2026 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
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What sets this attorney apart is not simply that he wins, it is how he wins, and what he is willing to do to get there. ”
STEPHEN PHILLIPS
AGE: 33 FIRM : Phillips Law Offices LAW SCHOOL : Loyola University Chicago School of Law
AREA(S) OF PRACTICE: Plaintiffs’ personal injury
A t the young age of 33, Stephen Phillips has already built the kind of trial résumé that many attorneys spend decades pursuing. As one of the partners at Phillips Law Offices in Chicago, this third-generation trial lawyer has quickly established himself as one of the rising stars of Illinois' plaintiffs' bar, earning a glow- ing reputation for his courtroom skill and deep commitment to his clients. The numbers tell the story: Phillips recently secured a string of significant recoveries in complex medical negligence cas- es, including settlements of $9 million involving the death of a 61-year-old woman after an improper surgical technique led to a cardiac arrest; $6 million for a newborn who suffered par- tial bilateral hearing loss after an improper hospital discharge; $3 million for a 46 year old man who suffered a leg injury due to an improper cardiac catheterization; and a $1 million pol- icy-limit recovery stemming from the failure to diagnose an aortic dissection. In each matter, Phillips tackled nearly every stage of the litiga- tion process, from discovery and depositions to expert prepara- tion and trial readiness. “What has always distinguished Stephen is not simply the impressive results he has obtained, but the relentless work ethic and commitment to his clients that drive those results,”
said Miranda Soucie, partner at the Kankakee, Illinois, office of Spiros Law. These recent results are no surprise to those who have ob- served Phillips. Since 2018, this young attorney has contributed to more than $100 million in verdicts and settlements. His work has included a $10 million trucking wrongful death settlement, a $7 million motorcycle crash settlement and, early in his career, helping prepare record-setting cases for trial that resolved for $25 million and $16 million. “What sets this attorney apart is not simply that he wins, it is how he wins, and what he is willing to do to get there,” said Antonio Romanucci, founding partner of Chicago’s Romanucci Blandin. “His command of Illinois civil procedure is among the sharpest I have seen at any level of practice. He understands that discovery compliance is not a courtesy. It is a battleground. And he treats it accordingly. He has returned defendants to court 40 to 50 times on individual cases to enforce compliance and ensure his clients are never disadvantaged. That kind of pro- cedural persistence requires deep knowledge of the rules, but more importantly, it requires the will to use them.” Sean Houlihan, partner in the Chicago office of Power Rog- ers said, “He is not only one of best young attorneys in the plaintiff personal injury bar but one of the best attorneys practicing today.”
58 40 Under Forty 2026 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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