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| Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in: | |
| Personal Injury Law: General | |
| County: Cook | |
| Practice Description: Mr. Karnezis is a highly experienced litigator and has been recognized for his skill in a courtroom. He was named by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Publishing Company as one of the "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty To Watch" in 2001. He also was voted by his peers as a 2005, 2006, and 2007 Super Lawyer in Chicago Magazine. Mr. Karnezis has had great success with several high-profile, complex cases. For example, he, along with former partner Kevin Durkin, tried the case that resulted in a $38.3 million verdict for a mother and her two children who were involved in a devastating truck-car collision on Interstate 90 near Rockford. A 4-year-old girl was killed and her 2-year-old brother was permanently brain damaged when they were involved in a snowy pile-up in 1999. Their mother suffered facial injuries that required 31 surgeries. The verdict was the largest in the country in 2004 involving a motor vehicle crash and was featured as one of the Top 100 Verdicts in the country in the National Law Journal. He also teamed with partner Richard Burke to try a case involving a small corporate plane crash at Palwaukee Airport that killed the co-pilot. Following a lengthy trial, Clifford Law Offices received a $10.45 million verdict where the airport was found 90 percent at fault for failing to provide a safe landing terrain. His experience involving complex litigation and his attention to detail are important credentials in his concentrated preparation for trial. He is a key point person on the multi-faceted, complex Emerald Casino case involving the corporation's retention of its gaming license in the state. His recent settlements include several transportation cases. He obtained a $3 million settlement on behalf of a family of four injured in a head-on collision in suburban Lake Forest. He also obtained a $3 million settlement on behalf of a 64-year-old man who sustained permanent brain injuries when his car was struck by a truck in suburban Countryside. He also obtained a $1 million settlement on behalf of a 34-year-old man who suffered severe fractures of his pelvis and leg when an auto shop repairman lost control of the car during a test drive in suburban Brookfield. He also was involved in the $1.4 million settlement on behalf of a schoolchild who was injured when a bus driver in Fox River Grove negligently stopped the vehicle on railroad tracks and the back of the bus was hit by a moving train. Mr. Karnezis joined the firm as an experienced litigator, having served as an assistant Cook County state's attorney for nine years. His experience in criminal law carried over to his civil work. Notable Cases and Results: Mr. Karnezis is a veteran litigator with more than 14 years of jury trial experience. He has tried more than 69 jury trials in the Circuit Court of Cook County. He has tried complex transportational negligence cases including aviation cases. Recently, he concluded a jury trial involving 17-vehicle pile-up on Interstate 90 that resulted in a $38.3 million verdict for the injured family. This was recognized by the National Law Journal as the largest motor vehicle collision verdict in the United States in 2004. He also participated in the trial of a wrongful death of a corporate pilot that died during the takeoff at Palwaukee Municipal Airport that resulted in a $10.4 million verdict. Other cases include: $1 million to 34-year-old who suffered complex fracture of leg and pelvis. $1.4 million to a 15-year-old girl struck by a CTA bus resulting in skin graft to lower leg. $3 million to a family injured in a motor vehicle collision. $2.2 million to a 65-year-old man injured in a motor vehicle collision who suffered from brain injury. $1 million to a 14-year-old killed when his school bus was struck by a Metra train. Date of Birth: 1966 Law School: Loyola University Chicago School of Law,J.D., 1991 Undergraduate School: University of Illinois, Champaign, B.S., finance, 1988 Bar/Professional Association Involvement: Chicago Bar Association (CBA) Executive Committee Instructor Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Federal Bar Training Course Judicial Evaluation Committee American Bar Association (ABA) Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Community Involvement: Link Mentor: responsible for financial and spiritual support of a Catholic school student for four-year period. Cara program: assists in the professional training and placement of low-income and homeless people Legal Lectures: United States Naval Judge Advocate General Trial Enhancement Program, San Diego, CA (April 2000) - Theme Development in Jury Trials - Analytical Advocacy and the Visual Trial - Theory of Cross Examination, Proactive and Reactive Methodology - Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses Introduction to Trial Advocacy, National Advocacy Center Columbia, SC (March 2000) "The Visual Trial" National College of District Attorneys Career Prosecutors Course, Charleston, SC "Just Win Baby," Theme Development in Jury Trials (June 2000) Montana County Attorneys Association/Summer Educational Seminar "More Valuable Than Gold, More Lethal Than Bullets" The Complex Narcotics Jury Trial (July 2000) United States Naval Judge Advocate General "Trial Enhancement Training" (April 2000) National Advocacy Center, Columbia SC "Technical Cross Examination of Psychiatrists and Psychologists" (February 1999) Cook County Capital Litigation Seminar "Effective Examination of the Mental Health Expert" (June 2000) Cook County Capital Litigation Seminar "Effective Examination of the Mental Health Expert" (June 2000) Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section "Do's and Don'ts of Opening Statements" (October 2000) Non Verbal Communication in Jury Trials National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Las Vegas, Nevada (October 2002) Cross Examination Tips Federal Bar Training Course Chicago, Illinois (April 2004) Closing Statements Federal Bar Training Course Chicago, Illinois (April 2005) DePaul School of Law Perspective of Deposition Practice Chicago, Illinois (April 2005) 1064329 | |
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