2026 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
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JOSHUA CAUHORN AGE: 39 FIRM : Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C. LAW SCHOOL : Loyola University Chicago School of Law AREA(S) OF PRACTICE: Business litigation, outside counsel to businesses Having been an attorney myself for almost 45 years, I would not hesitate to trust Josh with my own personal matters. ”
H is peers call Josh Cauhorn a jack of all trades. Not only has this business litigator successfully tried and settled several multi-million-dollar trials, he has also become a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and mid-market companies. Geneva Ramirez, an attorney with Chicago's Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP office, has seen this firsthand. She credits going to trial with Cauhorn while she was a junior associate as setting the benchmark for the type of litigator she wanted to become. “He is a storyteller and a teacher,” Ramirez said. “He is able to communicate complex legal nuances to jurors in a compelling and understandable manner. He puts witnesses and his clients at ease. Judges defer to him because he is a clear and level-headed communicator.” Ramirez said that Cauhorn's clients trust in his counsel when it's time to make difficult decisions. That's because he takes the time to learn his clients' histories, businesses and challenges. Not surprisingly, given his legal skills and courtroom pres- ence, Cauhorn has notched several big wins for his clients. An example is when he represented the buyer of a Small Busi- ness Administration licensee entity after the seller alleged breaches of a purchase contract. About $9 million was at issue
in this case, and the seller also sued an affiliate of the buyer. Cauhorn achieved a complete judgment in favor of the affiliate. Cauhorn also represented the seller of a rehabilitation and nursing home business in a case against the buyer's principals, alleging that they engaged in fraud and breached the purchase contract. Cauhorn helped navigate the case through a jury trial and earn a judgment in the amount of $51.8 million. “Josh is an exemplary lawyer,” said Eric Bernard, an attor- ney with the Downers Grove office of Petrarca, Gleason, Boyle & Izzo. “His litigation skills from intake through appeal are top-notch. He is an excellent writer capable of distilling extremely complex issues into digestible briefs that are persua- sive and effective. He also has excellent soft skills, which many attorneys lack.” Stuart Gordon, attorney with Chicago's Mattenson & Gordon, Ltd., said Cauhorn possesses a winning combination of intelli- gence, skill, integrity and ingenuity when handling cases. “Not only does he know the law, he is able to use and interpret the law in unique ways to further his clients' interests,” Gordon said. Having been an attorney myself for almost 45 years, I would not hesitate to trust Josh with my own personal matters.”
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40 Under Forty 2026
CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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