Founder and trial attorney Scott R. Clewis has represented victims and their families in over 400 personal injury and wrongful death claims and lawsuits spanning 22 years. He has achieved numerous million and multi-million dollar results in matters ranging from medical negligence and defectively designed products to motor vehicle accidents and construction negligence. He has tried cases in several jurisdictions, including Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, and Winnebago County.
In 2003, Chicago Lawyer Magazine and the Law Bulletin Publishing Company named Mr. Clewis as one of the 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch. Between 2007 and 2010, he was included in the Rising Stars list of Illinois Super Lawyers, a distinction given to only 2.5 percent of the young lawyers in Illinois. In 2012, he was among the 5 percent of lawyers in Illinois selected for inclusion in the listing of Illinois Super Lawyers. In 2014, Mr. Clewis was selected for membership in the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers.
Mr. Clewis began his legal career as law clerk to the late Hon. William J. Hibbler, U.S. District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois. He then worked as an associate and partner at two of Chicago’s elite personal injury law firms where he obtained numerous results in excess of $1 million, including a $4.1 million record-breaking jury verdict.
In 2008, he formed Clewis & Associates, P.C. with the mission of providing clients with exceptional personalized attention, and treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve. “Unfortunately, too many attorneys forget that clients are the focal point of the case, not the career accolades of the lawyer,” said Mr. Clewis.
Mr. Clewis limits the number of cases he handles to give every legal matter conscientious daily attention, and clients the time and attention they deserve. “Scott is a lawyer 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said a former client. “My wife and I knew instantly he was the lawyer for us. He was professional, confident, courteous, and represented himself very well. He gave us his personal cell phone number so we could reach him anytime, treated us like family, and remained in constant contact, always concerned about my health and well being.”
Prior to his 22 year career as a trial attorney, Mr. Clewis worked 13 years in private industry and government. He served six years as a university student affairs professional implementing student development programs and overseeing student conduct; taught high school English to inner city students; ran a learning center for academically challenged students; and served seven years as Chief Deputy Clerk of the Cook County Juvenile Division, where he oversaw the staff and operations in the largest Juvenile court system in the world. There, he served on committees to improve juvenile justice and child protection.
Mr. Clewis earned his law degree nights, while working full-time. Among his law school accomplishments, he earned the highest grade in the class in Legal Negotiations; was a semi-finalist in the law school appellate advocacy competition featuring every law student; was named to the Dean’s List for Academic Achievement; and graduated a 4-year program in 3.5 years while working full-time. He focused his elective work primarily in trial advocacy and advanced evidence.
Mr. Clewis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Speech Communication from University of Illinois at Urbana; J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law; Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from University of Pennsylvania; Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard University; and completed all coursework in the Master of Arts Program in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at Loyola University Chicago.
Mr. Clewis is a life-long Chicagoan, born and raised in the Jefferson Park / Portage Park neighborhood. “In high school and college, I worked part-time and full time nights in the court system,” said Mr. Clewis. I always loved being in court and interacting with judges and lawyers. I dreamed of one day representing my own clients, fighting aggressively for their rights, and winning their cases. Fulfilling that dream has been the thrill of a lifetime.”
