Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Attorney
Dennis VanDerGinst is the President/CEO of VanDerGinst Law. He supervises all cases within the firm. His primary practice focus is on all areas of personal injury litigation, including but not limited to, general negligence cases, product liability, medical malpractice, and mass/class actions.
Mr. VanDerGinst received his law degree from DePaul University in 1989. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Iowa, and the Federal Courts. During his career, he has represented clients in almost every state in the country.
Mr. VanDerGinst has been rated “Superb”, with a 10/10 rating from AVVO Lawyer Rating Service. He has also earned the “Client’s Choice Award” from AVVO. He has been rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, awarded only to those lawyers who have demonstrated the highest ethical standards and professional responsibility, He has been selected as one of the “Top One Percent” of attorneys in the nation by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. He has been named one of the top trial attorneys in the country by the American Trial Lawyers Association and the American Society of Legal Advocates. He has been presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who. His tremendous success is also illustrated by his membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which is limited to those attorneys who have secured multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements, which Dennis has done numerous times. In addition, Dennis has earned dozens of other awards and accolades during his prestigious career.
Mr. VanDerGinst is a former adjunct professor of torts and insurance law at Black Hawk College and he continues to speak at seminars, conferences and conventions around the country on various issues surrounding injury law. He has been very active in several counties, state, and national bar associations and trial lawyer associations. He has served on the Board of Managers for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. He has been a State Delegate for the American Association for Justice and has served on the Board of Trustees for the Pound Civil Justice Institute. He has also authored several law-related articles in several professional journals and magazines.
Through Mr. VanDerGinst’s leadership, VanDerGinst Law has donated countless hours and millions of dollars to organizations and causes that fall within the firm’s mission of helping children, the elderly, and veterans. He resides in Davenport, IA with his beautiful wife, Deana, and is bonus dad to four amazing kids. He is also grandpa to an adorable little boy.
Bar Admissions
State of Illinois 1989-present
State of Iowa 1994-present
State of Wisconsin 1996-2013-present
United States District Court for Northern District of Illinois 1989-present
United States District Court for Central District of Illinois 1992-present
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Federal Circuit 1990-present
United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa 2017-present
EDUCATION
DePaul University – College of Law
Chicago, Illinois
Juris Doctor, Spring, 1989.
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Illinois
Bachelor of Arts, Fall, 1985
Black Hawk College
Moline, Illinois
Fall, 1980 – Spring, 1982
Honors
“Lead Counsel”,
“Leading Lawyers” in Personal Injury Law
Advocate – National College of Advocacy
Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award
America’s Premier Lawyers
AV PREEMINENT Rating- Martindale-Hubbell
Best Attorneys Network,
Best Attorneys of America, Rue Ratings
Certified Arbitrator
Client Champion- Martindale-Hubbell
Client’s Choice Award- AVVO Lawyer Rating Service
Honoree-Academy of Trial Professionals
Illinois State Delegate to American Association for Justice
International Who’s Who
Life Member of the National Registry of Who’s Who
Lifetime Honoree-Best Attorneys of America
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Multi Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Nation’s Top 1% Attorney-National Association of Distinguished Counsel
Pound Civil Justice Institute – Board of Trustees
Superb Rating (10/10)-AVVO Lawyer Rating Service
Top 100 Litigation Lawyers-American Society of Legal Advocates
Top 100 Trial Lawyers-American Trial Lawyers Association
Top 100 Trial Lawyers-The National Trial Lawyers
Top 500 Attorneys in America- LawDragon Publications
Who’s Who in American Law
DePaul
Who’s Who Among American Law Students,
DePaul Legal Clinic, Chairperson
Student Bar Association Barrister’s Ball.
N.I.U.
Golden Key National Honor Society
The National Dean’s List
Student Association Senator
Students Organized for Safety
Student Tenant Union
Tower’s Magazine
Who’s Who Among American College Students.
B.H.C.
Dean’s List
Student Representative Assembly
Sociology Teaching Assistant
Sports Editor of the college newspaper.
Civic & Charitable Organizations
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QCA Cares- Executive Director
Hard Headed Kids
Legally Speaking
Jaycees
Safe Kids Campaign
AARP Volunteer Legal Review Program
