“
I love trying cases with lawyers who know what they are doing. That’s
when this business becomes like play.”
“ I have had the good fortune of knowing John since our days in high school, when we competed against one another on our respective golf teams. We reconnected during the early stages of our careers when John was at Kirkland & Ellis and I with Philip H. Corboy & Associates. During those years and throughout John’s illustrious tenure with Johnson & Bell, we have handled multiple significant cases against one another but, alas, never in front of a jury. Based on his stellar reputa- tion in product liability cases and defend- ing ComEd, I have every right to feel thank- ful that was the case! John and I have found plenty of time to return to our roots – the golf course. We have had many memorable outings, both around Chicagoland and Arizona, with Bill Maddux and Bill Johnson. Based upon the wonderful quality time I have spent with John, I can clearly see why jurors have liked him and why judges and the plaintiff’s bar have a great deal of respect for him. He is likable, credible, kind and sincere. His proficiency as a lawyer has granted him entry into the American College of Tri- al Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates, where he served as Presi- dent of the Illinois Chapter. He is not only a colleague for whom I pro- foundly respect, but a dear friend whom I hold in high regard. My admiration for him is indelible.
John Bell and William Johnson
them accidentally getting too close to power lines even if the detection technol- ogy was installed. Bell spent long hours trying cases for crane manufacturers, arguing in court- rooms in Little Rock and up in Wisconsin. The goal, again, was to seek justice for his clients, Bell said. And that was just one series of cases. Bell has spent much of his career rep- resenting companies from a wide variety of industries. Every time he took on a case, he learned something new. “It was fascinating,” Bell said. “I learned so much from these different industries. It was intellectually challenging. And I’ve gotten to play with some very good trial lawyers. I love trying cases with lawyers who know what they are doing. That’s when this business becomes like play.” Bell’s peers have recognized his talents. Chicago Lawyer magazine named him one of the Top 20 Tort Defense Lawyers in Chicago, while in 2016, he received the Defense Attorney Achievement Award at the Jury Verdict Reporter’s Trial Excellence Awards. The National Law Journal even credited Bell with earning one of the best defense verdicts of 2000. These honors aren’t surprising. Bell has notched several winning results for his clients. In 2012, for example, Bell and fellow Johnson & Bell shareholder Charles Rantis obtained a defense verdict in favor of a major ladder manufac- turer following a two-week-long jury trial. The plaintiff sought damages of more than $18 million and had earlier rejected a settlement offer of $3 million. The lawsuit against Bell’s client arose from al- legations that the plaintiff suffered a traumatic brain injury during a 2006 ladder accident, which left the 64-year-old so badly injured that he required institu- tional care full-time in a nursing home. The plaintiff’s experts testified that the right lower rail below the ladder’s bottom step had buckled and counted as a design flaw. These experts contended that a 1995 design change to this rail had resulted in a stronger ladder that would have prevented the accident. Bell, Rantis and their legal team argued that the plaintiff’s experts could not demonstrate by testing or experimentation how the ladder had failed.
Congratulations, John, on this latest and well-deserved accolade.”
Thomas A. Demetrio, Corboy & Demetrio
JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2023 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 51
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