Daniel M. Kotin is a founding shareholder and trial lawyer in the Chicago law firm of Tomasik Kotin Kasserman. Prior to founding this firm, Dan was a partner with the prominent firm Corboy & Demetrio. His experience in handling personal injury and wrongful death cases in the areas of transportation, product liability, medical malpractice, and construction has led to great success for Dan's clients in the courtroom. His results have earned him top positions on several mass tort litigation steering committees, and his reputation has earned him elected leadership positions in various prestigious legal and civic organizations.
Throughout his career, Dan has obtained nearly $78 million in jury verdicts and another $177 million in settlements on behalf of his clients. Many of these results have been either record-setting or particularly noteworthy for their type of case.
For example, Dan and partner Bob Geimer obtained a $10 million jury verdict on behalf of the family of a 39-year old husband and father who died as the result of medical negligence. Before that, Dan and partner Tim Tomasik obtained a $7.5 million verdict on behalf of the family of a City of Chicago worker who was killed when he was struck by a truck while working on a bridge. Previously, along with Tom Demetrio, Dan set a record for the largest verdict in Illinois for an individual injured in a mass transit crash when he obtained $29.6 million on behalf of a woman who suffered brain injuries in the derailment of a Metra train. Earlier, Dan obtained the largest personal injury or wrongful death award ever received in the history of St. Louis County, when his team received a $9.5 million verdict on behalf of a former NHL hockey player who was killed in a car crash. In 1996, Dan held one of the top ten medical malpractice verdicts in Cook County when he and a partner obtained a $10.2 million verdict for a man who was paralyzed due to hospital negligence.
Many of Dan's other noteworthy successes came through settlements obtained on behalf of clients both before and during trial. In transportation cases, Dan's successes include: $43 million in combined settlements on behalf of 35 passengers injured in a commuter train crash; $8.4 million settlement with Pace Bus Company on behalf of a woman who suffered severe brain damage when she was struck by a car after the bus driver required her to disembark in a dangerous location; a $5.1 million settlement for the family of a man who was killed by a left turning Megabus while crossing the street; and a $4.5 million wrongful death settlement with the CTA on behalf of a family who lost their 10-year-old daughter when she was run over by a left turning bus while crossing the street with her mother.
Other settlements which reflect the wide-variety of Dan's practice include: $17.5 million in settlements on behalf of four victims of a hi-rise fire in downtown Chicago; $12.25 million in a product liability action against a tire manufacturer for a family who lost their father and grandmother in a vehicle rollover crash; and $10.5 million in a medical malpractice case on behalf of a U.S. Postal worker who became paralyzed due to improper medical treatment for injuries suffered in a fall while working.
Outside of the courtroom, Dan's leadership is reflected in many elected and invited positions.
In 2017, he completed his term as President of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), which was the culmination of many years of elected leadership and service to one of the oldest, largest, municipal Bar Associations in the country. From this position, Dan became involved in the National Conference of Bar Presidents and has now been elected to a 3-year term on its Executive Council. In the past 3 years, Dan has also been elected to several esteemed organizations recognizing professional and ethical excellence. These include fellowships in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. He sits in the House of Delegates for the American Bar Association, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has also served as President of The Society of Trial Lawyers, a 71-year-old, invitation only organization comprised of experienced and respected trial lawyers in Chicago.
Dan is also involved in the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association where he is a member of the Board of Managers. In addition, he has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Hearing Board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission where he helps to decide disciplinary cases against other lawyers. The Supreme Court has also appointed Dan to its Committee on Character and Fitness which evaluates the moral character and general fitness of new applicants to practice law.
Since graduating from Loyola University School of Law in 1991, Dan has remained closely involved in legal education. He is on the faculty at the law school where he teaches a course in Civil Procedure and served as a coach of the National Mock Trial Team. He was the President of the Board of Governors for Loyola Law School and serves as the co-chair of its Circle of Advocates. He was honored with Loyola's Francis J. Rooney/St. Thomas More Award recognizing years of loyalty and dedicated service.
Dan has testified at public hearings about proposed changes in legislation and Supreme Court Rules. He regularly lectures at various bar associations and interest group seminars, and has published chapters and articles in legal books, periodicals, and newspapers. To date, he has presented at more than 140 legal programs and has been published more than 30 times.
In addition to being frequently consulted by the media as a legal expert on contemporary legal issues and cases, Dan has often been interviewed about the lawsuits he has handled as a personal injury lawyer. He has appeared on numerous television and radio news and talk programs, including, Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBS, WGN TV and Radio, and WBBM News Radio 780.
In 2002, Dan was recognized and profiled by Chicago's Law Bulletin Publishing Company as one of "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch". He was honored by Lawdragon as one of "500 New Stars, New World," in 2006. He is a member of The National Trial Lawyers, an organization comprised of the top 100 trial lawyers from each state. He is currently profiled as one of the Top 5% of Civil Trial Lawyers in Illinois by the Leading Lawyers Network, has been designated an "Illinois Super Lawyer" and maintains an AV rating - the highest possible rating for any attorney - from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.
