Litigation
For additional information, download the Illinois Tort Immunity Handbook.
The experience and talents of our core litigation team at Ancel Glink have produced an unparalleled record of great results for our clients. We stress fresh and creative approaches to litigation, with a goal of getting the fastest and most economical resolution of a lawsuit that serves the client's interests. Whether in business, tort, employment or other types of cases, our superb trial, mediation and settlement results come from the preparation, strategy and skill that only seasoned litigators like ours bring to each case.
Our streamlined approach to pretrial strategies makes us cutting-edge in effectively disposing of cases prior to trial or efficiently narrowing issues for trial. Ancel Glink's litigators are aggressive, but cost-effective in delivering quality results. We keep our clients actively involved in their cases every step of the way. Our litigators practice at every level of state and federal trial and appellate courts, and in administrative proceedings and alternative dispute forums such as mediations and arbitrations. Our broad-based and successful trial experience makes our trial lawyers the best at balancing the risks and benefits of trial against other options. Simply put, our trial lawyers get better settlements and better trial results.
Our litigators have been retained to represent corporations, governmental entities, public officials, high-level corporate executives, health and liability insurers, small businesses, real estate concerns, and various associations and institutions in a wide range of complex litigation matters. We also have litigators in practice groups who concentrate in unique areas of litigation such as election contests, construction, land use, zoning, and eminent domain. The firm, generally, bills litigation on an hourly basis, but has in the past and will continue to consider alternative billing arrangements when appropriate. For more information on our litigation services, please contact Thomas G. DiCianni at (312) 782-7606.
GOVERNMENTAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS DEFENSE
Ancel Glink is a leader in the field of governmental defense. Our litigators have defended tort and civil rights cases against public entities and officials arising out of police and fire department operations, political activities, employment decisions, sexual abuse, education, criminal prosecution, land use, and a myriad of other functions unique to government service. Ancel Glink's record in defending the Chicago police, suburban and outlying entities throughout the state in complex federal litigation challenging municipal policies and practices is unmatched.
Our trial teams have won verdicts in cases with exposures capable of threatening the financial stability of the government entity or official we defended. Our firm is shown as the attorney of record in hundreds of published opinions and verdict reports involving public entities and officials.
Outside of the courtroom, Ancel Glink's attorneys are widely published and frequently lecture on government liability and civil rights litigation. Our attorneys have served in many leadership positions in national, state and local professional associations dedicated to advancing the practice of defending governments, their employees and elected officials. We are happy to provide to our clients any of our many publications covering governmental issues, such as our Tort Immunity Handbook, our Municipal Law Handbook, Park District Law Handbook, and our Township Officials Laws and Duties Treatise. Ancel Glink is widely acknowledged as a premier governmental defense firm in the state of Illinois.
BUSINESS/COMMERCIAL PRACTICE
Ancel Glink's litigators have represented all sizes of business organizations, from closely-held companies to Fortune 500 multinational corporations. All manners of business disputes are handled to cost-effectively and efficiently resolve issues by way of arbitration, mediation, settlement, or trial. Our lawyers have also advised our business clients in litigation avoidance and risk management.
We handle cases where damages are in issue, and where extraordinary non-monetary relief is sought, such as a restraining order, injunction, or declaratory judgment. In our commercial litigation practice, we often implement alternative dispute resolution measures, including mediation and arbitration, resulting in substantial reductions of total litigation costs to our clients.
GENERAL TORT LITIGATION
Since its inception, Ancel Glink has handled all aspects of tort litigation. Our litigators have handled every type of personal injury, wrongful death, property damage and negligence actions, many of them catastrophic cases, that can be brought before a tribunal. We handle medical and legal negligence cases, D&O liability, defamation, privacy claims, products liability, and other cases. For workplace injuries, in addition to our workers' compensation practice, our litigators have had significant success in verdicts in Federal Employers' Liability Act and Jones Act cases. We have handled tort litigation on behalf of governmental entities, private and Fortune 500 corporations, closely-held entities, railroads and utilities, property owners and individuals.
Our lawyers have been instrumental in developing and implementing new investigative procedures as well as incident and catastrophic response procedures to lessen potential liabilities for both our public and private sector clients. These measures have substantially reduced the number of lawsuits filed against our clients and dramatically reduced the costs of ultimate liability incurred by clients and their insurers.
EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES
Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights Act amendments in the 1990s radically expanded employments rights, making work related claims one of the most active areas of litigation today. A large part of Ancel Glink's litigation practice involves handling a myriad of employment actions brought under federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, age, or disability, as well as cases alleging harassment, retaliation, and hate crimes.
We are also highly successful in handling actions brought under statutes and regulations governing wage classifications, wage payment practices, leaves of absence, and union-management relationships, as well as litigation involving tort and contract claims for wrongful discharge, breach of employment contracts and defamation. Our litigators are consistently called upon to handle matters brought before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other administrative bodies, and regularly assist our clients with employee discipline and grievance procedures, as well as interpreting and implementing the provisions of collective bargaining agreements.
EMINENT DOMAIN
Ancel Glink's attorneys have extensive experience in eminent domain litigation for municipalities, counties, park districts and other governmental entities throughout the State of Illinois. Our eminent domain lawyers are frequently brought in on difficult cases raising unsettled issues. An example is one recent case in which Ancel Glink successfully blocked the land owner's attempt to establish property value based on probabilities of rezoning. We handle condemnation cases involving redevelopment, street extensions, right-of-way takings, lake-front and open-space property preservation, in urban, agricultural and other settings. We have obtained favorable jury verdicts in eminent domain litigation for our clients with millions of dollars at risk. One such case involved an 80-acre parcel of property where we saved our client $1.9 million.
Ancel Glink's attorneys have served as Special Assistant States Attorneys for counties in negotiating with homeowners in cases where the county was condemning land for road projects. Our eminent domain lawyers have also served as Special Assistant Attorneys General for the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Department of Conservation.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
Ancel Glink's representation of intergovernmental liability and health insurance pools has put the firm in the unique position of handling complex coverage issues on behalf of both insureds and insurers. The firm has litigated coverage issues involving additional insured endorsements, indemnity agreements, other insurance clauses, environmental and pollution exclusions, coverage triggers, personal injury and advertising injury provisions, arson, rescission, and other disputes. Although the firm's defense practice sometimes precludes it from also serving as coverage counsel for our clients, where no conflicts exist the firm has experience in litigating complicated insurance coverage issues.
LAND USE
There perhaps is a no more fluid area of litigation presently than in the topic of land use. Our attorneys frequently lecture and write on land use issues. The firm has litigated land use cases alleging regulatory takings, inverse condemnation, and cases in which claims are made that a land use regulation violates the owner's due process or equal protection rights, the First Amendment, or state law. Land use litigation is a robust part of Ancel Glink's practice.
CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS
The firm has handled class actions, for both plaintiffs and defendants, in cases involving statutory contractual rights, wiretapping, Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act, flooding, and other class claims.
CONSTRUCTION
Ancel, Glink has an active construction litigation practice. The firm's attorneys have represented owners, contractors, architects and engineers in cases involving construction site accidents, construction manager liability, liens, delays, extras, faulty workmanship and bonds, both in court and before arbitrators. The firm has also litigated indemnity and insurance rights arising out of construction site mishaps.
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