Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
The Collins Law Firm is pleased to announce that Super Lawyers has once again named five attorneys at the firm to the Super Lawyers list. Attorneys Shawn Collins, Edward Manzke, and John Sopuch have been named as 2019 Super Lawyers, and attorneys Jeffrey Cisowski and John Risvold have been named as 2019 Rising Stars.
We would like to congratulate these attorneys for being included in the 2019 Super Lawyers list for Illinois. This honor is only granted to the top five percent of lawyers in the state based on performance and peer recognition. Attorneys are selected from over 70 practice areas after a rigorous selection process conducted through peer nomination, independent investigation, and evaluation.
Shawn Collins is an accomplished trial lawyer and the founding partner of The Collins Law Firm. He represents environmental, personal injury, and business clients in complex litigation. Shawn graduated summa cum laude with majors in business and accounting from the University of Notre Dame and earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. His environmental cases have set precedents around the country and have helped build the reputation of The Collins Law Firm as a nationally recognized environmental litigation firm. Every year since 2008, Shawn has been named as one of the “Top 100 Trial Attorneys” by The American Trial Lawyers Association. He has also been recognized by his peers as a “Leading Lawyer” in Illinois since 2017, an honor only offered to five percent of the lawyers in the state. In addition, Shawn has been included on the Super Lawyers list eleven times, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from America’s Top 100 Attorneys for Illinois. His cases have been featured in the top news outlets around the country.
Edward Manzke is an accomplished trial attorney who represents personal injury and wrongful death clients. He graduated with an economics degree from the University of Illinois, and earned a law degree from the University of Illinois as well. A lawyer since 1992, Ed has won verdicts and settlements for his clients totaling over $100 million. He has tried cases in multiple Illinois state courts, Illinois federal courts, and has argued before the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Courts. Ed has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” in Illinois ten times since 2006. His high profile cases have been reported on by prominent news organizations, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and MSNBC.
Jeffrey Cisowski represents financial institutions and commercial businesses in all phases of litigation, including trials and appeals, and in a diverse range of transactions, including financing and M&A transactions. Jeff earned his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, graduating with high honors. While at Chicago-Kent, Jeff was recognized as the highest performer for legal writing and research and trial advocacy. Jeff graduated summa cum laude from North Central College with degrees in economics, finance, and German. Today, he teaches Business Transactions to undergraduate students at North Central College.
John Risvold represents victims and families in personal injury and wrongful death cases. He graduated from the University of Missouri and attended the University of Missouri School of Law, graduating with the prestigious Order of Barristers. This distinction is only awarded to the top 10 trial lawyers in each class. John has also trained with Gerry Spence’s prestigious Trial Lawyers College. John has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Star List for Illinois for every year he has represented people as an injury lawyer. This honor is only bestowed upon 2.5 percent of Illinois lawyers under the age of 40 in any given year. His cases have been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, Naperville Sun, and on ABC7 Chicago, CBS2 Chicago, and NBC5 Chicago, among others.
John Sopuch III serves Of Counsel at The Collin Law Firm and represents clients in business litigation and commercial dispute resolution. John graduated from the University of Texas and received a J.D. degree from Pepperdine University in California. In law school, he was a member of the Law Review, wrote for The Law Review’s California Supreme Court Survey, and was named as a Dean’s Merit Scholar. John became the youngest partner at the firm of Bickel & Brewer in Chicago, leaving in 1997 to start his own law firm. In 1999 and 2001, John was appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General to assist the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue with several cases, and settled over 10 million dollars of complex litigation. In 2005, he moved to the Hawaii law firm of Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fischer and settled one of the highest wrongful death suits in Hawaii.
The Collins Law Firm is a Naperville, Illinois firm that represents clients throughout Illinois and the country in commercial, environmental and personal injury matters. Founded by Shawn Collins in 1992, the firm has established itself as a premier source of legal representation in the Chicago area. For more information on The Collins Law Firm, please visit www.collinslaw.com.