2026 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
“
TAYLOR MATICHAK Taylor works harder and smarter than 99% of the young lawyers I know. ”
AGE: 35 FIRM : Coleman Lynch & Partners LAW SCHOOL : University of Illinois Chicago School of Law/ John Marshall Law School AREA(S) OF PRACTICE: Workers' compensation, personal injury
“ S
Matichak has secured more than $30 million in settlements in third-party cases. One of her most notable victories came in 2025, when she recovered a $9 million settlement for a cata- strophically injured worker who underwent cervical and lumbar surgeries and requires lifelong pain management. She also se- cured a $15 million recovery on behalf of the estate of a worker who was fatally crushed on a jobsite. Matichak has an inherent understanding of the complex na- ture of construction. Whether it be heavy highway, pipeline, or building trades, she knows the work that is performed, the specific job duties of the workers, and their essential physical re- quirements. More importantly, Matichak is able clearly present this evidence which is essential in proving medical causation and the loss of earnings suffered by the worker. What distinguishes Matichak is not any single verdict but the volume of cases that never reach one. Most of her files resolve because the record she builds leaves little room for argument. Opposing counsel tend to recognize the pattern. Ask Matichak why she does this work and she does not talk about verdicts. She talks about Local 444, about a construction accident, and about a family trying to make sense of a system that was not built to be understood by the people it serves. That is the perspective she brings to every file — and the reason her clients trust her with it.
teady and good results are what Taylor delivers for her clients,” said David Menchetti, partner with Chicago’s Cullen, Haskins, Nicholson & Menchetti. “Every result that Tay- lor delivers for a working family is an achievement for her, but a lifeline for her clients. She gets real results for real people.” Taylor Matichak is that real lawyer for real people. She under- stands the struggles that a workplace injury can bring to a family. She has lived through it herself. Raised in a union ironworking family out of Local 444 in Joliet, Matichak watched as her family struggled to navigate the com- plexities of workers’ compensation and personal injury claims after her father suffered serious injuries in a construction ac- cident. That experience galvanized Matichak into the injured worker advocate she is today as a partner at Coleman Lynch & Partners. In prosecuting workers’ compensation claims, Matichak under- stands the importance of setting the tone early. Her attention to detail, knowledge of the medicine, and fierce advocacy has se- cured more than $40 million in benefits on behalf of her clients. “Taylor works harder and smarter than 99% of the young lawyers I know,” said Shawn Kasserman, with Chicago’s Tomasik Kotin Kasserman. “Taylor's extraordinary commitment to work- ing class folks has also contributed to her representing clients in third- party personal injury litigation. In third party actions, Taylor has few equals.”
51
40 Under Forty 2026
CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
Powered by FlippingBook