Women in Law 2025

2025

MOLLY PANKAUSKAS PARTNER Hall Prangle LLC

M olly Pankauskas is a partner at Hall Prangle, LLC, where she concentrates her practice on the defense of medical malpractice claims against hospitals, medical professionals, psychiatric care facilities, long-term care facilities, pharmacies and other healthcare providers. She received her law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 2012, where she served as the Editor-in- Chief of the College of Law’s Journal of Health Care Law . She began her career at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation where she worked as a Medical Prosecutor before joining Anderson Rasor & Partners as a second year attorney. She has been at Hall Prangle since 2015, where she has been involved in defending cases ranging from simple slip-and-falls to catastrophic injury cases, including birth trauma and wrongful death cases. She appreciates the challenge of analyzing complex medical issues and works to identify critical, but often overlooked, elements within the claims facing her clients. She enjoys taking cases to trial and excels at putting all of the moving pieces of a case together in a way that achieves successful outcomes on behalf of the hospitals and healthcare providers she represents. Molly also appreciates the tight knit community in which she practices and, therefore, has always endeavored to work with the utmost professionalism and respect towards her colleagues, witnesses, and judges. She believes that her clients are best served not only through zealous advocacy, but also by their attorneys cooperating with one another when feasible. Molly’s experience as both a 711 Law Clerk and Medical Prosecutor

at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation provided her with a unique set of tools to defend licensed healthcare professionals who find themselves in the crosshairs of a variety of regulatory agencies, including the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Illinois Attorney General Health Care Bureau, National Practitioner Databank, and Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. Molly’s reputation as a lawyer extends into the legal community. Molly has been recognized as an “Emerging Lawyer” by Leading Lawyers, which determines the top lawyers who have proven themselves professional, ethical and experienced at an early point in their legal career. The distinction has been earned by fewer than 2% of all lawyers licensed to practice in Illinois. In 2024, she was honored with the Amy Kane Memorial Award, recognizing her exceptional dedication to the legal profession and commitment to the values Amy Kane exemplified. Additionally, Molly was recognized as one of the “Forty Under 40” Illinois Attorneys to Watch by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, publishers of Chicago Lawyer magazine and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (CDLB). The list is the result of an annual survey conducted to determine who are the “most talented young attorneys practicing in Illinois.” Molly is married to Bryan Rakoczy with whom she has a son, Arthur. The family enjoys spending time with their two dogs: Archie (a Great Dane) and Zoe (a pug).

WOMEN IN LAW 2025