2025 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
KATIE VAUGHAN
AGE 39
FIRM Smith Blake Hill LLC
LAW SCHOOL New England Law | Boston
“
AREA(S) OF PRACTICE Medical malpractice defense, professional liability defense
Katie presents evidence and arguments earnestly and understandably.
”
K atie Vaughan has earned a reputation as a top medical malpractice defense attorney, already rising to the rank as partner at Smith Blake Hill, one of the premier medical defense firms in Chicago. What is behind her quick rise? Her peers point to her legal knowledge, dedication to her clients and, most importantly, the victories she's earned during her young career. Janet Adams Brosnahan, a senior mediator and arbitrator with ADR Systems, said that Vaughan's record of successes in jury trials is impressive. "Katie's diligence in acquiring scientific and medical knowl- edge is apparent," Brosnahan said. "Katie presents evidence and arguments earnestly and understandably, without bombast or exaggeration. With a calm demeanor, she makes clear points and earns the respect of the jury." Brosnahan points to one case as an example. In August of 2023, Vaughan and her team defended allegations that the de- fendants negligently delayed the delivery of an infant, resulting in the mother suffering a stroke and the child suffering injuries. Vaughan handled the direct and cross examinations of experts in pediatric neuroradiology, pediatric neurology, pediatric neu- ropsychology and neonatology.
Vaughan also prepared and argued the motions in limine, the motion for a directed verdict and the defendants' proposed jury instructions. Brosnahan said that Vaughan's efforts were inte- gral to obtaining a no-liability verdict in favor of her clients. Matthew D'Avanzo, shareholder with Chicago's Johnson & Bell, worked as a co-defendant with Vaughan on a 2023 medi- cal malpractice case involving multiple physicians. Despite the many challenges of the case, Vaughan drafted and argued a va- riety of motions that greatly limited the issues against her client. The case was ultimately dismissed following motion practice. D'Avanzo also pointed to the work that Vaughan did as first-chair in a medical malpractice action. Thanks largely to Vaughan's work, the case resulted in a low enough verdict against her client, that it was completely offset by a previous settlement set-off. "As a young defense lawyer in Illinois, it is not common to have as many verdict results as Katie does," D'Avanzo said. "For Katie to have as many as 10 verdicts under her belt speaks to how much her clients trust her." During the last 13 years, Vaughan has tried nine complex med- ical negligence cases to verdict and has started dozens of others that resolved before reaching verdict.
40 Under Forty 2025
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CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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