Our People

Esther Joy Schwartz has been licensed to practice law since her graduation in 1981 with honors from IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. She is a member of the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations, as well as the Appellate Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute. Her Martindale-Hubbell rating is the highest available, an "AV" rating, and she is designated a Leading Lawyer in the state of Illinois. She concentrates her practice in insurance disputes and bad faith litigation. Her experience includes litigating more than 750 declaratory judgment actions for personal and commercial carriers, covering most coverage lines. Ms. Schwartz also acts as consultant to car rental companies on risk management and insurance issues, having drafted major changes to the rental and lease agreements. She is also responsible for the firm’s Appellate Practice, which enjoys a national reputation. She has personally handled over 250 appeals and argued in our nation’s highest courts. She is directly responsible for many favorable insurance outcomes as well as decisions in areas of tort immunity, civil rights and premises liability. In addition, she handles regulatory matters before the Department of Insurance for several clients and drafted insurance policies for major insurance companies, for whom she speaks regularly at in-house seminars. Ms. Schwartz has contributed lead articles to the IDC monograph on insurance law. As an accomplished musician, Ms. Schwartz plays violin in the symphony orchestra of the University of Chicago, where she did her undergraduate work.