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Large Malpractice Verdict Amounts Against Physicians Increase  A surge in large medical malpractice awards targeting physicians and hospitals is part of new data released on February 2, 2024, by the global reinsurance company TransRe. In 2023, a record number of 57 medical malpractice verdicts of $10 million or more were recorded in U.S. Of these,…

CHICAGO, February 2, 2024– Brian LaCien, a founding partner of Smith LaCien LLP – Trial Lawyers, has been named by Super Lawyers as one of the “Top 100” Illinois lawyers. The state has more than 94,000 attorneys. LaCien has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year since 2016 and was a Super Lawyer Rising Star from…

CHICAGO, January 24, 2024 – Chicago trial lawyer Todd A. Smith, a founding partner with Brian LaCien of Smith LaCien LLP, has once again been named by Super Lawyers as one of the “Top 10” Super Lawyers in Illinois. The state has nearly 97,000 licensed attorneys. Smith has been on the Illinois Super Lawyers list since its inception in 2005…

Illinois was one of 16 states that did not allow for the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death cases – until now. Last year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law HB 219, which amended the former law to allow punitive damages to be recoverable in wrongful death cases. The new law makes Illinois the…

A sharp rise in deaths from heavy truck crashes, which are up almost 50 percent in the last 10 years, has federal officials more eager than ever for solutions. Many know what needs to be done and have a federal Administration willing to cooperate, but a lack of consensus prevents any real movement forward. The…

CHICAGO, IL, December 11, 2023 – Carla Colaianni, a plaintiff’s personal injury trial lawyer at Smith LaCien LLP, was among a group of elite women lawyers who were honored by Law Bulletin Media at a reception at the Westin Hotel in downtown Chicago on November 28. The 2024 honorees were selected based on their legal experience…

Despite having one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world, the U.S. currently has the highest pregnancy-related death rate among developed nations. Maternal deaths rose 40% in 2021 from the previous year. Black women are particularly vulnerable, dying at significantly higher rates than other groups. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services…

Chicago, IL, November 8, 2023 – Jason Williams, an attorney at Smith LaCien LLP, served as chair of a highly intensive two-day conference –“Mastering the Medicine: Birth Injury and Medical Negligence” – hosted by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) on Nov. 2 and 3 at the Waldorf Astoria Buckhead in Atlanta, Ga. A prominent…