January 2018 Newsletter

DuPage County Verdict

The Firm recently obtained a verdict in DuPage County in a case involving the mental capacity and undue influence of an elderly woman. Within a year of her death, our client’s mother changed the beneficiary of her retirement account and land trust from our client to her live-in boyfriend. The lawsuit alleged that our client’s mother did not have the mental capacity to make the changes in beneficiary and that the changes were the product of undue influence. The verdict found in favor of our client on all counts of his complaint resulting in an award of approximately $500,000.

Commercial and Banking Litigation

The Firm prepared transaction and loan documents for $41 Million in loans recently. We continued to see encouragement in new real estate development.

The Firm obtained a dismissal with prejudice for a national entertainment organization. The Federal Court motion was contested, with Plaintiff’s counsel being one of the largest law firms in the country.

Super Lawyers 2018

The Collins Law Firm is pleased to announce that two of the Firm’s partners have been named to the 2018 Super Lawyers list, and two associates have been named to the 2018 Illinois Rising Stars list. Super Lawyers recognizes attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their legal practice. Super Lawyer designation is received by only 5% of lawyers in the state, and Rising Stars by only 2.5% of young lawyers.

The Collins Law Firm would like to congratulate the following attorneys:

Shawn Collins has been an Illinois Super Lawyer since 2005, and is the managing partner and founder of The Collins Law Firm. His cases have set legal precedents in the field of environmental litigation, and he has recovered more than $63 Million for environmental contamination victims, as well as $36 Million for injured clients and $315 Million on behalf of commercial clients.

Edward Manzke has been an Illinois Super Lawyer since 2006, and is a partner at the Collins Law Firm. As a litigator in both personal injury and environmental cases, Mr. Manzke has obtained verdicts or settlements of $1 Million or more for multiple personal injury clients. In the past 15 years, Ed has recovered over $100 Million for his clients.

Jeff Cisowski has been an Illinois Rising Star since 2016. Mr. Cisowski is an associate at the Collins Law Firm and works primarily in the business litigation and banking area of the Firm.

John Risvold has been an Illinois Rising Star two years in a row. As an associate at the Firm, Mr. Risvold handles personal injury, medical negligence, and wrongful death cases.