Eight HPS Attorneys Named Illinois Super Lawyers for 2019
Eight HPS Attorneys Named Illinois Super Lawyers for 2019
Marilee Clausing, Jacob Z. Goldstein, Hugh C. Griffin, David C. Hall, Benjamin E. Patterson, Michael E. Prangle, Eric P. Schoonveld and Jacqueline B. Sharuzi have all been selected as Illinois Super Lawyers for 2019. Super Lawyers is a rating service that determines outstanding lawyers through a multi-faceted review process, including independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Only five percent of attorneys are selected as Super Lawyers.
ABOUT OUR ATTORNEYS
Marilee Clausing represents hospitals and healthcare providers in cases involving allegations of medical negligence, particularly those with catastrophic damages. She has a particular interest in matters related to birth trauma, neonatal and pediatric negligence, fueled by her years as an obstetrical nurse. Marilee’s clinical background uniquely complements her more than 30 years of legal practice. She has tried numerous catastrophic cases to verdict, including many involving birth trauma, neonatal and pediatric injury, death and neurological injury. Marilee has also been awarded an AV Preeminent Rating by LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest possible rating for legal ability and ethical standards. In addition to her legal practice, as Managing Partner of HPS, Marilee provides leadership, direction and operational oversight to the firm nationally. In addition to her legal practice, as Managing Partner of HPS, Marilee provides leadership, direction and operational oversight to the firm nationally. represents hospitals and healthcare providers in cases involving allegations of medical negligence, particularly those with catastrophic damages. She has a particular interest in matters related to birth trauma, neonatal and pediatric negligence, fueled by her years as an obstetrical nurse. Marilee’s clinical background uniquely complements her more than 30 years of legal practice. She has tried numerous catastrophic cases to verdict, including many involving birth trauma, neonatal and pediatric injury, death and neurological injury.
Jacob Goldstein is a member of HPS’ litigation, transportation and appellate practice groups. He represents publicly and privately held companies, airlines, airline manufacturers, commercial airline operators, insurers, healthcare providers, and other professionals in commercial litigation, employment litigation and professional liability matters. Jake devotes much of his practice towards proactively counseling his clients on adopting protective measures designed to prevent litigation where possible. However, when litigation is unavoidable, Jake aggressively advocates for his clients, frequently achieving dispositive success before trial. In his appellate practice, Jake handles matters across a broad range of substantive legal areas. He has represented clients in several state and federal courts, including the Illinois, Nevada, Florida and Utah reviewing courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the 7th and 9th Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Jake also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Appellate Legal Writing and Advocacy at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and as Chairman of the Sponsorship Committee for the Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association.
Hugh Griffin leads the firm’s appellate practice group, with more than 45 years of experience in the reviewing courts across the country. Over the course of his career, Hugh has handled more than 500 appeals in the Illinois Appellate Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, and in more than 25 other state courts, and U.S. Courts of Appeal throughout the country, and has argued 47 times before the Illinois Supreme Court. Hugh has taught appellate practice at The John Marshall Law School, and has given numerous speeches on appellate practice at the local and national level. His presentations over the years on oral arguments have been republished in the TIPS Practice Journal as well as other law journals. Hugh has been selected as an “Illinois Leading Lawyer,” an Illinois “Super Lawyer,” a “Best Lawyer” in appellate practice and was named as the “2011 Chicago Best Lawyers Appellate Lawyer of the Year.” In 2015, he was listed as one of the top “100 Super Lawyers in Illinois.” In 1991, he was nominated and accepted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He served nine years on the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee and was appointed by the Supreme Court as the Committee’s Vice Chairman from 2003-2006.
David Hall is a founding partner of HPS and concentrates his practice in various areas of healthcare litigation, particularly those matters involving catastrophic loss. Most of his cases involve brain-damaged infants, neurologically disabled adults, disfigured patients, and wrongful death claimants. He has also litigated and tried numerous other healthcare matters involving physician credentialing, medical device product liability, employment discrimination, and nursing home litigation. His litigation and trial experience also includes various transportation litigation matters, including those involving aviation and maritime accidents. Notably, David has tried to verdict more than 100 cases, most of which were pending in Cook County, Illinois. The vast majority of those trials involved cases having seven or eight-figure exposure. David has frequently been recognized by his peers for both his skills and accomplishments as a healthcare defense trial attorney. In 2007, he was inducted as a Fellow into the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers.
Benjamin Patterson represents a wide variety of clients in state and federal court in several areas of defense litigation, medical malpractice, nursing home and long-term care litigation, product liability, premises liability, consumer fraud, civil rights and legal malpractice. He specializes in medical malpractice litigation, primarily in the defense of hospitals and healthcare institutions, representing many hospitals in Cook and DuPage counties. Since HPS opened its doors in 2002, Ben has served as lead attorney on more than 30 medical malpractice jury trials, the vast majority resulting in defense verdicts. Ben became licensed in Nevada in 2003 and was actively involved in the creation and management of the HPS Las Vegas office. Ben also became licensed in Florida in 2010 and led the creation of, and now manages, the firm's Tampa and Pensacola offices. In 2015, Ben was board certified in Florida in the area of Civil Trial Law. Certification is The Florida Bar’s highest level of evaluation of the competency and experience of attorneys in the 24 areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida.
Michael Prangle is a founding partner of HPS. Mike has more than 20 years of litigation experience, primarily focused on medical malpractice defense. Over his career, Mike has tried more than 50 medical malpractice cases to verdict. His practice is varied and includes representation of doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Recently his practice has expanded to include the defense of other professionals, including accountants, product manufacturers, long-term care facilities and trucking companies. Additionally, he has significant appellate experience, having briefed and argued appeals before the First District Court of Appeals, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Nevada Supreme Court. Since 2005, Mike has been recognized as a "Super Lawyer" and since 2011 has been included as one of Illinois' "Leading Lawyers," a selection of attorneys whom were most often recommended by their peers in statewide surveys. Mike is also "AV" Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Eric Schoonveld, a founding partner of HPS, is a two-time Ironman who brings an unparalleled commitment and focus to every client engagement. His practice is centered on defending his clients throughout the country against catastrophic injury claims. Although medical negligence is a significant part of Eric's current practice, he has handled numerous products liability actions and has experience in the technical aspects of automobiles, aircraft, tools, watercraft, motorcycles, bicycles and their component parts. He has represented national and international manufacturers in numerous sectors and has experience in the procedural issues that often arise when an international manufacturer is defending cases in the US. Eric also has experience in business disputes including contracts, non-compete clauses, intellectual property, employment, regulatory enforcement, and class actions. While this commercial litigation experience is only a small part of his current practice, it provides exposure to advanced trial technologies and other strategies necessary to try difficult cases and to counsel his clients. Eric has practiced in state and federal courts in Illinois, Utah, Nevada, Texas, Virginia, Indiana, New Hampshire, Florida and elsewhere. Eric has been repeatedly included as an Illinois “Super Lawyer” and has also been recognized as a “Leading Lawyer;” a selection of lawyers who were most often recommended by their peers in statewide surveys. He has also achieved the highest rating possible by Martindale Hubbell's peer review system.
Jacqueline Sharuzi devotes her practice to the defense of hospitals, doctors, and other corporations. Her broad skill-set has allowed her to defend diverse lawsuits alleging various forms of medical negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, premises liability, insurance coverage, product liability, battery and defamation. Jackie has co-chaired more than 20 high exposure cases to verdict in various counties in the greater Chicagoland area. These verdicts include cases alleging catastrophic birth-related injuries, pediatric care, emergency room care, psychiatric care, and negligent hiring/supervision, to name a few. Jackie is also a proficient writer, who firmly believes in pursuing dismissal of cases or allegations by way of motion practice, before they reach the courtroom. By keeping up-to-date with the relevant law, Jackie has successfully secured the dismissal of cases in their entirety through the use of appropriately timed motion practice. The needs of her clients have taken Jackie across the country to California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Florida. As a result of her work defending complex medical malpractice suits, Jackie was selected as one of the “Top Forty under 40 Attorneys” in Illinois in 2012. She was also elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates in 2012.
