A look back at 2024
“One of the things that stands out to me about 2020 for Ankin Law was our ongoing commitment to technology. This was the first opportunity we had to build a team truly and that consisted of a technological consultant, a solutions architect, and a software developer. We were able to take this team and evaluate how we interact with technology in this office, and if we’re truly utilizing the tools properly and leveraging those tools. We conducted a full end-to-end process mapping evaluation, which consisted of truly whittling down how every employee interacts with every aspect of this business. So again, this ongoing utilization and leveraging of technology, I truly believe, is one of the things that stands out and separates Ankin Law from other offices, is it’s an ongoing commitment to not only provide our employees with the best tools in the business but give the best overall client experience.”
“I’ve been here for many years now, and the thing I like the most are the bonds that I’ve formed with a lot of the attorneys that work here. We started out in the weeds in the days where we had a different practice, and we’ve steadily grown it to where it is today. I don’t even look at them as co-workers, they’re more friends of mine. I come to work, I come to work with friends.”
“I had a case with this wonderful woman I represented. She had some terrible injuries. The insurance company denied the case from the beginning. We had to put the case into suit, go through protracted litigation, and we did end up getting a very good settlement for her at mediation. When she came to pick up the settlement check, we met in the lobby outside and she was emotional. I think the highlight of my year was she gave me the best hug I’ve had in my entire year this year, it was one of those “Mom Hugs,” you can’t describe any other way. She was so happy everything was over, and we shared that moment together.”
“I’ve gotta say the biggest highlight of the year is the birth of my child. It’s really been the greatest blessing, the greatest gift. Continuing to see the new faces at the office as we continue to grow. It’s an enjoyable thing to witness. Trying cases, getting out there, settling some big ones, moving them along, closing some of the old cases that have been hanging around. Continuing to have strong, strong success as we move into 2025 and just I really can’t wait to hit the ground running.”
“In 2024, two cases stand out for me. Both involved a tough uphill legal battle but, in the end, produced results greater than expected for two clients who showed patience and perseverance. In one such case, our client sustained a severe fracture from a slip on ice. With the cards stacked against us in a case involving ice at a HUD complex, we achieved an unparalleled result, providing life-changing compensation for a mother of two living independently. Crucial to the case was our theory that the ice resulted from a downspout emptying water directly onto the walkway; however, even more important was a video taken by our client of the exact ice slick that caused this devasting injury. Her resilience in capturing that video while on the ground in excruciating pain was the key to bridging the gap between a good and a fantastic result. In another case, after a long court battle, we obtained a settlement against a public carrier of 12 times the initial offer for a young woman who endured a life-altering back surgery. The defense argued that the impact was slight in bumper-to-bumper traffic and unnecessary surgery. Our client’s resolve and trust in our office and the process ultimately led to a strong settlement. The client and I fought for justice and got it.”
“2024 was a successful year litigating Workers’ Compensation cases at the Ankin Law Office. I like to try Work Comp cases under Section 19(b). This section of the Illinois Workers Compensation Act is a statutory mechanism that allows trials to be heard on an emergency basis. This is typically done when lost time benefits (TTD) are not being paid by the Respondent or when the Respondent is not authorizing medical care. Thankfully, we got some great workers’ compensation verdicts in 2024, awarding Ankin Law clients’ TTD, medical care, and even penalties against the Respondent when benefits were not properly paid. I enjoy the “fight” against the company and their insurance company to get Ankin Law clients the Workers’ Compensation benefits that they are entitled to under the law. Unfortunately, there is no depth that respondents will not go to deny paying benefits to injured workers unjustly, but when they do this, Ankin Law is here to step in and help.”
“A couple of cases that have settled up are ones that are more seven or eight years old that have been waiting and ruminating and going through the process. A couple of clients who’ve gone through vocational retraining where there have been success stories where they’ve been retrained for a new type of job that that they’d never had any interest or any idea they could do before. It took about six or seven years to get through it but moving those cases along and helping the clients, those were two big highlights of the year.”
“We’re more organized now than ever and I think that allows us to actually provide better service for our clients and actually get a lot more things accomplished for them. In speaking with clients, we’ve gotten some good feedback on the systems we have in place and I definitely think that has something to do with the new technology and also the caliber of people that work here.”
“The thing that I enjoy most about working at Ankin Law is having the opportunity to help people. As somebody who’s gone through litigation at a young age, I understand the impact it can have on people, and the fact that I can maybe be a guide and help people through the process that I had to go through 25 years ago, is definitely something that sticks out in my mind. It’s something that makes me really want to come to work every day.”
“We settled a number of cases for seven-figures. One that stands out to me is a construction/negligence/wrongful death where unfortunately a middle-aged man was working at a construction project, he was on the fourth floor and he fell to his death. There are a number of construction companies, “Fly By Night” companies in Chicago that unfortunately that do not take safety seriously, and that is what happened here. It took us a number of years of litigation to bring this to a successful conclusion. We had to hire a number of experts, we had to win a motion for summary judgement. Eventually, the defendents settled at mediation for several million dollars and we were able to take care of this family and take care of their future with a substantial financial recovery.”
“The biggest highlights are the client’s reactions to some of the successful results we’ve had for them this year in the medical malpractice arena. We’ve been able to obtain some significant results that have changed some people’s lives. Seeing those clients react with emotion and gratitude when they realize that their case was successfully resolved and they now had the result they were hoping to obtain at some point and now it was officially done. The tears and the gratitude from several clients, that is a lasting memory.”
“I’m very grateful not only for our client but also for our wonderful staff. My assistant, Adrianna, she’s amazing. I’m so, so grateful to have her on my team, I love working with her. But also grateful for the all colleagues that I have here, for their expertise, their passion, their knowledge, their energy, and I absolutely love working for Ankin Law.”
“There was one case that I had where a young woman was injured in a car accident. Airbags deployed and she got a burn on her wrist and needs a carpal tunnel surgery. However, she’s young, she might need the surgery in the future, but the specials were eon the low side. We were able to defense attorneys involved, get them to come to Chicago from Philadelphia, mediate the case, and get our client the absolute best result where she was very, very happy and grateful for the work we did for her. I was very proud of that case.”
“We’ve really taken a step forward into the legal innovation and technology that evolves in the legal field. We’ve really gotten ourselves to the forefront of this and to surpass some of the other firms. We’re offering the best possible package we can for our clients, the best route to not only get to the maximum number but to go beyond that for them and really get them the best result that’s out there, whether that be in my personal injury cases or my medical malpractice cases. Finding the right expert, finding the right avenue. Being able to twist just a little bit more to get the client what they deserve.”
“At times it can be long, it can be hard, but when you’re talking with clients who really need that help and are thankful for how things turn out in the end, it really does make it all worthwhile. I’ve had a few of those moments this year where people have specifically thanked me for my work on the case. Again, it just makes doing this work so worthwhile.”
“A woman was trying to do a case on her own, not getting anywhere with the insurance. She was scheduled to get a surgery, they weren’t approving it. She wasn’t getting workers’ comp benefit. I talked to her for the first time, and she was without hope. She was able to end up getting surgery approved. She actually had a second surgery scheduled that they’re also approving. They’ve given her all of her back benefits. She actually made a comment to me earlier this year that she is so thankful that she came to Ankin Law and that she talked with me, and she tells all of her friends that Ankin Law, essentially, helped her out here, and go her what she needed.”
“This is definitely showing up every day and being the best you can every day for your clients. There are certainly somedays that are harder than others. There are certainly days where a lot of difficult things are happening with the clients. Maybe their MRI didn’t get approved or their physical therapy was denied. So everyday, we’re fighting for our clients, so just trying to keep an even keel knowing that you’ve got full support.”
“One case in particular comes to mind in the last year. I had a young lady who was a single mother who was injured at work. She had a repetitive use injury. She was busy working with her hands all day long, packing things. Those cases are somewhat challenging in the workers’ comp field, however, I believe we had the medical and the documentation to back it up. I will say the insurance company fought us tooth and nail on this case. They sent her for independent medical exams more than one time, they stopped benefits on her case more than one time. As soon as I found out they stopped benefits, we filed motions, we went into court, we continued fighting for her. We continued working with her, making sure that she was getting the treatment that she needed. She did make some improvement over time, however, she was not able to return to her normal job with the restrictions that her treating doctor had. Ultimately the case went on for a couple of years. We were able to continue getting benefits for her during that time. It finally came to a head and we were able to get a very good settlement for her, which included all the money that she was entitled to while she was off of work, all her medical bills paid, compensation for her injury and her surgery that she had. In this particular case, we were able to get future medical for her. It was just a case that sticks out to me because I have a son about the same age as her daughter. She’s a single mother. My family relies on me for my income just like her daughter was relying on her for her income. I know that at the end of this case we got her a very good settlement. We helped her get some stability back in her life, get some financial security back in her life.”
One of the cases that I’m most proud about in 2024 is a case where our client was injured when he was a passenger on a CTA bus. The CTA defended our case, calling our client a lier for his injuries, saying that he was not actually injured and his treatment that he received was not actually related to the accident. It obviously affected our client’s integrityand he hired us to prosecute the case against the CTA. Through vigorous litigation, we were able to confirm the client’s injuries with his doctors, make the CTA nervous enough that on the eve of trial, they offered to settle his case for over six-figures. This provided our client with a wonderful settlement and compensation for his story, but it also vindicated his story, which made it personal for him.”
“Something that I’m thankful for is just all the attorneys in this office and being able to learn from them, because it’s so valuable. As the youngest personal injury attorney here at Ankin Law, to be able to learn from some of the best, and of course, that includes Howard himself. I’ve had the opportunity to work on several cases with him, specifically going to mediations with him and just really learning from him along the way. “The Howard Ankin Way” is what we like to call it, and really maximizes value on these cases. It really teaches me how to do that on all of my cases and all of my future cases.”
“Definitely the best thing are the people. My paralegal, she’s great, we work together really well as a team. We support each other when we’re having good days, bad days. We build each other up when one of us is having a good day, one of us isn’t. We deal with things together; she helps the cases move along. Of course, all the partners and associates that have been here long than me that I can go to at any time to ask questions to, and then of course, Howard as well. All the way up from my personal assistant that I work with all the time to Howard, everyone’s a big help.”
“(Client Lonna B) was amazing. She was so grateful and thankful. She cried tears of joy and gave me the biggest hug when she came in and got her settlement check. That was definitely a highlight.”
“What I like in particular about SSDI practice and I’ve always really enjoyed is you really get to see the tangible impact that you have on the lives of people – and a lot of people because of the number of cases that you are typically handling.”
“One highlight for sure is just getting to know all of the clients. I’ve been here now for a couple of months, but with all the cases that were already here, of course I wanted to make sure to do my best to reach out, talk to people, especially as issues came up in their cases. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of new people quickly, and that’s always a really enjoyable part of the job is getting to know the actually people behind the case.”
“My best case was with a janitorial worker and the elevator in this company that she worked for was notorious for being broken all the time. People had problems before, and the elevator kind of fell with her, and we were able to get a great settlement that changed her life. So 2024 was a great year. We did good. We’re busy as always. I’m looking forward to 2025 – and I know we’re going to even do even better things.”
“I remember one of our clients, he was one of the first settlements I reached with the opposing counsel. He had injuries, he sustained a concussion, some soft tissue injuries, and I was able to settle his cases, and that was one of the first settlements I reached as an attorney. It meant a lot that. I meant that I was able to help this person. I was able to give him something to look forward to and, I guess, also reach – I don’t know if justice is the word – but also give him something that he deserved in terms of being injured at work and giving back to him for the injuries he sustained.”
“Not really one highlight. They come from helping the people in the intake department figure out if something is a case or discussing the merits or the liability issues involved. Also, a couple of times, I’m able to speak to clients who are usually, for whatever reasons, older than myself, and have questions, concerns, are somewhat upset, not because of anything we’ve done, but because they just don’t understand. It’s a specialty I’ve gained over the years of dealing with clients like this. I always like talking to them. Taking the time – 20 minutes, 30 minutes, however long it takes – and in the end they generally understand, appreciate it. That’s always a highlight of what I do.”