Attorneys

Partner and Founder of Pavalon, Gifford, Laatsch & Marino, Gene Pavalon is a highly respected trial attorney with more than forty years of experience. Mr. Pavalon began devoting his energies to personal injury and wrongful death cases during the 1960s, when the law on behalf of the plaintiff was expanding dramatically. Since that time, he has focused primarily on these areas, winning numerous record setting verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients.

A native of Chicago, Mr. Pavalon received his B.S.L. and J.D. degrees from Northwestern University, and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1956.

After receiving his law degree, Mr. Pavalon spent three years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, attaining the rank of Captain. After his tour of duty, he entered the private practice of law and gradually built one of the most significant and successful trial practices in Chicago concentrating on personal injury and wrongful death cases.

Mr. Pavalon is a past president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of American, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice and the Roscoe Pound Foundation.

Mr. Pavalon has also been elected to membership in four of the legal profession's most prestigious organizations: The American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers and The Inner Circle of Advocates.

Mr. Pavalon is a noted teacher and lecturer is an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University School of Law teaching Trial Advocacy.  He has also appeared on a number of TV and radio shows, including 20/20 and Good Morning America, discussing various issues relating to the civil justice system.

Mr. Pavalon hosted two television series for the Public Broadcasting Network on "Health Care and the Law" and "Nursing and the Law."

An accomplished writer, Mr. Pavalon has also authored two books: Human Rights and Health Care Law, published in 1980, focusing on the legal and ethical issues in the health care profession and Your Medical Rights, published in 1990, providing a consumer's guide to understanding medical rights and malpractice issues. He has authored many articles published in legal journals, as well as in newspapers such as USA Today and The New York Times.

Of the numerous landmark cases he has handled, several are particularly notable.

In a 1981 case affirmed by the Appellate Court, an emergency room doctor was found guilty of failing to diagnose spinal meningitis in an infant, which led to brain damage.

The $1.5 million verdict was a record at that time for an infant and was also one of the first in Illinois in which a doctor was exposed for altering medical records.

In 1988, the largest total verdict in Cook County for a wrongful death and injury case, $36 million was returned against a major utility company for three teen-aged girls whose parents were killed in an automobile accident.

In another groundbreaking verdict, a surviving husband was awarded $1.5 million for the death of his wife, a successful young labor union representative, who was killed in an airplane crash. This was the largest verdict for the death of a childless woman.

Mr. Pavalon obtained a record $7.5 million verdict against the City of Chicago for a plaintiff who suffered paralyzing injuries as the result of mistreatment by Chicago police officers, affirmed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1992 a precedent setting decision clarifying the Illinois law on willful and wanton conduct which permits injured persons to recover damages against the City.

In a recent case notable for its unusual circumstances, a $9 million settlement was secured for a plaintiff suffering a disabling respiratory disease as the result of being exposed to chlorine gas while making a delivery to a waste disposal facility.

In another recent case, he secured a $20.1 million settlement for a young woman in a medical malpractice case, who suffered severe brain damage because of improper administration of a pain medication.

Mr. Pavalon is the recipient of a number of honors including the American ORT Jurisprudence Award (1989), the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (1996) and the Harry M. Philo Justice Award of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (1997), The Champion of Justice Award of the trial Lawyers for Public Justice (2000) and the Champion of Justice Award of Association of Trial Lawyers of America (2003). He has been continuously listed in numerous prestigious directories including "The Best Lawyers in America."

Mr. Pavalon is married, the father of three and grandfather of three and lives in Chicago.