Alton, Ill. – Simmons Hanly Conroy, a national asbestos and mass tort law firm headquartered in Alton, Ill., is pleased to announce that the firm’s Shareholder Perry J. Browder has been elected the president of the Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF).
“I am honored to serve as the president of the Illinois Bar Foundation, which does important work in supporting legal aid throughout Illinois and lawyers with extreme need,” Browder said.
The IBF is the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association. The IBF’s mission is to enhance the availability of justice for those without attorneys and to support lawyers in financial need. The foundation raises funds for distribution to Illinois nonprofit organizations whose mission is to provide civil legal aid to those with limited means. It also provides financial assistance to lawyers who can no longer support themselves due to incapacity. With Browder as president this year, the IBF will distribute more than $750,000 in funds to promote their mission.
Active on the IBF Board since 2005, Browder previously served as secretary and vice president of the organization before being elected and installed as president at its June 15, 2017 board of directors meeting in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He is a Pillar of the Foundation in the IBF Fellows Program.
With over 30 years’ experience as an attorney, Browder has proven his leadership capabilities in his professional and service work. He is currently the head of the firm’s Asbestos Group. Overseeing all asbestos cases, he leads over 50 attorneys as they work to bring justice to clients who were harmed through no fault of their own against large companies who knew the dangers of asbestos. He has a proven track record of success, securing millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients. In 2001, he secured a $250 million verdict against U.S. Steel, one of the largest asbestos verdicts in the country. He is also the former president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
“Anyone who is injured deserves his or her day in court to seek justice,” Browder said. “Lawyers who have served their clients, but no longer can due to illness or injury, also deserve aid for their needs and their families.”
Browder has played a key role in helping Simmons Hanly Conroy develop a national reputation. His career is full of accomplishments, including being named an Illinois Super Lawyer 2011 through 2015 and receiving a 5.0 AV ranking from Martindale-Hubbell. When he is not working, Browder enjoys spending time with his wife and their three children.
