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Joseph A. Power, Jr.

Joseph A. Power, Jr.
Status: Active
Power Rogers LLP
70 W. Madison St., 55th Fl.
Chicago, IL 60602-4212
(312) 236-9381
joepower@powerrogers.com
www.powerrogers.com

Joseph A. Power, Jr. is the founding partner of the Power, Rogers, LLP law firm in Chicago, Past-President of the Inner Circle, Public Justice, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and a prominent trial lawyer focusing on cases involving medical malpractice, trucking collisions, wrongful death, product liability and catastrophic personal injuries. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Joe Power was voted the top injury attorney in Illinois and one of the top Chicago injury attorneys in an article published in Chicago Magazine. He has also been described in the media as "Darth Vader to the insurance companies" and "one of the most influential lawyers in the state." He has been committed to fighting for the underdog for more than a quarter of a century. With unique talents and dedication from his first foray into the courtroom at age 28, Joe Power was the nation's youngest injury attorney to win a million-dollar verdict on behalf of a plaintiff. He tried the case alone after the offer to settle for $75,000 was declined. Joe Power has obtained more than 200 jury verdicts and settlements in excess of $ 1 million, including the largest jury verdict in Illinois history for a medical malpractice case of $55.4 Million, and a recovery of $100 Million in a trucking and products case (the truck driver only had $1 million in coverage) which led to seventy-six criminal convictions, including the former Governor of Illinois in the "licenses for bribes" scandal, triggering the retesting of over 2000 truck drivers. Mr. Power has obtained similar success in each of his trucking cases. For example, an Illinois family recovered almost $40 million, which was all the insurance coverage available, when a husband and father of two was killed and his teenage daughter suffered serious injuries as a result of a negligent truck driver in Indiana. Mr. Power also obtained a $23 million dollar verdict for a 50-year-old man seriously injured in a trucking collision in Illinois. In another limited insurance coverage case, Joe obtained a settlement of $27,375,000 for the death of a mother, father and minor daughter who were killed after a semi tractor-trailer collided with the rear of their vehicle. The driver of the tractor-trailer, who is believed to have fallen asleep shortly before the crash, was insured at $1,000,000.00. In addition, his trailer was insured up to $5,000,000.00. Joe pursued a theory that the driver was the agent/apparent agent of the shipper and broker which were comprised of three separate corporate entities and was acting under their direction and control at the time of the crash.

Joseph Power and his son, James Power, obtained a verdict of $95,477,464.00 reduced to $85,929,717.60, for a plaintiff who lost both of his legs when he was working as a truck driver and the cargo he was transporting fell onto him. This verdict was the largest jury verdict in Illinois history for a contested liability personal injury case. The day after obtaining that verdict, Joseph Power, Larry Rogers, Jr. and James Power set out on another complex trial and obtained a verdict of $33.4 Million for their clients in a negligent security case against Allied Barton. In a products liability case against Navistar, Inc., Joe obtained a verdict of $21,600,000 for a client who as he exited his 1999 International Tractor Trailer, the grab handle and fastening system broke away from its support brackets stirrup, pulled through the heat shield and separated from the tractor, causing the Plaintiff to fall and land on his head. Plaintiff was still holding the grab handle when he was found by the stores employee.

In a products liability case, Joe obtained a $10,000,000 settlement on behalf of an immigrant family whose husband and father, a sewer brick pipe layer, was killed while attempting to make a connection between a public sewer line and a residence in Chicago when a large piece of clay fell loose from the trench wall. It was alleged that the trench shield failed to prevent the cave-in and the death of the Plaintiff. Most recently, Joe Power along with James Power and Larry Rogers, Jr. obtained a settlement against 7-Eleven, Inc. in the amount of $91,000.00 when a driver mistook the gas pedal for the break causing his vehicle to accelerate onto the sidewalk pinning the Plaintiff into the building and crushing both of his lower extremities. This settlement is the largest pretrial recovery for an injured person injured in the history of the State of Illinois. Joe has recovered over $5 Billion for his clients.

In other noteworthy cases, a local hospital allowed a teenage gunshot victim to bleed until he was near death in an alley outside its doors, until the police came to his rescue and carried him into the hospital. He later died. This case resulted in a federal investigation, review and clarification of the federal law concerning hospital emergency room duties. The family of the deceased teenager ultimately recovered $12.5 million. Mr. Power also represented the then Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court where a jury awarded $7,000,000.00 for defamation. Joe along with his brother Tom Power and son, James Power, obtained a settlement in the amount of $50 million against a local power company and two tree service companies when the Plaintiff suffered electrocution while attempting to trim his tree, unaware power lines were running through the tree.

Joe Power has tried and recovered on numerous medical malpractice cases including $43,000.000.00, $35,000,000.00, $30,000,000, $25,000,000.00, $21,700,000.00, $18,750,000.00, $18,000,000.00, $15,700,000.00, $13,000,000.00, $12,800,000.00, $12,500,000.00, $12,250,000.00 and $12,000,000.00. Each one of his jury verdicts have resulted in the payment of between $43 and $2 million dollars, depending upon the amount of the defendants insurance policy.

Joe Power has been repeatedly selected as one of the top lawyers by LawDragon, a group which selects the top 500 lawyers in the country. He has been named a top personal injury and consumer lawyer based upon polling of fellow lawyers in the Leading Lawyer Magazine since 2009 and is one of Super Lawyers Magazines top ten lawyers in Illinois. Additionally, Joe has been named in the Best Lawyers in America since inception. He has been recognized by several organizations for his work as a trial lawyer. Power was awarded "Protector of the Working Man" by the Illinois State Crime Commission, "Citizen of the Year" by the City Club of Chicago and "Board Member of the Year" by the Little City Foundation. He received the Medal of Merit and Distinguished Award for Excellence from the Illinois State Bar Association and the Medal of Excellence by the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. He was awarded the Tribute for Leadership on behalf of social justice and progressive change by US Action and US Action Education Fund, as well as the prestigious Leonard Ring Award which is awarded to someone who has devoted, as Leonard Ring did, a substantial part of their life and their practice to the Illinois Trial Lawyers, someone who has done more than is called for, and to someone who has the standards, work ethic and commitment to the Illinois Trial Lawyers that Leonard had. He was also awarded the Justice John Paul Stevens award which is presented annually by the Chicago Bar Foundation and Chicago Bar Association to attorneys who best exemplify the Justice's commitment to integrity and public service in the practice of law. Most recently Joe was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for Trial Lawyer Excellence, one of the Chicago legal communitys most prestigious accolades. Joe and his firm have recently been named by Chicago Lawyer Magazines Annual Settlement Survey as the number one Chicago personal injury law firm in terms of financial recoveries for 12 out of 13 years.
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