January 31, 2023 - The Collins Law Firm is proud to announce that six attorneys at the firm have been named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list this year. Partners Shawn Collins and Edward Manzke, and Of Counsel attorneys Norman Berger and John Sopuch have been selected as 2023 Super Lawyers. Partner John Risvold and Associate Margaret Galka have been named 2023 Rising Stars.
Super Lawyers recognizes the top 5% of attorneys in each state. These attorneys, who are selected through peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations, have distinguished themselves in their legal practice. Rising Stars is reserved for only 2.5% of younger attorneys who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Super Lawyers is widely recognized as a valuable resource for anyone who is searching for a lawyer.
"We are honored that six attorneys at our firm have been recognized for excellence in the field of law. Our mission at The Collins Law Firm is to give each client the best representation possible, and it is gratifying to have this acknowledged," said Shawn Collins. Congratulations to the following attorneys for their recognition by Super Lawyers for 2023.
Shawn Collins is the managing partner and founder of The Collins Law Firm and has three and a half decades of experience as a trial lawyer. He has been named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list 14 times since the program was introduced in 2005. His cases have set precedents in the field of environmental litigation, and he has secured verdicts or settlements of more than $460 million for his clients in this area, including a record-setting $363 million verdict for a woman who contracted breast cancer after decades of exposure to ethylene oxide. Mr. Collins is also very experienced in commercial litigation; together with other lawyers at the firm, he has obtained verdicts or settlements of $315 million on behalf of commercial clients.
Edward Manzke has three decades of experience as a litigator in both personal injury and environmental cases. A senior partner at the firm, Mr. Manzke has been named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list 17 times since 2006. He was one of the first plaintiff's lawyers in the country to successfully prosecute a wrongful death case involving the negligent manufacture of synthetic drugs. Over the years, Ed has won verdicts and settlements totaling over $160 million for his personal injury and environmental clients, including an $8 million settlement for an automobile accident victim.
Partner John Risvold represents victims and families in Illinois in personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. John’s personal injury settlements have been included in the Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in Illinois and the Top 100 Truck Accident Settlements in the United States. Recently, John recovered $900,000 for a client who suffered spinal damage after being rear-ended in a trucking accident and $550,000 in a car accident case where our client was rear-ended at high speed which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. John has been a Super Lawyers Rising Star seven times.
Margaret Galka has been an associate at The Collins Law Firm since 2018. Margaret focuses her practice on environmental mass tort, civil rights, and other complex litigation. Margaret has represented many clients with health problems or property damage caused by toxins and environmental hazards. Recently, Margaret helped secure a record-breaking, $363 million, verdict at trial for a client who contracted breast cancer after decades of living near a sterilization facility that emitted a potent carcinogen (ethylene oxide) into their air. This is the first year Margaret has been selected to Rising Stars.
Norman Berger serves as Of Counsel with The Collins Law firm on environmental matters. Norman has been practicing environmental law since the early days of environmental regulation when he was an Assistant Attorney General of Illinois representing the Illinois EPA in enforcement matters. Since then, Norman has been involved in many of the largest Superfund matters in the Midwest and has recovered more than $100 million for clients exposed to toxic chemicals. He has been an Illinois Super Lawyer every year since the inception of the program.
John Sopuch serves as Of Counsel at The Collins Law Firm and represents clients in business litigation and commercial dispute resolution. He has been involved in several multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts with the firm. He has been a Super Lawyer since 2018.
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