“ The Illinois Supreme Court announced its desire that the “age of civility” should prevail especially for attorneys involved in the high stakes of civil trial litigation. John Bell is an example of a lawyer that the court had in mind when they made the announcement. Any client involved in litigation wants a lawyer who will be a strong advocate for their position. The client expects their at- torney to be thoroughly prepared and to achieve the best results possible under the particular circumstances. Clients rely on their lawyer’s ability to communicate with judges, opposing lawyers, and ju- rors. In my experience with John Bell, he truly is successful in fulfilling his client’s expectations. Among the special traits he possesses that have served him well is his ability to get along with opposing counsel. He is a gentleman at all times. These attributes helped increase his skills and led to his success as a trial lawyer. I applaud John Bell receiving the Law Bulletin’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”
The experts that Bell called upon contended that the plaintiff caused the fall by overreaching when he was on the ladder and failing to follow the safety instruc- tions affixed to it. The defense also contended that the ladder complied with national ladder design standards and was a reasonably safe piece of equip- ment. They also argued that the ladder damage was caused by the plaintiff hitting the ladder as he fell.
The case was a strong one, and Bell’s client received a not-guilty verdict.
In another case, this one in 2014, Bell scored a significant product liability win for his clients, table saw manufacturers Ryobi Technologies, One World Tech- nologies and Techtronic Industries North America, securing a not-guilty verdict in a case in Duluth, Minnesota. The plaintiff claimed that the table saw manufactured by the defendants was defective and unreasonably dangerous because it did not include a user-friend- ly modular blade guard or flesh-detection technology. The plaintiff, who sev - ered his ulnar nerve on a spinning saw blade, asked for $6.4 million in damages. The not-guilty verdict that Bell obtained was significant not just for his cli - ent. More than 200 lawsuits involving this technology had been filed across the country against table saw makers. Bell’s work helped to protect these companies. “There is no future in losing,” Bell said, reflecting on his many successful settle - ments and verdicts. “I always tell the lawyers in my office that. You prepare these cases to win. A win doesn’t always mean a ‘not-guilty’ verdict from a jury. That is the best type of win, but it’s not the only one. I’ll take a case where we pay out less than what we originally offered the plaintiff. There are many ways to define winning in our business. You must find a way to get one of those wins for your client.”
Hon. Daniel M. Locallo (Ret.)
Peggy Unger Charles Rantis, Jamie Toohey, John Bell, Pat Morris, and John Childers, after John Bell received the Defense Attorney Achievement Award at the 2016 JVR Trial Excellence Awards
52 JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2023 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS
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