The firm concentrates its practice on defending all forms of civil litigation, including automobile and long-haul trucking liability cases, and all types of negligence cases, including premises, security, sexual and physical abuse, construction and liquor liability matters. We have a number of cases involving intentional torts and commercial contract disputes, products liability, toxic torts and industrial accidents, D&O liability, as well as employment, and civil rights matters and workers' compensation. We also handle medical malpractice, social work and other professional liability defense matters and insurance coverage cases under all lines of coverage. We are serving and have served over 50 national insurance carriers, as well as numerous third-party administrators, self-insured corporations, municipal governments, park districts, not-for-profit corporations and high profile defendants for nearly two decades and look forward to continuing to serve our clients' needs. A list of representative clients may be found here. Further, client references are available upon request.

Our firm concentrates its practice in the Chicago Metropolitan area with the majority of our work in the Circuit Court of Cook County and the collar counties, particularly DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties. Firm members have extensive experience in trying cases in every county in Northeastern Illinois and in the United States District Courts, as well as matters in several other states with the help of local counsel where appropriate. With our continued additions of licensed Indiana counsel at the firm, our Indiana practice group for several national insurers and self-insureds into the Indiana courts continues to grow. We have considerable experience not only in litigation matters but also in a large variety of alternative dispute resolution forums. We seek the most expeditious manner of case resolution to provide our clients the most cost-effective defense.

The firm is ably assisted by a professional support staff. We maintain a well-trained stable work force of paralegals, legal secretaries, administrators, docket clerks, and billing and accounting clerks. The firm uses a state of the art computer network and software to enable us to bill electronically and provide up-to-the-minute information on our diary and docket. We not only computerize our docket but also cross-check it with each attorney's separate docket control. Our software and trained personnel enable us to take advantage of time savings in reproduction of routine documents and court filings. We also maintain extensive legal research and expert witness data and brief banks. The firm now has developed an extensive network of local and national experts in necessary liability and damages specialties. We are always seeking ways to streamline and expedite our work so that we can provide our clients with the highest quality product in the most cost-effective manner.

The firm has a proficient working library, complete with online research through Westlaw which gives us the ability to access volumes of information far exceeding that which an actual library can hold. In addition, the firm library includes a vast amount of case law, statutory law and reference material on CD-ROM. Our CD-ROM research capability eliminates most online research charges, with the added bonus of decreasing the amount of billable attorney time it takes to do the research. Virtually all of an attorney's research on a given project can be done without that attorney ever leaving his or her desk, let alone the office. Our computer and scanning capabilities also enable us to maintain electronic communication with our clients throughout the day.

In addition, the firm follows each client's individual formats and time guidelines for providing initial case analyses, pre-trial reports and fee budgets. These are generally rendered 30 days from the date of file receipt and are updated to meet the client's needs. For every client and every case, there are general guidelines for management of specific goals and plans for implementation of resolution. These are reviewed and adjusted as often as the client's objectives require.

As our client base expanded and our practice grew as well, there came the need for more space. This manifested itself in the completion of our firm's permanent flag ship office in January 1995. We are five minutes by foot from the Cook County courthouse. The office is built to accommodate 30 attorneys. Our office environment encourages innovation, hard work and personal and professional growth. Our lawyers and staff add a certain dimension and texture to the fabric of the firm, based on varied educational backgrounds, diverse interests and avocational pursuits. We are resolved to remain a closely-knit trial firm dedicated to being aggressive while providing quality representation at a reasonable cost. Our lawyers and staff offer our clients the best in professional services in one of the most sophisticated, fast-paced, competitive and exciting legal arenas in the world.

Our clients get more than a promise when they need professional representation in the courtroom. They get a solid performance. Ours is a breathing, working trial firm. Led by the two named partners in the prime of their professional careers, our attorneys and support staff work around the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to meet our client's needs. Clients and defendants are always handled sensitively and confidentially. Communication with our clients and defendants is our stock in trade. Defendants are met at the accident scene, as necessary, and consulted within 30 days from the file receipt to ensure confidence between defendant and advocate for a successful litigation experience.

We wish to emphasize that our philosophy of offering quality legal representation is combined with the notion of offering it at a reasonable expense. This economizing manifests itself in a reasonable rate exceptionally competitive with similar firms in the Chicago area. The law firm of Stellato Schwartz hopes to continue putting its considerable experience to work for insurers and businesses. Further, we are also involved in specialized retainer agreements and alternative billing formula with several of our clients. We continue to grow carefully and steadily, and always with a clear vision of what brought us this far – superior legal skills and client partnerships, with emphasis on communication, cost-effectiveness and accountability. We sincerely appreciate the fact that by selecting us as counsel our clients have entrusted us with a great responsibility. This responsibility is performed to the utmost ability of every firm member in a professional, expeditious, circumspect, and efficient manner.