Matthew Sims
Rapoport Weisberg Sims, P.C.
20 N. Clark St.
35th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 327-9880
www.rapoportlaw.com
Matthew Sims is a partner with the firm and a trial lawyer who represents victims and their families in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. He has litigated cases in jurisdictions across the country and has tried cases to verdict in several states.
Some of Matthew's most recent recoveries on behalf of his clients have included a $6,400,000 settlement in a case involving bleeding complications from a medical device, a first-of-its-kind $3,000,000 jury verdict against a pharmaceutical company after a man committed suicide while on a mislabeled generic version of its anti-depressant medication, a $3,000,000 settlement in a case where a factory worker was killed while operating a machine, a $2,000,000 settlement in an ankle injury case that set a record as the highest ever for such an injury in that jurisdiction, and a $939,000 settlement on behalf of a woman whose ankle was broken in a trucking accident. He has also handled numerous aviation accidents that have resulted in substantial confidential settlements on behalf of his clients.
Due to his experience in representing his clients, Matthew has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star for five years straight - 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 - a distinction limited to only the top 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40 in the State of Illinois. He has also been selected by the National Trial Institute as a "Top 40 Under 40" attorney practicing in the field of plaintiff's personal injury.
In addition to representing the injured and their families in the trial court, Matthew has notable experience in the appellate courts of several states and in the Illinois Supreme Court.
Matthew originally hails from Chicago where he grew up and attended high school. He received his bachelor's degree from Purdue University with a Certificate of Superior Achievement from the History Department, before returning to Chicago to attend law school at The John Marshall Law School.
Matthew graduated from The John Marshall Law School with his Juris Doctorate and a Certificate in Trial Advocacy, which was awarded to less than 3% of students. At The John Marshall Law School, he won the Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition, while also writing the award-winning Best Brief of the competition. Supplementing his education during law school, he clerked for the Cook County Public Defender's Office, as well as the Presiding Judge of the Fifth Municipal District of Cook County.
Product Liability
Medical Malpractice
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Personal Injury
Trucking Accidents
Wrongful Death
Litigation & Appeals
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 2010
U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana, 2011
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar, 2015
J.D. - 2009
Honors: Certificate in Trial Advocacy
Honors: First Place - Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition
Honors: Best Brief - Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition
Honors: Second Place - American Association of Justice Trial Advocacy Competition
Honors: Quarterfinalist - Buffalo Niagara Mock Trial Competition
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
B.A. - 2006
"Danger: Res Judicata Ahead - Why Construction Contractors Need to Take a 'Use it or Lose it' Approach to Express Indemnification, and Other Cautionary Tales Arising from Camper v. Burnside Construction," IDC Quarterly, 2014
"Appellate Court Relies on Subcontract to Save General Contractor from Construction Negligence Claim," Cassiday Schade Blog, 2014
"Retaining Control: Recent 2014 Interpretations of Restatement Section 414," IDC Quarterly, 2014
"Post-Ramirez: A Close Focus on the Current State of the 55-Series Illinois Pattern Instructions," IDC Quarterly, 2014
Honors and Awards
Illinois Super Lawyer - Rising Star, 2014
Illinois Super Lawyer - Rising Star, 2015
American Association for Justice
American Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
Some of Matthew's most recent recoveries on behalf of his clients have included a $6,400,000 settlement in a case involving bleeding complications from a medical device, a first-of-its-kind $3,000,000 jury verdict against a pharmaceutical company after a man committed suicide while on a mislabeled generic version of its anti-depressant medication, a $3,000,000 settlement in a case where a factory worker was killed while operating a machine, a $2,000,000 settlement in an ankle injury case that set a record as the highest ever for such an injury in that jurisdiction, and a $939,000 settlement on behalf of a woman whose ankle was broken in a trucking accident. He has also handled numerous aviation accidents that have resulted in substantial confidential settlements on behalf of his clients.
Due to his experience in representing his clients, Matthew has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star for five years straight - 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 - a distinction limited to only the top 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40 in the State of Illinois. He has also been selected by the National Trial Institute as a "Top 40 Under 40" attorney practicing in the field of plaintiff's personal injury.
In addition to representing the injured and their families in the trial court, Matthew has notable experience in the appellate courts of several states and in the Illinois Supreme Court.
Matthew originally hails from Chicago where he grew up and attended high school. He received his bachelor's degree from Purdue University with a Certificate of Superior Achievement from the History Department, before returning to Chicago to attend law school at The John Marshall Law School.
Matthew graduated from The John Marshall Law School with his Juris Doctorate and a Certificate in Trial Advocacy, which was awarded to less than 3% of students. At The John Marshall Law School, he won the Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition, while also writing the award-winning Best Brief of the competition. Supplementing his education during law school, he clerked for the Cook County Public Defender's Office, as well as the Presiding Judge of the Fifth Municipal District of Cook County.
Areas of Practice
Construction InjuriesProduct Liability
Medical Malpractice
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Personal Injury
Trucking Accidents
Wrongful Death
Litigation & Appeals
Bar Admissions
Illinois, 2009U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 2010
U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana, 2011
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar, 2015
Education
John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IllinoisJ.D. - 2009
Honors: Certificate in Trial Advocacy
Honors: First Place - Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition
Honors: Best Brief - Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition
Honors: Second Place - American Association of Justice Trial Advocacy Competition
Honors: Quarterfinalist - Buffalo Niagara Mock Trial Competition
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
B.A. - 2006
Published Works
"Illinois Appellate Court Broadens Scope of Anti-Indemnity Act to Protect Illinois Contractors," Cassiday Schade Blog, 2013"Danger: Res Judicata Ahead - Why Construction Contractors Need to Take a 'Use it or Lose it' Approach to Express Indemnification, and Other Cautionary Tales Arising from Camper v. Burnside Construction," IDC Quarterly, 2014
"Appellate Court Relies on Subcontract to Save General Contractor from Construction Negligence Claim," Cassiday Schade Blog, 2014
"Retaining Control: Recent 2014 Interpretations of Restatement Section 414," IDC Quarterly, 2014
"Post-Ramirez: A Close Focus on the Current State of the 55-Series Illinois Pattern Instructions," IDC Quarterly, 2014
Representative Cases
See Camper v. Burnside, 2013 IL App. (1st) 121589Honors and Awards
Illinois Super Lawyer - Rising Star, 2014
Illinois Super Lawyer - Rising Star, 2015
Professional Associations and Memberships
Illinois Trial Lawyer AssociationAmerican Association for Justice
American Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association