggering Sciatica and Lumbar Radiculopathy symptoms.
- $245,000 settlement recovered for a Local 1185 Carpenter who sustained a Lumbar Herniation while performing a carpet installation.
- $240,000 settlement for a Union Roofer who had to undergo a three-level Lumbar Fusion Surgery after a 15-ft. fall from a ladder.
- $228,000 recovery on behalf of a 55-year-old Iron Worker who sustained a Rotator Cuff Tear causing permanent work restrictions.
- $215,000 for a Kane County Union Construction Worker after a workplace slip and fall resulted in a Lumbar Fusion Surgery.
- $205,000 recovered on behalf of a Teamster 710 Delivery Driver as a result of a Right Knee ACL Tear.
- $200,000 for a Union Laborer who sustained multiple injuries after a fall from a scaffold.
- $199,000 for an over-the-road Teamster Semi-truck driver involved in a multi-vehicle pile-up accident in Ohio. The Teamster sustained Herniated Disks to the Lumbar and Cervical Spine, as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to catastrophic nature of the injures of others that he witnessed.
Professional Associations And Memberships
- Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association
- Board of Directors, 2009 to Present
- Treasurer, 2016 to Present
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Kids’ Chance of Illinois
- Founding Board Member, 2014 to Present
