Julie L. Pustilnik

Partner at TPMB | First-Chair Trial Attorney | Advocate for the Seriously Injured

Julie L. Pustilnik is a Partner at TPMB and an accomplished first-chair trial attorney who has dedicated her career to fighting for victims in high-stakes catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Her practice focuses on some of the most complex and serious matters in Illinois, including trucking accidents, construction injuries, medical negligence, and institutional abuse. Julie is known for taking on powerful corporations, unsafe workplaces, and negligent institutions, and winning.

Proven Results, Record Verdicts

Julie has helped recover hundreds of millions of dollars in jury verdicts and settlements for individuals and families whose lives were forever changed by preventable harm. She brings strategic focus, exceptional trial skills, heartfelt compassion, and an unwavering commitment to her clients’ well-being to every case.

Her areas of expertise include:

• Construction site injuries
• Workplace accidents and unsafe labor practices
• Trucking and auto collisions
• Medical malpractice and nursing home abuse
• Sexual assault and institutional abuse
• Defective products and unsafe premises

Her results include:

• $67.2 million record jury verdict (including punitive damages) for a laborer severely burned in a grain bin explosion.
• $7.5 million settlement for a woman with catastrophic injuries following a rear-end crash.
• $4 million settlement for a roofer who fell 25 feet due to unsafe conditions.
• $3 million settlement during trial in a complex medical negligence and product liability case.
• $1.4 million jury verdict for a bicyclist struck by a car door—over 8x the insurance policy limits.

(See below for full list of notable verdicts and settlements.)

Client Advocacy in Her Own Words

“In many cases, we see corporations put profits ahead of safety, especially when it comes to the most vulnerable. In industrial settings in particular, far too often, frontline and hourly workers are assigned the most dangerous jobs, with low pay and little to no safety protections. When someone gets seriously hurt, the consequences can be life-changing. My goal is to hold these companies accountable by ensuring my clients are fully compensated for what they’ve lost, and to help prevent the same harm from happening to others.”

Recognition & Leadership

Julie’s excellence has been recognized across the legal industry:

• “40 Under Forty” Illinois Attorneys to Watch, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
• Outstanding Young Alumna Award, Chicago-Kent College of Law
• Super Lawyers Rising Star – Top 2.5% of Illinois attorneys
• Emerging Lawyer – Top 2% of young lawyers statewide
• Trial Lawyer Excellence Award, Jury Verdict Reporter, for a record verdict

She currently leads TPMB’s Law Clerk Program and chairs its Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentorship and Development Program. She previously served as President of the Chicago-Kent Young Alumni Council.

What Clients Say About Working With Julie

“Went in needing a lawyer, came out feeling like family. Julie genuinely cared about me, and my family, that meant the world to us.”

Results

(Representative results from Julie’s litigation and trial work)

Seven & Eight-Figure Results

• $67,200,000 – Record jury verdict including punitive damages for a laborer who suffered devastating burns in a grain bin explosion.
• $7,500,000 – Woman in a rear-end auto collision suffered spinal and rib fractures, neurogenic bowel/bladder incontinence.
• $7,000,000 – Union pipefitter sustained career-ending knee injuries at a dangerous construction site.
• $6,000,000 – Woman suffered permanent disability after hospital staff improperly administered morphine.
• $4,800,000 – Three passengers injured in a vehicle crash; included multiple fractures and fusion surgery.
• $4,000,000 – Laborer fell 25 feet through a roof, sustaining head, spine, and ankle injuries.
• $3,700,000 – Ironworker suffered back injury crossing a temporary bridge on a job site.
• $3,000,000 – Young girl severely burned in propane explosion caused by improper tank installation.
• $3,000,000 – Medical negligence and product liability settlement during trial for a man who suffocated after tracheostomy tube dislodgement.

Multi-Million Dollar Recoveries

• $2,553,741 – Jury verdict for a 25-year-old man with ankle and knee injuries in a crash; defense offered $0 at trial.
• $2,500,000 – Elderly man suffered rib fractures and respiratory distress after a collision.
• $2,350,000 – Woman slipped on spilled milk in a store, injuring her knee and back.
• $2,300,000 – Settlement on eve of trial for a mother and daughter with vertebral fractures from a car crash.
• $2,175,000 – Woman sustained a back injury in a motor vehicle collision.
• $2,000,000 – Policy limits settlement for a temp worker whose hand was crushed in an industrial press.
• $1,850,000 – Medical negligence settlement for a failed total knee replacement in a 67-year-old woman.
• $1,808,075 – Jury verdict in a medical negligence case where a man developed infection and died after an unnecessary biopsy.
• $1,600,000 – Product liability settlement for woman injured by a dangerous industrial machine.
• $1,564,374 – Settlement for the family of a man killed in a boat explosion.
• $1,500,000 – Woman injured by falling ice from a Chicago building.
• $1,482,000 – Jury verdict for a bicyclist injured when struck by a car door (over 8x policy limits).
• $1,375,000 – Teen endured sexual abuse and violence by a mental health technician at a care facility.
• $1,276,870 – Jury verdict for man with a compound ankle fracture in a car crash.
• $1,250,000 – Woman lost her baby in utero due to delayed emergency room care.
• $1,210,000 – Woman required spinal surgery after slipping on soapy liquid.
• $1,185,000 – Mother struck by a bakery truck while crossing the street; suffered back and hip injuries.
• $1,100,000 – Woman slipped on ice outside a fast-food restaurant.
• $1,027,500 – Man fatally injured after falling from concrete steps at a private residence.
• $1,000,000 – Policy limits settlement for a machine operator whose hand was crushed while cleaning an unsafe industrial machine.
• $1,000,000 – CILA group home resident suffered preventable fall.
• $1,000,000 – Woman fractured her patella on icy sidewalk caused by improper downspout drainage.

Additional Notable Settlements

• $925,000 – Woman fractured her arm and dislocated her knee in a slip-and-fall at O’Hare Airport.
• $875,000 – Premature infant died from complications following intubation.
• $837,500 – Nursing home resident developed a stage 4 pressure ulcer post-surgery due to neglect.
• $800,000 – Ironworker injured his knee after tripping over exposed conduit at a job site.
• $490,000 – Pipefitter’s foot was pinned while working on a valve and actuator
• $450,000 – Nursing home resident with MS developed pressure ulcer from improper care.
• $400,000 – Ironworker slipped in muddy conditions on a construction site, injuring his shoulder.
• $400,000 – Temp worker at a food factory sustained a fractured elbow when her arm was pulled into a conveyor belt machine.