Burke, Mahoney & Wise | Michael Mahoney

Michael Mahoney has distinguished himself within the Chicago legal community through his trial work and the extraordinary results he has obtained on behalf of his clients. Mike is also a popular teacher and lecturer.

Mike is one of the founding partners of Burke, Mahoney & Wise. Previously, he was a partner with the firm of Corboy & Demetrio.

Mike has obtained hundreds of verdicts and settlements, 47 of which were resolved for $1 million or more. When Mike obtained his tenth verdict over $1 million, he was the youngest lawyer in Illinois to achieve that mark.

Some of Mike’s notable results include the following:

On June 12, 2008, Mike obtained a $1,130,000 verdict in Walworth County, Wisconsin on behalf of a woman who suffered postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome as a result of a fall from a ski lift. Szymanska v. The Marcus Corporation.
In 2007, he settled a case for $2,500,000 on behalf of a minor bicyclist struck by a PACE bus. Eufracio v. Pace.
In 2006, Mike settled a case on behalf of a union electrician for $8,060,000. The plaintiff suffered an autonomic nervous system disorder as the result of a three-foot fall into an elevator shaft. Seay v. Thrush Construction Company.
In 2004, Mike settled a case against the City of Chicago for over $2 million where the failure to fix a pothole led to the wrongful death of a husband and father. Herrera v. City of Chicago.
Also in 2004, he settled a medical malpractice case involving a uterine rupture for $4 million. Hashmi v. Swedish Covenant Hospital.
In 2003, Mike obtained a $19.4 million verdict on behalf of a woman who had a stroke and lost fingers and toes following complications from outpatient surgery. Phillips v. Saleh, et al.
In the same year, he also resolved a construction negligence case for $1,500,000 settlement on behalf of an electrician who injured her leg in a fall at work. Wurl v. Dathe Van Every.
In 2002, he obtained a $2.2 million verdict on behalf of a former Notre Dame soccer star who injured his leg in a fall in a bathroom at Soldier Field. Chang v. Soldier Field.
In 2001, Mike recovered a $9.6 million verdict on behalf of a 46-year-old ironworker rendered a paraplegic due to construction negligence. Yaksic v. U.B.M.
In 2000, he obtained a $1.3 million verdict for a young woman whose leg was injured when a 300-pound camp bell she was ringing fell on top of her. O’Shea v. Girl Scouts of America.
In 1999, Mike tried a case against three trucking companies on behalf of a woman who suffered a devastating brain injury. The jury returned an Illinois record $40 million verdict. Vasilion v. Three I Truck Line.

Other highlights include:

Mike settled a wrongful death case against the Chicago Transit Authority for $3 million, a case that launched a local NBC news investigation into the CTA’s training procedures.
Mike set a Will County record with a $2.8 million settlement in a wrongful death action against a local municipality. Fornek v. Village of Bolingbrook.

TEACHING

From 1999 to the present, Mike has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at The John Marshall Law School. He teaches trial advocacy. In 2007, The John Marshall Law School trial advocacy program was ranked sixth in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

From 1999 through 2006, Mike also coached The John Marshall Law School’s trial team in the mock trial competition sponsored by the American Trial Lawyers Association (“ATLA”). In each of these years, John Marshall’s team advanced at least as far as the regional semi-finals. In 2002, the team won the regional championship. The team also won the regional championship in 2006 and ultimately placed in the top 4 of the original group of 146 law school teams.

On June 15, 2005, Mike was profiled in an article that appeared in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin entitled: “There’s No Argument About His Teaching Arts.”

RECENT LECTURES

Speaker, “Jury Selection,” Oregon Trial Lawyer's Association, 2008 Annual Convention (August 14-16, 2008)

Program Developer, Moderator and Speaker, The Physician’s Deposition, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) (December 19, 2007)

Speaker, “Illinois Procedure - Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Basic Skills Short Course for New Lawyers, The New Attorney’s Introduction to the Effective Practice of Law, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), Northwestern University (March 9, 2007)

Mike has also been a frequent lecturer in the continuing legal education programs of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA). His presentations have focused on trial strategy, discovery, and governmental immunities.

APPOINTMENTS

In 2008, Mike was appointed a Board Member of the Legal Clinic of the Catholic Charities of Chicago.

In 1997, the Illinois Supreme Court recognized Mike by appointing him to its Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions (Civil). Mike served on the Committee through 2003.

RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS

In the Spring of 2005, students participating in The John Marshall Law School’s Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution created a special award for Mike “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the law school’s trial advocacy program and his unsurpassed dedication to trial instruction, team coaching and student mentoring.”

In 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, Mike was named a “Leading Lawyer” by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company, publisher of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer. The award recognized Mike as one of the top 5% of lawyers in Illinois practicing in the field of personal injury and wrongful death.

In 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, Mike was named an “Illinois Super Lawyer.”

In January of 2000, Mike was selected by Chicago Lawyer magazine as one of its “40 Under 40” -- 40 lawyers under the age of 40 to watch.

EDUCATION

J.D., Loyola University of Chicago School of Law - 1989
B.B.A., University of Notre Dame - 1982

ADMITTED

Illinois - 1989
United States District Court Northern District of Illinois - 1989
7th United States Circuit Court of Appeals - 1989
United States Supreme Court - 1997