Twenty years ago, when Timothy J. Cavanagh founded Cavanagh Law Group, a leading plaintiffs’ personal injury firm, it was not just a career move, it was a calling. After 10 years of trying cases as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General and as an attorney with a prominent plaintiffs’ personal injury firm, Cavanagh knew it was time to start his own firm where he could combine his experience representing victims of negligence with his vision for providing exceptional personal service.
“I like representing people when you can make a real difference in their lives. It’s the main reason I chose this area of the law,” said Cavanagh. “It is a demanding practice because the stakes are high. Typically, we meet our clients at the lowest points in their lives. Their situations are physically, emotionally, and financially taxing. Obtaining financial compensation for individuals who have been injured or families of loved ones who have been killed as the result of another’s negligence always makes the fight worth it.”
Cavanagh and his firm have obtained hundreds of millions in settlements and verdicts for their clients, including some of the largest personal injury victories in Illinois history. Some of the firm’s cases have also prompted discussions about changes in safety procedures, public policy, and laws. Whether traveling around the world to interview witnesses and collect evidence, hiring the top experts or using the latest technology, the firm has the resources and expertise to handle the most challenging cases.
Cavanagh leads a team of six skilled litigators who all have extensive trial experience. In April 2017, he and Mike Sorich, who recently joined the firm after 13 years as an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, secured a $7.5 million settlement on behalf of a 62-year-old woman who suffered a serious brain injury after being struck by a Metra train on Chicago’s south side. The woman was instructed by Metra to stand in the “foul,” an area close to the railroad tracks, at a Metra station.
“The woman and her family now have enough money to provide her with the 24-hour care that she needs,” says Cavanagh. “We invested a lot of resources in this case because we believed in it, and we were prepared to go to trial. That’s the commitment and determination we bring to all our cases.”
Cavanagh’s wife, Stacey, who joined the firm in 2009 after 14 years as a litigator in the areas of product liability, negligence, and commercial disputes, is also a partner at the firm. Together, the couple successfully tried a complex product liability and wrongful death case where a United Airlines employee was killed in Kuwait after falling from a belt loader that was improperly operated by an employee of CAV International, Inc. After a three-week trial, a Cook County jury awarded $6.55 million to the man’s family.
The hard work and dedication of the attorneys at Cavanagh Law Group has resulted in more than 50 verdicts and settlements exceeding one million dollars, including a $55 million railroad crossing verdict. Cavanagh and his partner, Matt Rundio, represented a couple who suffered traumatic brain injuries after the car they were riding in was struck by a train. The verdict was recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the top 100 verdicts in the country in 2002.
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