Daniel Kirschner Honored as One of Chicago's Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 Years of Age
Type of law: Private Practice, personal injury
Law School: Chicago-Kent College of Law
Honors/involvement: Member of the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee; co-chairmen of the Young Lawyers Committee of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association; former commissioner on the Character and Fitness Committee of the Illinois Board of Admission to the Bar.
Daniel S. Kirschner’s legal career got off to a great start. In his first ever jury trial, Kirschner won a $425,000 award for his client, a garbage-truck driver who had suffered a career-ending shoulder injury when struck by another truck. Since that time, Kirschner has obtained more than $10 million in compensation for his injured clients and their families, including two excess verdicts which in the aggregate exceeded the defendants’ policy limits by a quarter of a million dollars. Not bad for a 31-year-old.
This early success has earned Kirschner, an attorney at Chicago’s Corboy and Demetrio law firm, much respect from his peer, his clients, and from the bench.
“Dan is one of the most talented, professional, and ethical young attorneys I have had the pleasure to deal with both o cases and in bar association memberships” said one of his fellow attorneys. “His ability to grasp difficult issues, get along with opposing counsel and aggressively and competently represent his clients is incredibly impressive and virtually unprecedented for a young attorney.”
A look at Kirschner’s past successes portends a great future for this young lawyer. In 2000, he and Mike Demetrio, a partner at Corboy and Demetrio, together earned $5.25 million settlement for the wrongful death of a flight attendant killed in a corporate jet crash. He also recovered a settlement of $1 million on behalf of a woman who suffered brain and spinal injuries when her vehicles rode under the rear trailer portion of a semi-tractor truck. In the Jan. 17, 2003 issue of Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter, Kirschner’s name came up three times on cases that resulted in recoveries for injured victims of $ 1.025 million, $400,000 and $ 250,000. This all took place in one amazing month.
“Mr. Kirschner is spoken of highly by those who have had the pleasure of working with him whether they be from the plaintiff bar, defense bar or on the bench- accolades which are seldom attributed to someone under 40,” said an Illinois Supreme Court Justice. The Justice added, “I have known Mr. Kirschner for more than 20 years, and have always been impressed with his strong character, noble convictions and steadfast work ethic. He has carried these qualities into the legal profession, where his accomplishments and ability have set him apart from the pack.”
In 1999, the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously voted to appoint Kirschner to the Character and Fitness Committee of the Illinois Board of Admission to the Bar. For three years, he served as a commissioner on hearing panels that often involved hours of evidentiary presentations by bar applicants and their attorneys. The members of the Illinois Supreme Court in 2003 again considered Kirschner’s career accomplishments when voting unanimously to appoint him to the Supreme Court Rules Committee. Such appointments usually go to attorneys with decades of experience.
Outside the courtroom, Kirschner is active in and a member of many bar associations. He currently serves as the co-chairman of the Young Lawyers Committee of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. His activities with the bar involve everything from organizing, moderating, and speaking at seminars for practicing attorneys, to judging student moot court and trial advocacy competitions.
“Dan’s efforts toward injured victims, the legal profession and other aspiring young lawyers is incredibly impressive and tireless,” said a fellow attorney. “In the past years of this award, there is not one candidate that would be more deserving to be one of the top 40 lawyers under the age of 40 in the state of Illinois.”