40 Under Forty 2023

M atthew Gannon has repeatedly earned top results for his clients. His long record of winning verdicts and settlements has secured him a reputation as one of the top personal injury attorneys in the Chicago market. As an example, Gannon represented a 20-year-old college athlete at Grinnell College who was injured during a pole vault event at a confer- ence tournament: After a jump, the plaintiff slid off the landing pad and hit his head on artificial turf. After a three-week jury trial that Gannon first chaired, the jury returned a verdict of $2.5 million. This is the largest verdict ever in Morgan County Illinois, beating the prior record by over $2 million dollars. In addition, Gannon earned a verdict of $4.6 million in a complex medical malpractice trial against a local interventional cardiologist. His client was 76 years old at the time and the verdict exceeded the Defen- dant’s $1 million policy limit. Thomas Kilbride (Illinois Supreme Court Justice 2000-2020), said that Gannon has earned results that would be the envy of lawyers with many more years of experience. “In his first decade, he not only has taken on several cases to success- ful results, but he has become an equity partner,” Kilbride said. “In his first decade at his firm, he has successfully achieved results in at least eight recent settlements and verdicts ranging from half-a-million dollars to a $4.6 million verdict.” Dan Alexander, attorney with Chicago’s Maron Marvel, said that Gannon’s detail-oriented and technically sound approach to the law give him and his clients an advantage. He has earned his reputation as a high- ly effective adversary, Alexander said. “I’ve personally witnessed Matt turn bad facts into great results for his clients,” Alexander said, pointing to a case in which he opposed this young attorney. Gannon minimized information that was damaging to his client and effectively highlighted the client’s strongest points. “He is an effective adversary who can turn a plaintiff’s case into a higher value than it otherwise would be,” Alexander said. “I know that it’s tough sledding ahead when I see Matt’s name on a complaint.” Recently, Gannon represented the family of a Local 150 Operating Engineer who passed away before the trial from unrelated causes to the accident. Prior to trial, the insurance carrier made an offer of $200,000 to settle the case, Gannon rejected that offer and after his opening statement and one day of trial testimony, the case settled for $1.4 million. “Simply stated Matt Gannon is an extremely talented lawyers’ lawyer who gives 110% to his practice, the Bar and to the public,” said Shawn Kasserman, attorney with Chicago’s Tomasik Kotin Kasserman. “He should be recognized for these wonderful contributions.”

MATTHEW GANNON

AGE 39

FIRM Healy Scanlon Veugeler Gannon LLC

LAW SCHOOL University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

AREA OF PRACTICE Personal injury

2023 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH

He is an effective adversary who can turn a plaintiff’s case into a higher value than it otherwise would be.”

40 Under Forty 2023 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN