Attorney Shawn Kasserman

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Shawn Kasserman is a founding member of Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC.  Prior to founding TKK, Shawn was a partner with the Chicago Personal Injury law firm of Corboy and Demetrio.

Shawn’s success as a leading Chicago personal injury attorney has earned him many honors and great recognition. Shawn has been named one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Illinois on multiple occasions, and in 2009, was the youngest of only 17 personal injury lawyers to be named to the list of the Top 100 Super Lawyers. In 2013 Shawn was inducted as Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers. Fellowship into the College is by invitation only and Membership is limited to one percent of the total lawyer population of the state in which the lawyer practices.

Shawn has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer, a distinction given to only the top 5% of all Illinois lawyers by the Leading Lawyers Network, every year the list has been published.  Shawn has consistently achieved the highest possible rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.  In 2004, The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin named Shawn as one of the top “40 Under 40” lawyers to watch.  

Shawn’s success is built upon his compassion, appreciation for people, and the strong belief that every person deserves dignity and respect. Shawn believes that representing people during the worst time of their lives is about much more than winning a case; it is the right thing to do.

The grandson of the late Justice George Kasserman, Shawn developed, at an early age, respect for the law and the protection it can afford people regardless of their wealth or status. 

After working in the construction industry, Shawn enrolled at the DePaul College of Law in 1987. While attending law school, Shawn was hired as a law clerk by the legendary trial lawyer, Philip H. Corboy. Shawn trained tirelessly with his mentors, and in 1990 was hired as an associate at the firm.  Within four years Shawn gave the opening statement and closing argument in his first of many multi-million dollar verdicts he won on behalf of his clients.

With well over $150 million in verdicts and settlements, Shawn’s record of success includes a record setting $6 million verdict for the family of a woman who died as a result of an anesthesiologist’s negligence. Shawn obtained a $7.75 million settlement for a child that suffered injuries after being released from a hospital with jaundice. In another case, Shawn recovered $5.7 million for a volunteer emergency worker pinned between two vehicles.  Shawn also won a jury verdict against the CTA for $4.4 million on behalf of a motorcyclist who was waved into the path of a car by a CTA bus driver. In another case involving the CTA, Shawn represented a pedestrian who was struck by a bus as he crossed a street mid block. After almost three weeks of trial, the CTA paid $3.9 million.

In a premises liability case, White Castle Restaurant paid Shawn’s client $4 million for injuries sustained during an armed robbery attempt in the restaurant’s drive-through. Prior to the trial the defendants had made no settlement offer. Following ten days of trial and Shawn’s closing argument, the defendants paid $4 million.

In two very significant product liability cases arising from separate but similar tragedies, Shawn represented families after their children's portable cribs collapsed, killing the children.  The manufacturers of both cribs had previously settled similar cases, but the settlements included confidentiality agreements. In each of Shawn’s cases, he refused to consider any settlement that included confidentiality. In both instances, the defendants eventually gave up their confidentiality demand to avoid a jury trial.  Playskool/Hasbro paid $3 million to the family of an eighteen month-old boy; and Evenflo, Inc. paid $2.6 million to the family of an eight-month old boy. The settlements, and more importantly, the dangers of portable cribs were, for the first time, made public alerting other families of the deadly nature of these popular children’s products.

In another series of product liability cases, Shawn represented the families of children crushed by soccer goals that tipped forward due to their defective design. Shawn proved the defective nature of the the soccer goal design, resulting in multi-million dollar settlements for his clients, and publicizing the dangerousness of this common equipment used in parks all over the country. Shawn has continued to work along side the families to establish standards and pass laws outlawing these goals, making soccer safer for our children.

In a construction liability case, Shawn obtained a settlement of $3 million for a back hoe operator who drove his machine too closely to a twenty foot ditch that had filled with water. The general contractor paid the settlement after it was established that they failed to adequately shore up the earth around the trench.

Outside the courtroom, Shawn serves on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Bar Foundation and is currently the President. He served as it’s Second Vice President and Secretary previously.

Shawn is a member of the Board of Managers for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and has served on it’s Executive Committee. Shawn has also served as the Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Illinois State Bar Association.

Shawn is a Board Member at Kids in Danger and committed to the work at Anchored for Safety. Both of these foundations were formed by parents of children killed by defective products and were represented by Shawn.  

Education

• DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, J.D., 1990
• Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, B.A., 1987

Court & Bar Admissions

• Bar & Court Admissions, Illinois, 1990
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1990
• U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois, 1990

Profiles

• "Shawn Kasserman - 40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch ," Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2004 

Honors

• AV rated - Highest level awarded - by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
• Illinois Bar Foundation, Secretary, President, 2015 - 2016
• Illinois Bar Foundation, Board of Directors
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Managers
• Illinois Super Lawyer - One of the top 100 Super Lawyers in Illinois, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
• Illinois Super Lawyer - Top 5% of all Illinois lawyers, 2005 - present
• Kids in Danger, Board of Directors
• Leading Lawyers Network Member - Top 5% of all Illinois attorneys, 2003 - present
• "New Stars, New World," Honoree, Lawdragon, 2006
• "40 Under 40 Illinois Attorneys to Watch," 2004

Professional Affiliations

• American Association for Justice (AAJ), formerly known as Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), Young Lawyers Section, Board of Governors, 1991
• American Bar Association (ABA), Political Action Committee, 1993
• Chicago Bar Association (CBA), Young Lawyers Section, Homeless & Runaway Youth Committee, 1992-1993; Judicial Evaluation Committee, 1998-1999
• DePaul University College of Law Alumni Board, Mentor Program, 2001
• DuPage County Bar Association, Civil Practice Committee, 1995-1996
• Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Young Lawyers Division Council Member, 1991; Ad Hoc Committee for the First Annual Illinois State Bar Association Leadership Conference, 1993-1994; Illinois State Bar Association Leadership Conference, Moderator, 1994-1995; Organizational Committee for the Leadership Conference, 1995-1996; Young Lawyers Division, Chair, 1997-1998, Special Committee on the Future of the Courts, 2001-2002; Standing Committee on Legislation, 2008-2010
• Illinois Bar Foundation, Board of Directors, 2008; Scholarship Committee, 2007; Gala Raffle Co-Chair, 2006
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), Board of Managers, 2008
• National Moot Court Competition Midwest Regions Chairperson, 1991-92
• Supreme Court Historical Society, 2005
• Chicago Bar Association Television Productions, Inc., Board of Managers, 2011

Community Involvement

• Kids In Danger
• President, 2017-Present
• Board of Directors, 2004-present
• Anchored for Safety, 2005-present
• Glen Ellyn Planning Commission, 2005-2007

Seminars & Speeches

• "Civil Practice and Procedure Update: Filing the Lawsuit," Illinois State Bar Association, 2012
• "Everything You Need to Know About Motor Vehicle Cases: Initial Investigation," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2012
• "Pretrial Preparation in Civil Practice: Motions in Limine," Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2012
• "Trial Practice for the Plaintiff's Employment Lawyer: Opening and Closing Statements," IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law: 11th Annual Seventh Circuit Conference, 2012
• "Filing the Lawsuit. Setting the Proper Foundation to Successfully Prosecute or Defend the Case - Pleadings, Proper Parties, Amended Complaints, Relation Back Doctrine, Venue and Non Conveniens," Civil Practice & Procedure Update, Illinois State Bar Association, 2009
• "Maximizing Damages Panel Discussion," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2009
• "Pre-trial Conference Strategies," Litigation Skills Seminar I, Law Bulletin Seminars, 2009
• "Witness Impeachment Bootcamp," National Constitution Center Audio Conferences, 2008
• "Litigating Back and Neck Injury Case," Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2008
• "Ethics of Confidentiality Clauses," Case Evaluation Conference, Law Bulletin Seminars, 2007
• "Crosses That Kill - Top Cross-Examination Techniques," Law Bulletin Seminars, 2007
• "Civil Complaints: Plaintiff's Perspective: Drafting the Complaint; Responses to Defense Motions," 2006
• "Accident Reconstruction and Its Effect on Your Case," Lorman Education Services, 2006
• "Civil Litigation - Proper Parties, Amended Complaints and Relation Back Doctrine," Illinois State Bar Association, 2006
• "Premises Liability," Update & Review Seminar, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2005
• "Civil Litigation - Proper Parties, Amended Complaints and Relation Back Doctrine," Illinois State Bar Association, 2005
• "Closing Arguments," Maximizing Damages & Preserving Plaintiff's Recovery Seminar, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2005
• "How Plaintiffs' Lawyers Perceive Insurance Companies - What Works, What Doesn't," Commercial Property Underwriters Society, 2005
• "Plaintiff's Attorney Perspective," Construction Defects Seminar, Arthur J. Gallagher & Company, 2004
• "Evidence and Objections: Laying Foundations for Introducing and Raising and Rebutting Evidence; Practical Applications of Laying Foundations," Chicago Bar Association, 2003 and 2004
• "Maximizing Your Clients' Recovery through Proper Allocation of Settlement," Potpourri of Civil Practice, Tort and Insurance Law Program, Illinois State Bar Association, 2003
• "Toxic Torts," National Business Institute, 2000
• "Civil Practice and Procedure," Illinois State Bar Association, 1999
• "Establishing Negligence & Rebutting the Defense of Contributory Negligence," Chicago Bar Association, 1998
• "Vehicle Rollovers, Latch Failures, Air Bags and More," Product Liability Seminar, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1998
• "Trucking Accidents and Motor Carrier Liability," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1998
• "Maximizing Damages: The Plaintiff's Perspective," Prosecuting the Negligence Case, 1997
• "Plaintiff Personal Injury Law," Illinois State Bar Association, 1997
• Mock Trials, Illinois State Bar Association, 1997
• Judge, Chicago Coalition for Law-Related Education, Mock Trial Advocacy Competition, 1993 
• "Taking Defendants Depositions," Chicago Bar Association, 1993
• "Negligence," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1992
• Chairperson, National Moot Court Competition Midwest Regions, 1991, 1992

Shawn Kasserman
Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC
161 North Clark Street, Suite 3050
Chicago, IL 60601
T: 312-605-8800
F: 312-605-8808
Shawn@tkklaw.com