“ I have known Bruce for almost 40 years. I am very familiar with his reputation and traits. Bruce is smart, thorough, ethical, compassionate, diligent and persuasive. Bruce always conducts a thorough inves- tigation before accepting a case and filing a lawsuit. He then engages in the most thorough and detailed discovery to prepare for trial. When his client is not offered a fair settle- ment, Bruce takes the case to trial and presents his case to the jury in the most compelling way. He has rarely lost at trial. Bruce is also one of the finest appellate ad - vocates I have known, including countless hours of pro bono work on amicus matters for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.”
Keith A. Hebeisen, Partner, Clifford Law Offices
Bruce Pfaff with Sara Salger at the ITLA 2024 Annual Dinner.
“I hated that,” Pfaff said. “I told the people at the firm that I couldn’t work at that level of volume. They came up with a proposal, but I realized that the workload would still be too heavy. 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.” In 1991, Pfaff founded Pfaff, Gill & Ports, a law firm that thrived during the rest of Pfaff’s career. There are plenty of reasons for the success that Pfaff enjoyed during his career. He points to his willingness to put in the work as one of the most important. As Pfaff says, he is not much of a delegator. He researches his cases, prepares his arguments, digs up medical records, interviews experts and does all the detailed work necessary to craft a winning case. “When you have done this work for 45 years, you should know what you are looking for,” Pfaff said. “I’ve always been good with computers. I know what they can do to save me time and effort. I understand medical records and how they work. It’s just a matter of doing the work myself.” When not working on legal matters, Pfaff said that he spends much of his time looking over his 10 acres of land. When he looks out his window, he sees a never-ending list of things that need to be done.
But Pfaff doesn’t see himself stepping away from the law entirely anytime soon.
“I feel very fortunate to have done the job that I love for 45 years,” Pfaff said. “I am fortunate that I get to keep doing it but on a different scale. After I left my firm, I took out an ad stating that I am not retired. I am no longer practicing with the firm, but I am available for special projects. I am still active in the field.”
Bruce Pfaff at Castle Stuart Golf Club.
JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2024 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 65
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