Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC, a national litigation firm, is pleased to announce five of its attorneys have been named to the Illinois Rising Star lists, placing them among the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state for 2013. Simmons firm attorneys recognized include Shareholders Paul Lesko and Randy Cohn, and associates JoAnna Pollock, John Foley and Drew Sealey. No more than 2.5 percent of Illinois attorneys receive this honor each year. The selection for this respected list is made by the research team at Super Lawyers.
Cohn returns as a Rising Star for the second year in the area of Personal Injury Plaintiff: Products. He oversees a team of attorneys and investigators and has developed a unique focus on helping victims of Navy-related asbestos exposure. This past year he helped secure a $2.86 million asbestos verdict against R.T. Vanderbilt. The jury verdict was the largest amount awarded in Delaware during the past ten years.
Lesko has been named a Rising Star in the area of Intellectual Property since 2009. He was recently appointed a Shareholder and manages a team of intellectual property attorneys and staff as part of the firm’s Complex Litigation Group. Lesko is also the Chair of the Intellectual Property Group for the American Association of Justice and is the author of a sports memorabilia industry blog called “Law of Cards.”
Pollock returns as a Rising Star for the second year in the areas of Intellectual Property and Business Litigation. Her practice focuses on helping inventors, artists and small businesses develop and maintain equal footing in the marketplace. In addition, she serves as an arbitrator for the Third Judicial Circuit of Illinois and regularly provides pro bono representation to children and emerging artists.
Foley and Sealey both debut this year as Rising Stars in the area of Plaintiff Personal injury: Products. Foley represents people who have been harmed by dangerous drugs and medical devices, including transvaginal mesh implants, Yaz birth control, and the diabetes medication Actos. Sealey represents victims of asbestos exposure nationwide. He was also recently named to the National Trial Lawyers Association Top 40 Under 40 for the state of Illinois.
Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a rigorous multi-phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area.
