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Johnson & Bell Attorneys Recognized as Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch

August 19, 2021

Johnson & Bell Shareholders John W. Bell, Joseph R. Marconi, Robert M. Burke, D. Patterson Gloor, Matthew L. Johnson, and Sharon L. Stanzione have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. In addition, Monica Burkoth, Julie J. Busch, Margaret A. Connery, Matthew P. D’Avanzo, Ramses Jalalpour and David F. Jasinski have been included in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2022 edition.

Best Lawyers® lists are assembled by conducting peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers evaluate their professional peers on a confidential basis. The lists are intended to achieve the consensus opinion of leading lawyers regarding the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same legal practice area and geographical area.

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch lists are assembled in the same way as the Best Lawyers® lists. Recipients typically have been practicing between 5-9 years, and in that time have showed professional excellence in private practice.

John W. Bell is a co-founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Johnson & Bell and concentrates his practice in product liability and defense of complex/catastrophic litigation, with a focus on defense of personal injury litigation. Mr. Bell has been included in The Best Lawyers in America© since 1995.  Mr. Bell has been honored with numerous awards for his litigation defense success, including receiving the Litigation Defense Achievement Award in 2016 at the Jury Verdict Reporter Trial Excellence Awards Ceremony. He is being recognized in the area of personal injury litigation.

Joseph R. Marconi is the President of the firm, as well as the chair of Johnson & Bell’s Business Litigation group and Professional Liability group. He handles and supervises complex civil litigation, including real estate and commercial disputes, professional liability and employment law. Mr. Marconi is a member of the Lawyers Committee of the National Center for State Courts, which works with state chief justices and state court leaders on judicial reform issues.  He also is a member of the Lawyers for Civil Justice and participates on its Civil Justice Fellows Program, along with representatives of corporate America and other law firm leaders. He is being recognized in professional malpractice law.

Robert M. Burke is a Vice President of the firm, as well as the co-chair of Johnson & Bell’s Transportation group and works extensively in transportation litigation, including trucking and railroad. He also focuses on products liability, general negligence, premises liability and retail liability. Recognizing his success as a litigator, his peers have nominated him with an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is being recognized as a Best Lawyer in the area of personal injury litigation.

D. Patterson (Pat) Gloor is a Shareholder with Johnson & Bell and has represented some of the country’s biggest companies in their most important civil litigation. Mr. Gloor’s mass tort defense work involves defending companies across a wide spectrum of issues, and he has tried more than 200 cases to verdict, in state and federal courts across the country, winning a national reputation for his skill with juries. Mr. Gloor is being recognized as a Best Lawyer in the areas of commercial litigation and product liability litigation.

Matthew L. Johnson is a Vice President of the firm and co-chair of its Health Care group.  He represents several Illinois healthcare delivery systems in the defense of medical negligence lawsuits, as well as local and regional long-term care facilities in lawsuits involving the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act.  He has successfully tried cases to verdict in Cook County and throughout the state of Illinois.  In addition, he represents health care providers in proceedings brought by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDPFR).   He has also been selected as an Illinois “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers Magazine for the years 2009-2019 in the area of medical malpractice defense. He is being recognized as a Best Lawyer in the area of medical malpractice law.

Sharon L. Stanzione is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. She has successfully navigated Indiana’s medical review panel system receiving favorable results at the panel stage and at trial for more than 20 years. Ms. Stanzione has dedicated her career to providing legal counseling for health care providers and defending them in medical malpractice litigation. Her clients include numerous hospitals, long-term care facilities, physicians, nurses and other health care organizations and professionals. Ms. Stanzione has been recognized by her peers with an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell demonstrating that she has reached the highest level of professional excellence, skill, and integrity. Ms. Stanzione is being recognized as a Best Lawyer in health care law.

Monica Burkoth is a Shareholder and has successfully defended cases in both state and federal court, and has an excellent record in obtaining favorable jury verdicts, dismissals and summary judgment rulings in her focus on municipal liability, class actions, civil rights law and prison litigation. Her clients include municipalities, law enforcement officers and security personnel. Ms. Burkoth has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2018. She is being recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for her work in civil rights law.

Julie J. Busch is a Shareholder and concentrates her practice in general negligence, as well as transportation and retail litigation. She has assisted with all aspects of litigation, mediation, settlement, and jury trials for large, complex disputes in transportation litigation, complex brain injury, and retail litigation.  Her clients include transportation companies, refuse and recycling companies, food companies and retailers.  Julie is being recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the area of transportation law.

Margaret A. Connery is an Associate Attorney and concentrates her practice on the defense of hospitals and healthcare professionals against claims of medical malpractice. She practices in both state and federal court, and has represented clients in a wide variety of personal injury insurance defense matters. She has vast experience representing hospitals, nursing homes, physicians, and other health care professionals in all phases of personal injury litigation, including various appeals.  These cases have included high-exposure matters involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims.  She has participated in several trials throughout her career, and has successfully avoided trial by obtaining summary judgment on various occasions.  Maggie is being recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the area of medical malpractice law.

Matthew P. D’Avanzo is a Shareholder and focuses on health care law, with a concentration in medical malpractice defense. He has defended numerous cases relating to medical malpractice and the Nursing Home Care Act. In addition to his health care law practice, Mr. D’Avanzo has successfully participated in jury trials, summary judgments and dismissals on cases involving false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation. He was selected as an  Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star for the years 2015-2020. Rising Star, Illinois Super Lawyers 2015-2020. He is recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the area of medical malpractice law.

Ramses Jalalpour (RJ) is a Shareholder and concentrates his practice in the areas of professional liability and business litigation. He also focuses on appellate law. Mr. Jalalpour's experience includes cases involving breach of contract, legal malpractice representing divorce and personal injury attorneys, securities arbitration, and product liability and personal injury matters.  RJ is recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in commercial litigation.

David F. Jasinski is an Associate Attorney with Johnson & Bell where he concentrates his practice in health care law, focusing on medical malpractice and long-term care defense. Mr. Jasinski represents physicians, nurses, medical practices and nursing homes in a wide variety of medical negligence matters throughout Illinois and at the federal level in civil rights and correctional healthcare litigation matters.  He has successfully prevailed on numerous dispositive motions while also participating in several jury trials during his career. Mr. Jasinski has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star each year since 2018. He is recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in medical malpractice law.

Johnson & Bell’s attorneys are recognized annually for their trial excellence.  This year, in addition to Best Lawyers, the Firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell for outstanding legal skill.

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