Johnson & Bell, Ltd. was founded in 1975 as William D. Maddux & Associates. We became Johnson & Bell in 1990.
The President of Johnson & Bell, Ltd. is Robert M. Burke. Joseph R. Marconi serves as Chairman of our Board of Directors.
Our firm is comprised of ~90 attorneys and in total we employ more than 180 capable men and women. We work hard to make Johnson & Bell a great legal and business resource for our clients, and a great place to work for our lawyers and staff.
We operate offices in Chicago and Wheaton, Illinois and one in Crown Point, Indiana.
We serve the legal needs of our clients throughout the states of Illinois and Indiana, and across the United States.
Martindale-Hubbell, Leading Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers and other publications or services continue to recognize and rank our attorneys and our firm for outstanding legal skill on an annual basis.
What differentiates us from other law firms?
Clients rely on Johnson & Bell to defend their interests in court. Since 1975, we have developed a reputation for providing legal counsel that accomplishes our clients’ business objectives. Building on a track record of success handling major catastrophic personal injury cases, Johnson & Bell continues to represent numerous clients across a broad array of business concerns. We work with clients to mediate, settle or litigate their business issues. In addition, our lawyers represent clients in a wide range of commercial transactions and business litigation in both State and Federal court, locally and throughout the country.
At Johnson & Bell, we value diversity and understand the importance of the success and growth of our women attorneys. We support our women by fostering a culture of equality and providing resources for them to strive.
The Women’s Initiative was established with the mission of providing training, mentoring and networking opportunities to our women attorneys to ensure their personal and professional success at the firm.
The Johnson & Bell Women’s Initiative holds monthly meetings where women professionals speak to the group and provide formal training on essential matters affecting women practicing law. These meetings, along with the mentor program, provide a stable base for our women attorneys to develop and grow at Johnson & Bell. The firm is also a member of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, a non-profit association bringing together women’s initiatives in law firms and companies across the Chicago area.
The Women’s Initiative as a group and via the individual efforts of its members supports the Ronald McDonald House, BEDS Plus Care, CASA of Cook County, the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, the Children’s Research Fund Junior Board, the Marillac St. Vincent Family services and other organizations across metropolitan Chicago. For more information about our Women’s Initiative, please contact Johnson & Bell Shareholder, Sammi L. Renken.
In 2020, Johnson & Bell reconstituted its Diversity Committee into a Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Shareholder, Stephen P. Ellenbecker, serves as chair. The committee’s mission is to promote principles of equality and inclusion in all facets of our business practices. We value different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds to create a more creative work environment that delivers better results for our clients. As a firm, we commit to continue building a culture of diversity and inclusion to connect us closer to the people and the communities we serve.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee also plays a role in our attorney recruiting process to ensure that diverse professionals are interviewed and offered positions in the firm as their qualifications permit.
Johnson & Bell is committed not only to our clients, but also our communities. Our community involvement includes providing pro bono legal services, serving on local boards, tutoring local students and participating in community outreach and support efforts in collaboration with local non-profits.
Johnson & Bell participates in Operation Christmas’ “Adopt-A-Child” program. This grass-roots, volunteer organization provides gifts and other necessities to children throughout metropolitan Chicago.
We field a team for the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services’ Race Judicata event, which raises funds to support pro bono representation in metropolitan Chicago.
We also support The Night Ministry, a Chicago-based organization that works to provide housing, health care and human connection to members of our community struggling with poverty or homelessness.
Individual attorneys and staff participate in and support other organizations, including Erie House, Cal’s Angels, Lazarus House, the Illinois Committee of the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, BEDS Plus Care, CASA of Cook County and many others.
It’s an interesting time for company “spokespeople.” Some companies use a gecko, while others use an emu or a “man of mayhem” or go with the “Flo.” We like Robbie — the strong, silent type.
Robbie is serious, imposing and battle-tested, and likely an animal with which most people would rather not cross paths. These are traits we have infused in our trial attorneys — particularly when you “answer for the defense” as often as Johnson & Bell has in the past 40+ years. We have handled some of the largest, most complex catastrophic injury cases in metropolitan Chicago and while our courtroom opponents introduce ever-changing legal theories in hopes of enlarging the damages “pie,” our clients can rest assured that their J&B attorney will be unwavering in our efforts to deliver justice to our clients.