Bruce R. Pfaff
By Dan Rafter Special to Law Bulletin Media
Every case is special
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So I left with my seven personal cases and started my own law firm. I bet on myself and on the way I liked to handle cases. It was a good bet.”
It was a case that wasn’t attractive to many Chicago attorneys: A 19-year-old man’s leg was crushed in a work accident, resulting in the victim losing his leg below the knee. The problem with the case? It was in Pekin, Illinois, in Tazewell County. Up un- til this case, a jury had never awarded a personal injury verdict of more than $900,000 in this county. Chicago attorneys were used to much higher verdicts for successful cases, and were not eager to represent clients in this part of the state. That didn’t dissuade Bruce Pfaff, a trial lawyer who by this stage of his career had already earned a long string of successful verdicts for the Chicago law firm he founded, Pfaff, Gill & Ports. Pfaff didn’t hesitate to represent the victim. “The thought was, it didn’t matter how good you were, there’s never been a big verdict in this county,” Pfaff said. “My attitude was that if you were a good law- yer and you have a good case, it shouldn’t matter where you try it.” Pfaff’s approach paid off. The jury returned a verdict of $13.5 million, giving Pfaff and his client every penny they asked for. The defense fought the case on appeal but lost. When the case ended in 2014, that $13.5 million verdict ranked as the highest ever returned in a personal-injury case in Tazewell County. For Pfaff? It was another victory earned for his clients, the latest success in a career filled with important legal wins. It also serves as an example of the body of work that helped Pfaff earn a lifetime achievement award from Jury Verdict Reporter. Today, Pfaff still practices law even though his last day with the firm he founded was April 30, 2024. Pfaff doesn’t consider himself retired. He continues to work with the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and on projects for the Illinois State Bar Association. Any cases he takes on now will be pro bono. He and his wife also own a large tract of land complete with a barn and horses. Tending to these animals is something that Pfaff says takes up a good chunk of his time every day. “I don’t consider myself retired,” Pfaff said. “When you say you are retired, peo- ple stop listening to you. They think that you are no longer part of the legal com- munity. But I want to continue to work in law. I love it. But even without taking on new cases, I remain active in the legal community.” How did Pfaff begin the career that he is so reluctant to leave? His father worked in the business, which inspired him to enter law school. Pfaff didn’t know that law was the ideal career for him, though, until his early days practic- ing with a law firm in San Francisco.
60 JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2024 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS
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