If you go online and look for abuse lawyers in Illinois, you’ll be overwhelmed with the number of choices you have. And it won’t help that they all sound impressive. Everyone’s got tons of experience. Everyone’s ‘fighting for survivors’. Personal attention guaranteed, blah blah blah.
At some point, you’ll probably give up and go with the law firm that has the best-looking website because you simply can’t choose based on anything else.
To be fair, plenty of these lawyers have the expertise needed to handle cases of abuse. But clergy abuse? Not so much.
Cases that involve sexual abuse by a clergy member can be incredibly complicated, and not many lawyers have what it takes to take on powerful institutions like the Catholic church.
| The Illinois AG identified 149 additional Catholic clerics who have been substantiated as child sex abusers but (still) weren’t disclosed as such on Illinois diocesan websites. – Office of the Illinois Attorney General |
Luckily, this article is super picky and only lists lawyers and law firms who have extensive experience in this area.
Here’s 4 of Best Clergy Abuse Lawyers in Illinois
While there are numerous Illinois-based law firms to choose from, some of which also have experience working clergy abuse cases, the following four stand out for more than one reason.
Injury Lawyer Team
The Injury Lawyer Team has plenty of proof to back up their claims.
They have an office in Chicago, and their page on clergy abuse is really detailed. You won’t find generic claims here that sound like a sales pitch. Instead, you’ll find specifics on the Archdiocese of Chicago and the dioceses of Joliet, Belleville, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield. Along with that, they also discuss named clergy and public records.
The firm is led by Jonathan Rosenfeld, who’s also one of the attorneys behind all the legal content you’ll find on their website.
Rosenfeld has 25 years of experience in personal injury, which is pretty substantial. They also list information on clergy abuse and the cases they worked on, like a $14.2 million (USD) recovery for 6 young men who were abused by a priest and a $3 million settlement in a delayed claim related to childhood clergy abuse.
Injury Lawyer Team Illinois clergy attorneys are easy to research, and their results speak for themselves.
Jeff Anderson & Associates / Frost & Pearlman
When it comes to cases of clergy abuse, John Anderson & Associates is a name you’ve likely heard of before, regardless of where you live in the U.S. They’re a national firm, and as far as their connection to Illinois goes, they’re connected to Chicago specifically through Frost & Pearlman.
This is important to remember because they’re not like some other law firms that take Illinois cases from who knows where.
One of the attorneys that gets mentioned all the time is Marc Pearlman, whose name you can see right next to that of Jeff Anderson in cases that involve clergy abuse. One example of that is the case against former principal of Providence Catholic High School, Richard McGrath. The case ended in a $2 million settlement.
The company website has a lot of information on Illinois specifically, the Archdiocese of Chicago, resources for survivors, and church documents.
Romanucci & Blandin
If you’ve spent any time looking through major civil cases in Chicago, then you’ve seen the name Romanucci & Blandin several times. But for this list in particular, the important part is Antonio Romanucci’s direct involvement in cases against Catholic institutions in Illinois.
One of the cases he worked on ended in a $1.4 million settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet for 3 men who said they were repeatedly sexually abused. The law firm also published a $2.1 million settlement that involved a 7-year-old girl who was abused at a Catholic church camp.
The reason why this is mentioned is so you can understand that these weren’t just claims against individual offenders but against big institutions. The questions about responsibility aren’t tied to a single individual, and they go beyond just that one person who’s guilty of committing abuse.
Their website is really helpful, and no part of it sounds like they’re trying to sell you something.
You’ll find the names of attorneys in the cases, case announcements, and results all in one place.
Mahoney Law Firm
Mahoney Law Firm is based in Glen Carbon, which is practical if you’re in southern Illinois.
But that’s not why they’re on this list.
The founder is Ryan J. Mahoney, and his practice is very focused on sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. And withIllinois not having a statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse anymore, this is one name you want to remember even if you think your claim is past its expiration date. It may not be.
Mahoney spent more than 16 years representing survivors of sexual assault, and the company website has a separate section for sexual assault that involves the clergy. There are also plenty of resources on child sexual abuse, institutional responsibility, and other forms of sexual misconduct.
Conclusion
Cases of clergy abuse are usually very complicated, so you can’t overstate the importance of picking the right representation.
Even if you don’t decide to go with any of the lawyers on this list, just remember not to be fooled by pretty-looking websites and dramatic claims. Look at what’s behind all that because all you should be concerned with are cold, hard facts.
If you can’t verify something, then it’s like it never happened.