When We Fight, We Fight To Win

Biography

Mr. Power joined the law firm of Power Rogers in November of 2016. Mr. Power primarily focuses his practice in the area of personal injury and wrongful death including medical malpractice, automotive and trucking negligence, products liability, premises liability, breach of contract and other professional malpractice. In addition, Mr. Power assists Mr. Devon Bruce in pursuing environmental claims on behalf of home-rule cities and small towns across the State of Illinois.

Since joining the firm, Mr. Power has successfully secured or assisted in securing over $400 million on behalf of the firm's clients. These successes include a $95.4 million verdict obtained on behalf of a truck driver who suffered bi-lateral above the knee amputation following a crushing injury in premises/products liability case; a $5 million verdict obtained on behalf of a secretary who was shot in the foot during a work-place violence incident that occurred at a downtown high-rise building in a negligent security case; a $21.6 million verdict obtained on behalf of a truck driver who suffered a severe brain injury after falling from his truck due to a faulty grab handle in a products liability case; a $17.5 million settlement in a case where a bicyclist suffered a below the knee amputation of her right leg after a semi-truck took a right turn in front of her in a general negligence lawsuit; a $5.7 million judgment brought on behalf of a law firm against the firm's former client who refused to pay fair and reasonable compensation in a breach of contract action; a $6 million (limits of insurance policy) settlement obtained on behalf of an acrobat who was injured on a movie set in a general negligence lawsuit; a $5.3 million settlement obtained on behalf of an individual who obtained an infection at a hospital in a products liability lawsuit; a $10 million settlement obtained on behalf of an individual who was shot by Chicago Police Officers; and a $25 million settlement obtained on behalf of an individual who was rendered a quadriplegic following a fall on a boat while out on Lake Michigan.

Mr. Power has extensive experience in the areas of pre-trial motion practice, pre-trial litigation, including the taking and defending of expert and fact witness depositions, and litigation. At a time when most young lawyers are hard pressed to obtain any real trial experience, Mr. Power has already served as the 1st or 2nd chair on numerous trials over his short career.

Prior to attending the University of Arizona where he studied history and political science, Mr. Power grew up in the City of Chicago, on the City's Northside. After obtaining his undergraduate degree in 2012, Mr. Power returned to Chicago to attend Loyola University Chicago School of Law. During his time at Loyola, Mr. Power focused his studies in the areas of civil litigation and trial advocacy, while working full time as a law clerk for Power Rogers. In 2016, Mr. Power received his JD from Loyola as well as a certificate of merit from the school's trial advocacy program.

Mr. Power is admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois, as well as the United States District Court for the State of Illinois.

Mr. Power is an active member of various professional organizations including, the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and the American Association for Justice.

Results

RM & MM V. Confidential Defendants (2017)

In November of 2017, Power Rogers & Smith attorney Joseph A. Power, Jr., assisted by associate James Power secured a $95 million dollar verdict (reduced to $85 million after a 10% deduction for contributory negligence found on the part of the plaintiff) for Mr. Power's client who suffered massive leg injuries resulting in a double amputation.

Verdict: $95,000,000.00

C.E.G. v. 7-Eleven, Inc. No. 17 M4 5980

In February of 2023, Joseph A. Power Jr., James Power, and Larry Rogers, Jr. obtained a $91,000,000.00 recovery on behalf of an individual who lost both of his legs while standing outside of a 7-Eleven Store waiting for a ride to work when a vehicle pulling into one of the convenient store's forward facing parking spots accidentally crashed into the building, pinning PR's client up against the side of the building. The team at PR was able to prove that these types of incidents involving a vehicle accidentally accelerating and crashing into the building while attempting to pull into one of 7-Eleven's forward facing parking spots happens more than once per day. Based on this evidence, the team at PR was able to demonstrate that the frequency of these types of incidents placed a duty on the convenient store chain to install barriers for the protection of customers and pedestrians on 7-Eleven's property. Ultimately, the overwhelming evidence discovered and developed by the team at Power Rogers, LLP led to the nation's largest convenience store operator to pay what is the largest pre-trial settlement for a single plaintiff in the history of the State of Illinois.

RECOVERY: $91,000,000.00 

R.O. v. Confidential Defendants (2022)

Power Rogers attorneys Joseph Power, Thomas Power, James Power and Dominic LoVerde recently secured $50,000,000.00 on behalf of their client who suffered serious injuries in an accident that occurred while trimming branches from a tree on his property, including severe burns and the loss of both arms and a leg. Joseph Power, Thomas Power, James Power and Dominic LoVerde.

Settlement: $50,000,000.00

R.L. v. Allied Barton

(2017) Wrongful Death, Negligent Security:

The Plaintiffs worked for a law firm in the large office building located at 500 West Madison Street. Allied Barton provided Security Services to the building. On December 8, 2006, a former client of the firm's entered the 500 West Madison office building armed with a revolver, chain, padlock, hunting knife, and hammer in order to seek out and kill one of the attorneys who he mistakenly believed had wronged him. After loitering in the building's lobby and being turned away by the security desk, the former client was permitted access to the law firm, located on an upper-level floor, by Allied Barton security. Once he had gained access to the law firm, he shot and killed three individuals and injured the fourth. Joseph A. Power, Jr. represented the Estate of M.M. and recovered $14.6 million for his client. Larry R. Rogers, Jr. represented the Estate of A.H. and secured an $11 million verdict for his client. James Power represented R.L. and secured a $5 million verdict.

JURY VERDICT: $33,400,000.00

J.D., et al. v. Trucking Company and Steel Company (2019 - Northern District of Illinois District Court)

Trucking/Transportation Negligence: A father (M-64), mother (F-43), and their only daughter (F-11) were rear-ended by defendants' semi-tractor/trailer when its driver fell asleep on Interstate 55. All three were killed (the father was survived by two adult children from prior marriages and the mother was survived by her parents and siblings). Plaintiffs alleged that the trucker, who was acting under the defendant steel company's direction, had routinely violated the hours of service and other federal regulations and as a result, according to a sleep expert, was chronically sleep-deprived, which contributed to cause the fatal crash. Joseph A. Power, Jr. co-counsel with Kathryn L. Conway and James I. Power.

RECOVERY: $27,375,000.00

Bennie Wood, et al., v. Navistar Inc., formerly known as International Truck and Engine Corp., et al., 14 L 10457

Power Rogers attorneys Joseph A. Power Jr., as lead counsel, and Sean M. Houlihan and James Power recently obtained a $21.6 million dollar verdict on behalf of a truck driver and his wife. Our client suffered a traumatic brain injury after a defectively designed grab handle on his truck broke and caused him to fall. The case involved many disputes about jurisdiction and where the case was to be heard, and was recently featured in an article published by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

JURY VERDICT: $21,600,000.00

Church Group v. Eagle Express Lines (2022)

Joseph Power and James Power recently secured $19,400,000.00 on behalf of a group of families who suffered various injuries while traveling down to Disney world in January of 2019. Plaintiffs van was heading south down I-75 nears Gainesville, Florida when a semi-truck that was heading north lost control of his vehicle, crossed over the median and struck the Plaintiff's head on. Joseph Power and James Power

Settlement: $19,400,000.00

D.P. v. Sucha Singh, et al. - 17 L 469

James Power and Joseph Power, along with Kurt Ensign, recovered the largest recorded bicycle accident verdict in Illinois history, coming in at $17.5 million. The tragic accident, which resulted in below-the-knee leg amputation, an arm fracture, a pelvic fracture, and severe road rash, was caused by a negligent truck driver. As James and Joseph proved through video evidence, the trucker accelerated during his right turn and failed to notice the cyclist while doing so. Damages will be used to help the victim pay her medical expenses and long-term care costs.

RECOVERY: $17,500,000.00

E.T. v. Construction Firm (2022)

Joseph Power and James Power secured a $10,000,000.00 settlement on behalf of a wife and her three children following the death of their husband/father. Plaintiff's husband was a sewer brick pipe layer working in a trench replacing old sewer lines when a large piece of clay fell from above on top of him, resulting in his untimely demise. The construction firm that was hired to provide technical advice relating to trench safety systems failed to properly account for the type of work that was required for the job and therefore failed to adequately guard against incidents such as the one that took the life of Plaintiff's husband. From the beginning of the case the construction company steadfastly denied responsibility and attempted to cast blame onto the decedent by claiming that he was working in an area where he knew he should not have been working. After intricately picking apart these defenses, the construction company was forced to recognize its responsibility and paid out the limits of its insurance coverage.

Settlement: $10,000,000.00

P.O. & A.R. v. W.M. (2019)

Joseph Power, Sean Houlihan and James Power secured $8,400,000.00 on behalf of two clients in this action. Plaintiffs were working as laborers for a demolition contractor and removing the brick face on an exterior wall without a demolition plan when the wall suddenly collapsed, crushing P.O. and resulting in injuries to A.R.

Settlement: P.O.: $8,100,000.00

R.K. v. Confidential Defendants (2020)

James Power recently secured an $8,000,000.00 settlement when his client obtained a bacterial infection during open chest surgery at a local hospital which was not properly diagnosed and treated. As a result of the infection, Plaintiff underwent multiple revision surgeries. Additionally, Plaintiff will be required to maintain an aggressive antibiotic regimen for the rest of his life. Side-effects from these antibiotics include progressively worsening hearing loss and renal damage.

Settlement: $8,000,000.00

M.G. v. Austin Tyler Construction Company, Et. Al. (2022)

Joseph Power and James Power secured a $7,000,000.00 settlement on behalf of a young Serbian immigrant working in the United States as a truck driver to earn money to send home to his family back in Serbia. On the date of the incident, M.G. had delivered a load of multiple bundles of 20-foot-long plastic water pipes and was waiting for his truck to finish being unloaded when one of the bundles broke open, causing two full bundles of pipes to fall onto M.G., crushing him and causing his untimely death. Power Rogers, LLP represented M.G.'s mother, sister and younger brother in suing the pipe manufacturer for the way in which the pipe bundles were loaded, the strap manufacturer for creating a product that was not fit for its intended use and the company who employed the forklift operator; each of whom was held to account for their involvement in causing M.G.'s untimely death.

Settlement: $7,000,000.00

A.K. v. Film Production Company (2018)

Joseph Power and James Power secured a $6,500,000.00 settlement on behalf of their client who was injured on set during movie production. A.K. was working as an extra on a movie set performing acrobatic stunts during various scenes. During one said scene, A.K. landed awkwardly on his neck, resulting in paraplegia. Through thorough analyzation of the available video, as well as discussions with the various actors and extras that were on site at the time, it was shown that A.K.'s fall was the result of the way in which the scene had been marked off, as well as the actor's own improvisation as to where he was to be standing while A.K. and others performed the stunts. As a result, the production company agreed to pay the limits of their insurance policies in order to settle A.K.'s suit.

Settlement: $6,500,000.00

F.S. v. F.C. (2018)

Joseph Power and James Power secured a $6,000,000.00 on behalf of their client after a local hospital failed to diagnosis Cauda Equina Syndrome over the course of a three-day hospital stay. F.S. was brought to the hospital via ambulance and was seen by neurologist F.C. who failed to recognize and diagnosed F.S.'s CES. As a result of this failure, compression on F.S.'s spine was not relieved until after permanent nerve damage had occurred. As a result, F.S. now has trouble walking without an assistive device and has issues with incontinence.

Settlement: $6,000,000.00

U.H. v. Gidwitz (2017)

In May of 2017, Power Rogers & Smith attorney Joseph A. Power, Jr. assisted by associate James Power secured a $5.7 million Dollar judgment on behalf of a law firm that had been wrongfully denied payment of fees incurred by the Gidwitz Family. The Gidwitz's, heirs to the multi-billion dollar Helen Curtis fortune, had engaged the firm to represent them in a condemnation action brought by the City of Joliet. After representing the Family for nearly a decade, the family refused to make payment on nearly $6 million dollars in fees incurred during the representation and denied that the individual family members could be held responsible for the debt because their names did not appear on the contract. In a bench trial, the court found that the family members operated as an unincorporated and unregistered joint venture and held them individually responsible for $5.7 million dollars owed under the contract.

Verdict: $5,700,000.00

R.L. v. Security Services Company (2017)

In December of 2017, Power, Rogers & Smith Attorney James Power secured a $5.05 million dollar verdict on behalf of a legal secretary who was shot in the foot and who witnessed the murder of two of her co-workers, her boss and another lawyer at the firm, by a deranged ex-client. Mr. Power's client case was consolidated with three other cases brought by the victims and was a part of an overall $33,450,000 verdict obtained on behalf of all plaintiffs in their cases against the private contract security company that allowed the deranged ex-client access to the upper level tenant floors of the building where the plaintiffs worked.

Verdict: $5,050,000.00

S.W. v. F.M.C.L. (2020)

Larry Rogers, Jr. and James Power secured a $2,000,000.00 settlement on behalf of their client when his primary care physician failed to perform appropriate testing for prostate cancer. S.W. was a patient of F.M.C.L. and was seen by the doctors at the facility for primary care purposes. S.W. advised the doctors at F.M.C.L. that he had a family history of prostate cancer when he saw them for a physical, and as a result of that information, the doctors at F.M.C.L. began monitoring his for possible prostate cancer. However, at a subsequent physical, no PSA testing or other prostate specific checks were undertaken by the Doctor's, and as a result, S.W.'s prostate cancer was not caught prior to it spreading throughout his body.

Settlement: $2,000,000.00

Minor v. Confidential Defendant (2022)

James Power secured a $1,500,000.00 pre-suit settlement on behalf of the family of a deceased 9 year old who was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was sideswiped by a semi-truck.

Pre-suit Settlement: $1,500,000.00

B.S. v. Confidential Defendant (2021)

James Power secured a $1,250,000.00 on behalf of his client who slipped and fell while shopping for groceries. Plaintiff, a 65 year old female, was shopping for produce when he tripped over a floor mat that had been rolled up and placed under the produce stand for storage while the floors were being cleaned. Plaintiff suffered a non-displaced fracture of her right femoral neck which required surgery.

Settlement: $1,250,000.00

D.G. v. A.H.H.C. & M.O. (2019)

Larry Rogers, Jr. and James Power secured a $1,250,000.00 settlement on behalf of a family who's mother passed away following her doctor's failure to recognize a cardiac condition following orthopedic surgery.

Settlement: $1,250,000.00

J.L. & L.L. v. Trucking Company (2022)

James Power and Dominic LoVerde, on behalf of their clients secured a $1,000,000.00 settlement. In October of 2018, the client was on his way to fill vending machines at a local racetrack when he was T-boned by the Defendant driving a semi-tractor trailer. It was alleged that the driver had fallen asleep after working too many consecutive hours behind the wheel. The settlement represents the limits of the insurance coverage available.

Settlement: $1,000,000.00

E.D. v. T. (2021)

James Power secured $750,000.00 pre-suit settlement on behalf of E.D., a 91-year-old woman, who was crossing the street in the crosswalk with a friend when they were struck by a truck making a left turn. As a result of the collision, E.D. suffered broken ribs, bruising and lacerations. Subsequently, while being treated for those injuries she suffered a TIA which resulted in short-term memory issues.

Pre-suit Settlement: $750,000.00

R.T. v. Confidential Defendant (2022)

James Power secured a $550,000.00 settlement on behalf of Plaintiff who was sitting in traffic when her vehicle was struck from behind by a semi-truck. Plaintiff suffered injury to her back which resulted in a single level fusion.

Settlement: $550,000.00

J.L. v. K.M. (2021)

James Power secured a $500,000.00 settlement on behalf of plaintiff, who along with her three children, were stopped at a stop sign when their vehicle was rearended by a teen driver who was using her cell phone. The collision resulted in the death of one of Plaintiff's minor children, as well as significant injuries to Plaintiff and her two other minor children that were also in the vehicle. The Defendant only carried $50,000.00 in auto insurance coverage, while Plaintiff carried $500,000 in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Defendant settled for limits of her policy coverage and Plaintiff's underinsured motorist coverage paid the remaining amount.

Settlement: $500,000.00

C.D. v. Teen Driver (2021)

James Power secured a $200,000.00 settlement on behalf of Plaintiff, a 77 year old female, who was driving on Waukegan Road when a vehicle unexpectedly pulled out from the Deerfield High School Parking Lot and struck her vehicle. Plaintiff suffered a fractured sternum and three broken ribs.

Settlement: $200,000.00

 

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
    • J.D. - 2016
    • Honors: Trial Advocacy Program, Certificate Of Merit
    • Major: Civil Litigation and Trial Advocacy
  • University of Arizona, Arizona
    • B.A. - 2012
    • Major: History and Political Science

Practice Areas

  • Personal Injury
  • Wrongful Death
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Automotive And Trucking Negligence
  • Products Liability
  • Premises Liability
  • Breach Of Contract
  • Professional Malpractice

Professional Associations

  • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
  • American Association For Justice
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Illinois Bar Association

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois, 2016
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 2016

Representative Cases

  • R. M. v. Metal-Matic Inc., 2017
  • R.O. v. Confidential Defendants, 2022
  • R.L. v. Allied Barton, 2017
  • J.D., et al. v. Trucking Company and Steel Company, 2019, Northern District of Illinois District Court
  • Bennie Wood, et al., v. Navistar Inc., formerly known as International Truck and Engine Corp., et al., 14 L 10457
  • Church Group v. Eagle Express Lines, 2022
  • D.P. v. Sucha Singh, et al. - 17 L 469
  • E.T. v. Construction Firm, 2022
  • P.O. & A.R. v. W.M., 2019
  • R.K. v. Confidential Defendants, 2020
  • M.G. v. Austin Tyler Construction Company, Et. Al., 2022
  • A.K. v. Film Production Company, 2018
  • F.S. v. F.C., 2018
  • U.H. v. Gidwitz
  • S.W. v. F.M.C.L., 2020
  • Minor v. Confidential Defendant, 2022
  • B.S. v. Confidential Defendant, 2021
  • D.G. v. A.H.H.C. & M.O., 2019
  • D.C. v. G., 2019
  • E.D. v. T., 2021
  • R.T. v. Confidential Defendant, 2022
  • J.L. v. K.M., 2021
  • C.D. v. Teen Driver, 2021

Honors

  • Super Lawyer Rising Star 2019-2023
  • Selected to Leading Lawyers Emerging Lawyer 2019- 2023
  • Selected to National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Civil Plaintiffs 2019, 2020
  • Top Verdict Top 10 Jury Verdicts in all practice areas in 2018 -$21.63 million jury verdict
  • Top Verdict Top 10 Jury Verdicts and the fourth Largest plaintiff / cross claimant verdict in the State of Illinois in 2017 $85.9 million jury verdict
  • Top Verdict Top 50 Jury Verdicts Products Liability 2018
  • Top Verdict Top 10 Jury Verdicts Work Accident Verdict 2018
  • Top Verdict Top 50 Premises Liability Verdict 2018
  • Top Verdict Top 100 U.S. Personal Injury Verdict 2018
  • A Best lawyer One to Watch 2020-2023
  • 2022 Law Dragon 500 leading consumer lawyer
  • A Leading Lawyer Emerging Lawyer 2019-2023