Jeff focuses his practice on litigation and appeals across all sectors of the transportation industry. He regularly defends national trucking lines, railroads and aviation carriers in high exposure personal injury and catastrophic death cases. As a veteran trial attorney, Jeff has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict across multiple jurisdictions.

He brings extensive experience to the defense of the construction industry. He represents general contractors, subcontractors, developers and owners in complex litigation involving construction defects, structural failures, jobsite catastrophic injuries and scaffolding/crane accidents.

Jeff’s practice also includes products liability, employment matters, premises liability, professional liability and comprehensive insurance coverage counsel. He regularly advises clients and handles coverage litigation throughout Illinois, Indiana and Texas. As a highly accomplished appellate advocate, he frequently appears before the Seventh Circuit and the appellate courts of Illinois and Indiana and holds the distinct honor of having appeared before both the Illinois Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Jeff began his career as a federal judicial law clerk in South Bend, Indiana, before practicing as a criminal defense attorney and general practitioner. He later served as a federal public defender and established himself as an accomplished federal civil trial lawyer prior to relocating his practice to Chicago.

• Education:

  • J.D., Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana, 1986
  • B.A., Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, 1982

• Professional Memberships & Associations:

  • CLM Transportation Committee
  • DuPage County Bar Association
  • Indiana State Bar Association
  • Texas State Bar Association – Litigation Section

• Seminars & Presentations:

  • Are You Sure You’re Covered?, November 2024
  • Premises Liability Training, Cincinnati Insurance, March 2024
  • Claims Training, October 2022
  • Reopening Your Business Amid COVID-19, July 2020
  • Assessing Liability in Evans v. Walmart & Other COVID-19 Wrongful Death Suits, April 2020
  • Employer Third Party Liability & the Kotecki Doctrine, March 2020
  • Kotecki At 25: The Minefield of Employer Liability In Third Party Tort Actions In Illinois, May 2016
  • Spills, Thrills and Bills, November 2014

• Articles & Publications:

  • Co-Editor – Downey Lenkov Milstein Kus General Liability Newsletter, September 2013 – present
  • Indiana Court of Appeals Strictly Applies Journey’s Account Statute to Bar Refiling of Improvidently Filed Federal Lawsuit, February 2026
  • Illinois Appellate Court Holds that Tow Truck Operator is not a Common Carrier who Owes a Special Duty to a Passenger Motorist, February 2026
  • Illinois Appellate Court Sets Tough Standard for Plaintiffs to Prove Unnatural Accumulation of Ice, February 2026
  • Illinois Appellate Court Finds Fact Questions Preclude Summary Judgment on the Issue of Whether an Employer is a Borrowing Employer under the Workers’ Compensation Act’s Exclusive Remedy Provision, October 2025
  • Cutting Corners In Discovery Compliance Upends A Defense Verdict: The Illinois Appellate Court Revisits Proper Assertion Of The Consultant Work Product Doctrine, June 2025
  • Be Careful What You Ask For: Indiana Supreme Court Upholds Choice Of Forum Selection Clause Of Contract For Employer But Not For Employees, June 2025
  • Tariffs and the New Risks to be Addressed in Construction Contracts, Downey Lenkov Milstein Kus Construction Newsletter, May 2025
  • Indiana Supreme Court Adheres to Availability of Third-Party Spoliation Claims in Only the Narrowest of Cases, May 2024
  • 7th Circuit Applies Rigorous Standard for Constructive Notice in Illinois Premises Liability Cases, May 2024
  • Proximate Cause Need Not be Established by an Expert In a Medical Negligence Case Where the Negligence is Obvious, May 2024
  • Illinois Appellate Court Affirms Denial of Uninsured Motorist Coverage Based on Excluded Driver Provision, May 2024
  • Municipal Liability Limited is Where a Bicycle Rider was Not an Intended and Permitted User, May 2024
  • Illinois Appellate Court Holds Open & Obvious Doctrine Does Not Preclude Liability to 4-Year-Old, January 2024
  • Is the Indiana Supreme Court Poised to Eliminate Third-Party Spoliation Liability?, January 2024
  • Illinois Appellate Court Upholds Close Scrutiny of Expert Opinions at Summary Judgment Stage, January 2024
  • Indiana Court of Appeals Holds Dram Shop Statute Does Not Pre-exempt Common Law Negligence, June, 2023
  • Indiana Court Of Appeals Upholds Strict Requirements for Standard-of-Care Affidavits In Medical Malpractice Cases, June 2023
  • Illinois Appellate Court Clarifies the Extent to Which Toxicologist May Opine On Alcohol, June 2023
  • Illinois Appellate Court Rules Pre-Judgment Interest Statute Constitutional, June 2023