40 Under Forty 2021

2021

JULIE PUSTILNIK

She displays strong and creative litigation skills.”

J ulie Pustilnik is a force among the top trial attorneys in Chicago. Julie has devoted her career to fighting for vic- tims of catastrophic injury, and with a sophisticated knowledge of the law and a persuasive presence in the courtroom, has already amassed an impressive list of accomplishments in her young career. An example? Julie recently earned a jury verdict of more than $1.4 million for a woman hit by a car door while riding her bicycle. This was an excess verdict against the defendant’s insurance compa- ny, which refused to accept responsibility. Thanks to Julie’s impressive trial skills, her client recovered eight times more than the policy limits and settlement offer. Julie also earned a $2.5 million jury ver- dict for a man in a disputed highway crash; a $3 million medical negligence settlement during trial for a man whose tracheosto- my tube dislodged; a $1.8 million medical negligence jury verdict for a man who de- veloped an infection following a prostate biopsy; and a $7 million settlement for a union pipefitter who sustained knee inju- ries at an unsafe construction site. Then there’s the record $67.2 million jury verdict that Julie and her trial team earned on behalf of a laborer who was se- verely burned while working on a grain bin that exploded. John McGarry, with Chicago firm Donohue Brown Matthewson & Smyth, opposed Julie from 2016 to 2020 in a medical negligence case. He, too, saw up close her courtroom skills. “Ms. Pustilnik was exceptionally well prepared for each of the several

depositions she took in our complicated medical negligence case, including as the lead attorney in deposing the defendant physician and defense expert,” McGarry said. “She knew the records backward and forward and was very thorough in her examination, always following through to ensure she got the necessary information, all the while remaining calm, professional and poised.” Julie is also President of Chicago-Kent’s Young Alumni Council. Jesse Footlik, with Chicago firm Peck Ritchey, sits on the Council with Julie and has known her since law school. He has watched as Julie has rapidly become one of the top per- sonal injury specialists in Chicago. “Julie has achieved exceptional results for her clients, notwithstanding difficult cases. She displays strong and creative lit- igation skills,” Footlik said. Christopher Norem, with Chicago firm Parente & Norem, said that he expects an even brighter future for Julie. Why? Not only is Julie smart, talented and dedicat- ed, she also empathizes with her clients. And that is a key skill for any personal inju- ry lawyer, Norem said. “One of the most important aspects of her skill and personality as a lawyer I found commendable was her ability to humanize and relate with the clients and their families in very difficult emotional situations where a family was torn apart by tragedy,” Norem said. “I think this is an invaluable skill for any lawyer handling high stakes personal injury or death cases and one that is very underappreciated in our field.”

FIRM Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC

LAW SCHOOL IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law

AREA OF PRACTICE Plaintiff’s personal injury

40 Under Forty 2021 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN