Bruce R. Pfaff
Bruce Pfaff has been a trial lawyer since 1979, representing people injured or killed by wrongful conduct. He received excellent training from two premier law firms before starting his own practice in 1991. Bruce has succeeded for clients in cases including those hurt by unsafe or defective products, especially vehicles, medical malpractice by obstetricians, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons, other doctors and hospital personnel, careless driving, poor maintenance of property, sexual assault, legal malpractice, and other forms of personal injury cases in Chicago.
Bruce has received jury verdicts for his clients totaling more than $100 Million. In four cases, his clients have each received more than $10 Million in jury verdicts. He has also settled cases before trial for more than $100 Million for his clients. In addition to representing clients and managing the law firm, Bruce writes Friend of the Court briefs for the Illinois Trial Lawyers' Association and for the American Board of Trial Advocates. He holds committee positions with the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers' Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.
Lawyer Ratings
Bruce holds the highest possible ratings from Martindale-Hubbell ("AV") and AVVO.com ("10.0 superb"). He is among the top 100 of Illinois Super Lawyers issued by Chicago Magazine and has been elected to The Best Lawyers in America for personal injury and medical negligence law.
Memberships & Committees
- Elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), 1997
- President of the Illinois Chapter of ABOTA, 1999-2000
- Member of ABOTA's National Board of Directors, 2001-2007
- Elected Fellow of the International Society of Barristers, 2008
Representative Published Decisions
Mikolajczyk v. Ford Motor Company, 231 Ill.2d 516 (2008)
Mikolajczyk v. Ford Motor Company, 374 Ill.App.3d 646 (1st Dist. 2007)
Gann v. TTI, Inc., 491 F.Supp.2d 771 (N.D. Ill. 2007)
Rennert v. Great Dane Ltd. Partnership, 543 F.3d 914 (7th Cir. 2008)
Bryant v. LaGrange Memorial Hosp., 345 Ill.App.3d 565 (1st Dist. 2003)
Carrillo v. Ford Motor Co., 325 Ill.App.3d 955 (1st Dist. 2001)
DeYoung v. Alpha Const. Co., 186 Ill.App.3d 758 (1st Dist. 1989)
Schaffner v. Chicago & North Western Transp. Co., 129 Ill.2d 1 (1989)
Speeches/Articles
More than 90 speeches or articles presented, including:
“Direct Examination” and “Closing Argument” presented at the Chicago Bar Association’s program, Creative Insights for the Tort Trial Lawyer, March 2009.
“Crashworthiness Cases, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Chicago, November 2007.
Masters in Trial presenter, American Board of Trial Advocate, Dallas, Texas, October 2007.
Masters in Trial presenter, American Board of Trial Advocates, Oxford, Ms., April 2007.
“Automotive Seat Design Liability,” Attorney’s Information Exchange Group program, Chicago, April 2007.
“Product Liability: Evidence and Jury Instructions,” Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association, February 2007.
“Opening Statements,” Chicago Bar Association, February 2007.
“Use of Literature,” Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association, January 2007.
Favorite Charities
LaRabida Children's Hospital, Misericordia, Erin's Handicapped Children's Fund, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Public Justice, Public Citizen, Evans Scholars, Western Golf Association, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation.
What We Do
Click on the Practice Areas below to learn more...
Vehicle Related Cases
- Automotive Defects
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
Causes: Seat Belt Injuries - Tire Blow Out - Seat Back Failure - Sudden Unintended Acceleration
Personal Injuries
Birth Injuries
Medical Malpractice and Neglijence
Defective Products
Wrongful Death
Firm News
- Bruce Pfaff recently reached a $9,000,000 settlement in a product liability case with the manufacturer of a garage door that catastrophically failed and trapped a 4-year-old boy under the door. Read more.
- Bruce Pfaff recently co-authored an article in the CBA Record entitled, "The Right to Submit Questions to Jurors."
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Awards & Ratings
- Bruce Pfaff has been named one of Chicago's Best Lawyers in the 2010 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of personal injury ligation, product liability litigation, and medical malpractice law. Best Lawyers® is considered the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.
- Bruce Pfaff is currently ranked one of the Top 100 Illinois Lawyers by Super Lawyers and The American Trial Lawyers’ Association
- Super Lawyers selected both Michael Gill and Matthew Ports as Rising Stars in Illinois - the top lawyers under 40 years old.
- The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin has recognized Michael Gill as one of its “40 Lawyers Under 40 To Watch”
- Bruce Pfaff has the highest possible ratings given by Martindale Hubbell (“A.V.”) and AVVO.com (“10.0 Superb”)
- Michael Gill is rated “9.2 Superb” by AVVO.com and "A.V." by Martindale Hubbell
- The Leading Lawyers Network recognizes both Bruce Pfaff and Michael Gill as among the top 5% of lawyers in Illinois in the areas of Personal Injury law and Professional Malpractice law.
Verdicts & Settlements
- R.B. v. Garage Door Manufacturer $9,000,000 settlement for the family of a 4-year-old boy who suffered brain injuries after being trapped under a garage door.
- L.C. V. Ford Motor Co.
$14,500,000 verdict for a woman who became paraplegic when her 1991 Ford Explorer was rear ended. - K.B. v. Kim
$30,000,000 jury verdict for a six-year-old girl who suffered cerebral palsy due to a delayed emergency cesarean section delivery. - D.B. v. Advocate Medical Group, S.C.
$10,500,000 jury verdict for a 72-year-old woman who suffered an above knee amputation of her leg due to a failure of the emergency room doctor to diagnose bacterial cellulites.
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