Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2024 
Nicholas T. Motherway is an experienced trial attorney who represents individuals and families in medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, and nursing home neglect and abuse cases. Over the course of his career, he has secured significant verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients who have suffered serious injuries or the loss of a family member.
Mr. Motherway’s notable results include a $7.5 million settlement on behalf of a motorcyclist who was rendered quadriplegic, a $3 million settlement in a wrongful death medical malpractice case, and a $1.6 million settlement involving a brachial plexus birth injury in DuPage County. His practice encompasses complex matters involving medical negligence, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, and other forms of negligence.
Before entering plaintiffs’ personal injury practice, Mr. Motherway served as an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney from 1997 to 2003. During his tenure, he worked in the Torts, Civil Rights, Child Support, and Misdemeanor divisions. He subsequently spent nearly two decades practicing at a Chicago plaintiffs’ personal injury firm before joining Clifford Law Offices.
Mr. Motherway is actively involved in the Illinois legal community through professional leadership, legal education, and writing on issues affecting trial attorneys. He serves on the Illinois State Bar Association’s Artificial Intelligence Section Council, Tort Law Section Council, and Judicial Evaluations Committee. He is also a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, and Society of Trial Lawyers, and is admitted to the General Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
A frequent author on trial practice and tort law, Mr. Motherway has written on subjects including lost-chance litigation, medical providers, health care liens, emotional distress damages, evidence preservation, and spoliation. In 2025, he authored the chapter “Deposition and Discovery” in the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s Civil Practice: Preparing for Trial. His article examining motions in limine in lost-chance cases was published by the Illinois State Bar Association’s Tort Trends newsletter in 2026.
Mr. Motherway has been recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyers for his work in plaintiffs’ personal injury law.
Mr. Motherway earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in 1997. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics, with a minor in Political Science, from Indiana University Bloomington in 1993
