Bruce Pfaff accepting the Pursuit of Justice Award at a Cultural Center event hosted the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section. Photo courtesy of Ben Speckmann
He did cite his most recent trial, though, as an example of the work that goes into earning a successful verdict. In February, Pfaff tried a case for a 62-year-old man who suffered from severe back pain on his right side. He woke up on election day of 2020 and could not get out of bed. After he was transported to the emergency room, medical pro- fessionals discovered a tumor on his spine that needed to be removed. The surgeon did not want to operate, though, until hospital staffers could take an MRI of the spine. The surgeon expected the nurses caring for the man to monitor him for any signs of deterioration as he awaited his MRI and eventual surgery. If the man could no longer control his urine or lost control of his toes or fingers, the nurses were instructed to notify the man’s doctors immediately. If they failed to do so, the man could become paralyzed. “ Bruce Pfaff is an outstanding Trial
Bruce Pfaff with his favorite president, visiting the Lincolon Memorial in Washington, D.C.
lawyers in Illinois, he has consistently polled amongst his peers as one of the top trial lawyers of his generation. He is a trial lawyer who has devoted his life representing the catastrophically injured and wrongfully killed. He was recently awarded the prestigious Jury Verdict Reporter Lifetime Achievement award which recognizes the honoree for his tremendous contribution to the legal community, trial work, leadership, and mentoring. This year Bruce was also awarded the Leonard Ring Award, ITLA’s highest honor which describes the awardee as someone who has devoted, as Leonard did, a substantial part of their life and their practice to ITLA, has done more than is called for, has the standards of
Leonard, the work ethics of Leonard and the commitment to ITLA that Leonard Ring had. In addition, in recognition for his talents as a trial lawyer and person, Bruce was elected by the plaintiff and defense bar to be ABOTA Illinois president. Bruce is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. All that being said, Bruce Pfaff would not be where he is today without his lovely and supportive wife, Deborah.”
Lawyer as well as a gentleman and legal scholar. He served as a chair of the ITLA Amicus Curiae Committee for over 30 years. He also coordinated and appeared in every case as additional counsel when the Prejudgment Inter- est Statute was challenged. He has au- thored more than 40 Amicus Briefs, en- suring justice in many precedent setting cases. As chair of the Illinois Supreme Court e-business Policy Advisory Board, he helped modernize the entire court system leading to electronic filing and electronic case management in Illinois. Bruce has obtained numerous million and multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his well-de- served clients. As one of the best trial
Joseph A. Power Jr., Partner, Power Rogers LLP
JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2024 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 63
Powered by FlippingBook