Gerald J. Bekkerman

Gerald J. Bekkerman is a respected trial lawyer with a history of success representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases nationwide. Before joining as a founding partner of the firm, Gerald ran his own practice, which, in just six years, he grew to six attorneys. During that time, Gerald has obtained numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients nationally. 

Gerald has been honored for his accomplishments in the Legal Community. In 2018, he was awarded the prestigious 40 Under 40 Award by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. This exclusive peer-reviewed nomination recognizes the best young lawyers in the state, with only a handful of lawyers in each area of practice. Over 1500 nominations were received in 2018, and only 40 were selected.

Additionally, the National Trial Lawyers has recognized Gerald as a Top 40 Under 40 trial attorney nationwide. Gerald has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer and Super Lawyers Rising Star for fifteen consecutive years, an honor given to only 2.5% of all attorneys practicing in Illinois. He has been recognized by his peers as an Emerging Lawyer, which is also an exclusive designation open to only the top 2% of attorneys in the State of Illinois under 40 years of age. He is a lifetime member of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for his trial successes.

Gerald has been asked to speak at numerous engagements and legal seminars where he instructs other lawyers on the art of jury selection, oral advocacy, business origination and management, and other trial and litigation-related practices. He has also lectured at area law schools on topics ranging from starting and opening a law firm to jury selection. 

Gerald is an active member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, being elected by his peers to the prestigious Board of Managers, and has served on the Executive Board, overseeing membership growth and marketing. He is also active with the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the American Association of Justice.

Gerald is licensed to practice in Illinois and Wisconsin state courts, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, and several federal jurisdictions. Gerald is also fluent in Russian and proficient in Spanish. He is involved with many charities and advocacy groups, including sitting on the Advisory Board of the Active Transportation Alliance, a non-profit advocacy group focused on improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in Chicago and Illinois. 

Results 

Gerald has developed an impressive record as a trial attorney in the courtroom, fighting on behalf of his clients. Some of his verdicts and settlements include: 

• Confidential eight-figure product liability settlement amount for a man who sustained severe spinal cord injuries. 

• $92 million jury verdict in California in a highway tractor-trailer crash with spinal cord injuries.  

• $18.5 million settlement for an Illinois woman seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash with a construction site company vehicle. 

• $13.5 million excess insurance policy jury verdict wrongful death case with a zero offer from the at-fault defendant corporation.  

• $12 million wrongful death settlement in Florida in a motor vehicle crash with a tractor-trailer.  

• $ 7.5 million for an injured motorcyclist who was struck by a company vehicle in a disputed left turn case in which the motorcyclist was falsely alleged to have been speeding. 

• $5.25 million for an injured motorcyclist in Indiana who had to have his lower leg amputated after a collision with a negligent left-turning vehicle. 

• $4.8 million settlement for a family who were seriously injured in a disputed highway cut-off collision in Chicago, IL.  

• $4.5 million for two women who were seriously injured in rural Ohio when they were rear-ended by a driver driving a semi-truck for a national trucking company.  

• $4.5 million settlement for a pedestrian struck by a delivery driver in Chicago.  

• $4 million settlement for a construction site injury for a roofer who fell through a roof at a job site. 

• $3.5 million medical malpractice settlement against a Chicago-area hospital for the death of an 18-month-old in its facility    

• $2.75 million settlement for an injured dockworker as a result of the negligent operation of a forklift operator  

• $2.5 million jury verdict in an automobile case for an injured 25-year-old who sustained traumatic injuries to his right ankle and knee. The Plaintiff was wrongly ticketed for causing the crash with the defendant, and the defense offered zero at trial. 

• $2.27 million jury verdict against the City of Chicago for an injured U.S. Postal worker whose leg fell into a sinkhole while he was walking in a pedestrian crosswalk. There was no offer to settle before trial. 

• $2.25 million for a bicyclist injured by a left-turning company vehicle being operated by a runner for a construction company. 

• $2 million partial settlement from two contractors at a construction project after a worker fell through an uncovered skylight and died while fixing a roof.  

• $1.5 million for the estate of a special needs handicapped adult who died in October of 2011 after she suffered numerous falls at her group home.  

• $1.185 million settlement for a woman who was struck by a bakery delivery truck in Chicago while she was crossing the street.  

• $1.25 million medical malpractice settlement for a placental abruption fetal demise case for a 30-week-old fetus 

• $1 million settlement for the estate of a 34-year-old man who was killed by a CTA train.  

• $837,500 for an 85-year-old woman who admitted herself into a nursing home for rehabilitation following back surgery and developed a stage 4 bed sore wound on her lower back 

• $525,000 for the family of a teenage autistic boy who was violently assaulted by a Chicago Police Officer.