MAGGIE MENDENHALL CASEY
AGE 37
FIRM City of Chicago Department of Law
LAW SCHOOL Loyola University of Chicago
AREA(S) OF PRACTICE Litigation torts
2024 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
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L eadership. Judgement. Results. These characteristics led Maggie Mendenhall Casey to be entrusted with various leadership positions within the City of Chicago. From facilitat- ing the Chicago Police Department Superintendent nomination process, to advising high-ranking officials on legal compliance questions, to serving as General Counsel for a newly formed po- lice accountability department, Maggie has secured a reputation for delivering stellar representation for her clients. Today, Mendenhall Casey serves as a deputy corporation counsel for the city's Torts Division, where she leads a 45-em- ployee division. She is the youngest person to hold this position. As deputy, she manages the defense of catastrophic injury cases including managing outside counsel, interacting with opposing counsel and the Court, as well as coordinating with excess in- surance carriers. Mendenhall Casey has already earned success in her new po- sition. She advocated for a $45 million settlement in front of the Chicago City Council to protect taxpayer dollars. The proposed settlement spared the residents of Chicago the risk of proceed- ing to trial on a case potentially valued at more than $100 mil- lion. This became one of the largest settlements approved by the city. Maggie has tried more than 150 bench trials and 10 jury trials. Mendenhall Casey's legal skills have impressed her col- leagues, including Smith Spencer with Chicago's Michael D. Gallo & Associates. Two of the jury trials Mendenhall Casey tried with Spencer included a wrongful death case and a
Maggie is truly a public service superhero. ”
premises liability case. "After seeing Maggie's mastery of the rules of evidence and dazzling witness examination in our premises liability case, I ad- vocated for her involvement in high-exposure cases, despite the fact that she was relatively new to our division," Spencer said. "Maggie is truly a public service superhero." Mendenhall Casey is also co-host of @thebar, a podcast dis- tributed by the Legal Talk Network. On this podcast, she fre- quently analyzes legal cases such as the Tylenol murders and the Northwestern University hazing scandal. "Maggie’s depth and versatility of analysis is on full display," said Tanvi Patel, an attorney with Neal Gerber Eisenberg. "She is not only as familiar with a murder case, but she is also informed and knowledgeable about the catastrophic personal injury mat- ter, a skill set that is rare." Mendenhall Casey gives back to her profession, too. She re- ceived the 2022 Milton Gray Award from the Chicago Bar Asso- ciation for Outstanding Project Leadership and in 2023 as Public Services Manager helped raise more than $30,000 to benefit the Lawyers in the Classroom project.
40 Under Forty 2024
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CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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