10 Tressler Attorneys Selected in the 2024 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™
Tressler LLP is pleased to announce that Rachel Bassett, Taylor Brewer, Kiera Fitzpatrick, Jamie Gende, Shannon Harvey, Sarah Elizabeth Melendez, Jerome Murphy, Matthew O’Malley, Samantha Shafer and Stacey Wilkins were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2024 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™.
Learn more about this group of experienced attorneys below.
Tressler Partners: Best Lawyers - Ones to Watch in America™
Shannon M. Harvey: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Shannon handles a wide variety of complex commercial and personal injury litigation with a focus on products liability and mass tort matters. She is a trial lawyer who is in state and federal Court every week and has successfully participated in numerous jury trials. Shannon is also very experienced with the mediation process and has successfully negotiated reasonable settlements in cases where liability and damages issues were strongly contested. Shannon also advises and works with local government clients on a daily basis. In addition to providing constant updates on Illinois municipal law, she serves as local prosecutor for two local municipalities.
Stacey L. Wilkins: Insurance Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Stacey is an experienced courtroom attorney. Her litigation practice is focused primarily in the areas of general defense litigation, insurance coverage and municipal law. She has successfully defended individuals, corporations, public entities (including park districts and schools), public employees, and not-for-profit organizations, including childcare centers and foster care/adoption agencies. Stacey has advised and represented individuals, personal and commercial lines insurance companies, self-insured risk pools, corporations, municipalities in a variety of litigated defense matters. Her practice includes both state and federal trial work as well as appellate work.
Tressler Senior Counsel: Best Lawyers - Ones to Watch in America™
Rachel V. Bassett: Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Rachel is senior counsel in Tressler’s Insurance Practice Group. Rachel focuses her practice in tort defense and insurance coverage, including personal injury defense, premises liability, transportation litigation, subrogation claims and coverage analysis. She has obtained extensive litigation experience defending individuals and corporate clients in construction, contract and personal injury disputes. Throughout her career, Rachel has assisted in and has been first chair for civil trials. Rachel’s practice also includes appellate work, including brief writing and oral argument.
Tressler Associates: Best Lawyers - Ones to Watch in America™
Taylor A. Brewer: Insurance Law
Taylor is an associate in Tressler's General Defense Litigation Practice Group. Taylor started his practice with a focus on construction injury, product liability, premises liability and automobile injury, with cases ranging from pre-litigation claims through appeal. He has since branched out to handling regulatory compliance matters, with a special focus on long-term care facility regulatory compliance and local government law litigation.
Kiera Fitzpatrick: Insurance Law
Kiera is an associate in the Insurance and Employment Practice Groups at Tressler. She represents her clients in State and Federal Courts in New York and New Jersey. Her practice areas include employment litigation, insurance coverage litigation, professional and management liability, reinsurance and personal injury. She represents insurers in litigation and non-litigation matters and advises insurers on complex insurance coverage issues. She is well-versed in drafting coverage letters, pleadings, dispositive motions, discovery requests/responses and settlement agreements. Kiera also represents her clients in depositions and mediations.
Jamie L. Gende: Insurance Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Jamie is an associate in Tressler’s Insurance Practice Group. Her practice focuses on civil litigation and coverage work. She has experience in the areas of insurance defense litigation, including first and third-party liability claims, construction defect coverage litigation, subrogation claims and coverage analysis. Jamie has obtained favorable decisions at trial as well as appellate decisions in the areas of tort immunity, civil rights, and coverage issues involving criminal assaults, sexual abuse and premises liability. Jamie has assisted in and has been second chair for both coverage and civil trials. She has frequently acted as defense counsel for non-profit and government entities in personal injury and wrongful death actions
Sarah Elizabeth Melendez: Real Estate Law
Sarah is an associate in Tressler's Professional Liability and General Defense Litigation Practice Groups. She focuses her practice on complex civil litigation matters, including professional and management liability litigation and other tort matters. Sarah also has experience working with Tressler's HOA/Condo Law practice. Sarah clerked at Tressler LLP for two years before she was an associate. While clerking, she participated in depositions, drafted pleadings and gained experience writing motions and completing research for the Litigation Practice Group.
Jerome T. Murphy: Real Estate Law
Jerome serves his clients in a variety of complex litigated matters, including toxic tort and asbestos litigation, actions for breach of contract, indemnity and contribution, professional malpractice, personal injury, construction negligence, employment discrimination and civil rights violations. Jerome also has experience representing buyers and sellers in real estate transactions and closings.
Matthew J. O'Malley: Commercial Litigation
Matt is a member of the Litigation Practice Group and Secretary of Tressler’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He advises his clients on litigation strategies, skillfully representing them through all phases of litigation. Matt has a track record of success in both bench and jury trials. He focuses on the client’s resolution goals, whether that is achieved through trial, settlement conference, mediation or arbitration. Matt serves his clients in a variety of complex litigated and non-litigated matters, including actions for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, indemnity and contribution, professional malpractice, personal injury, general corporate, LGBT issues, employment discrimination and civil rights violations.
Samantha Shafer: Commercial Litigation
Samantha Shafer is an associate in Tressler’s Insurance Practice Group. She has experience in a variety of insurance coverage matters including construction defect coverage litigation, bad faith and extra contractual liability litigation and coverage claims involving a variety of tort issues. Samantha’s work includes evaluation and analysis of insurance coverage issues, risk assessment for insurance carriers, preparation of coverage opinions and position letters and handling insurance coverage litigation and ADR. Samantha has obtained favorable results for her clients in handling settlement of various insurance coverage disputes.
Click here to view the press release from Best Lawyers®.
About Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ awards are recognitions given to attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. The methodology for determining these awards remains the same as it did when Best Lawyers was founded almost 40 years ago: peer-review. Lawyers are the best resource to provide feedback on the caliber of work performed by their peers. Learn more at https://www.bestlawyers.com/ones-to-watch.
About Tressler LLP
Headquartered in Chicago, with eight offices located in five states, Tressler LLP is a national law firm comprised primarily of attorneys who devote their practice to the representation of the insurance industry in coverage analysis and resolution, litigation, underwriting consultation, product development, claims management and reinsurance.
In addition, Tressler has one of the most experienced and multi-faceted government law practices in Illinois, and has attorneys who represent clients in commercial litigation, defense litigation, corporate transactions, employment law and litigation, intellectual property and condominium and common interest community association law.
For more information, please visit www.tresslerllp.com.
