Douglas M. Werman

Brian Murphy has been in practice in Illinois since 1989. Initially in practice with an insurance defense firm, Williams & Montgomery, in 1991, Mr. Murphy joined Hofeld and Schaffner. Since that time, he has practiced catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death litigation on behalf of injured persons and their families. Mr. Murphy is a lifelong resident of Chicago, Illinois, and is licensed in Illinois. He has been admitted pro hac vice in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and New York. He has ...

An accomplished trial lawyer, Tery Gonsalves draws on his prior roles as a police detective and deputy general counsel to provide strategic guidance to clients facing investigations and complex litigation matters, including regulatory and compliance counseling. As chair of the Education Team, he regularly counsels public and private institutions through the issues they face in a highly regulated landscape. Tery is a seasoned trial lawyer who has tried more than 20 cases to verdict. He represe...

Gretchen Scavo is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions. Gretchen, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Gretchen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Founding partner Ted A. Meyers is a fourth-generation attorney who carries on his family’s tradition of fighting for justice for the ‘little guy’. Ted has a long and successful track record of taking on insurance companies that try to avoid their obligations to families whose lives have been upended by catastrophic events. "Every family deserves the same passion and commitment from their attorney that I'd demand for my own family." Ted works closely with the firm’s exp...

Ryan Blaine Bennett P.C. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Ryan Blaine, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ryan Blaine is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ronald Safer manages complex, high-stakes cases with a focus in civil litigation. Ron has successfully represented companies and individuals in federal and state court involving matters such as commercial disputes, accounting fraud, tax fraud, anti-kickback violations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), environmental violations, and securities fraud. He represents clients before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Financial Industry Regulatory Au...

Tom Donovan advises on patent and trademark litigation and prosecution, unfair competition and trade secret litigation, as well as a variety of licensing-related matters. Regardless of the client or the complexity of the matter at hand, Tom provides his clients with the guidance they need, in a way they can understand and apply to their daily business operations. Tom also has significant negotiation and drafting experience with software licensing, as well as patent, trademark and copyright li...

Charles R. Haskins (Chuck) concentrates his practice on medical malpractice, products liability, and premises liability litigation. Chuck has worked at Clifford Law Offices for a number of years. Starting as a clerk, his commitment to his work and dedication to the law was immediately recognized. Chuck decided to work at Clifford Law Offices because of his interest in helping the injured, those who are in their most desperate times of need, and he does so with a calm, studied manner as he app...

Stephen R. Auten is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property. Stephen R., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stephen R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Financial institutions across the country rely on David Dlugie to handle their most critical commercial property and commercial loan matters, sometimes with extremely tight timelines. For clients that are financing or selling/buying/leasing real property, or acquiring or disposing of commercial real estate loans, he solves their financing and equity issues using negotiation skills honed through three decades of practice. As the head of Katten's Chicago Real Estate practice, David assembles te...