2026 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
“
Robert Curcio has the ever elusive and rare ‘it factor’ that truly successful and formidable trial lawyers must have to separate themselves as standouts. ”
ROBERT CURCIO
AGE: 34 FIRM : Curcio & Casciato LAW SCHOOL : University of Illinois Chicago School of Law/ John Marshall Law School AREA(S) OF PRACTICE: Plaintiff's personal injury, wrongful death
R obert “R.J.” Curcio has built a reputation as one of Chi- cago's leading young plaintiff's trial lawyers while simulta- neously assuming responsibility for managing one of the city's well-established personal injury firms. As a leader of Curcio & Casciato, the firm founded by his father, Joseph R. Curcio, Curcio has succeeded in juggling the demands of running a law practice with maintaining a thriving plaintiff’s personal injury practice. This combination of legal skill, business know-how and court- room poise has helped Curcio establish himself as one of Chica- go's best young plaintiffs' attorneys. Curcio has earned a string of notable victories for injured cli- ents. This includes a $30 million settlement on behalf of a moth- er and daughter struck by a commercial vehicle, a $12.5 million settlement in a failure-to-diagnose medical negligence case, a $6 million wrongful death recovery, a $5.5 million trucking set- tlement and a $3.7 million jury verdict involving a fleeing vehicle. Colleagues say those outcomes are no accident. They credit Curcio's meticulous preparation and willingness to litigate every case as though it will ultimately be decided by a jury. “RJ does not take shortcuts,” said Stephen Phillips of Chi- cago’s Phillips Law Offices. “He works hard to find liability and
coverage on his cases with some exceptional lawyering.” Curcio has developed creative theories in challenging cases. In one matter, he transformed what initially appeared to be a routine pedestrian accident into a successful claim centered on negligent parking lot design. In another, involving a train that severed a client's leg, he developed a liability theory based on the angle of the tracks and surrounding terrain. “What ties these results together is a consistent standard: Every case is prepared as if a jury will decide it,” said Antonio Romanucci, with the Chicago office of Romanucci & Blandin. “That level of commitment is what compels real accountability from opponents and produces outcomes that genuinely reflect the harm his clients have suffered.” Curcio has built this thriving practice even as he has taken on more responsibilities at his firm. As managing attorney with Curcio & Casciato, Curcio oversees personnel, financial manage- ment, strategic planning and the firm's day-to-day operations while maintaining a demanding trial practice. “Robert Curcio has the ever elusive and rare ‘it factor’ that truly successful and formidable trial lawyers must have to sepa- rate themselves as standouts,” said Michael Cox with the Chica- go office of Goldberg & Goldberg.
32 40 Under Forty 2026 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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