Joseph W. Balesteri

Since joining the firm in 2000, Joe’s efforts have resulted in over $700 Million Dollars of recovery - an average of approximately $30 Million per year - and many of these results are among the highest compensation in Illinois history for injuries in medical negligence matters by amount and by injury type. Prior to joining our firm, Joe worked as a defense lawyer with the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson within the medical malpractice/professional liability department. During that time, Joe primarily represented doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Working on the defense side has given Joe a unique perspective and a competitive advantage in his representation of injured plaintiffs. Understanding how the other side thinks, and anticipating the other side’s moves, has enabled his clients to achieve significant results.

Joseph W. Balesteri was elected by the International Society of Barristers for membership as a Fellow in the Spring of 2019. The International Society of Barristers was created in 1965. Its membership is limited and includes Fellows from every State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as well as Australia, Canada, England, Scotland and Ireland. No lawyer may apply for membership in this Society. Fellows are elected after nomination by an existing Fellow and after inquiry as to the nominee’s skill as a trial lawyer, personal and professional integrity to others in the nominee’s region and to Judges before whom the nominee has tried cases.

In 2004, Joe was selected as a "Leading Lawyer" in Personal Injury Law at the age of 34. This distinction was earned by fewer than 5% of all personal injury lawyers licensed in Illinois and Joe has been repeatedly selected in subsequent years. In 2005 and from 2009 - present, Joe was selected by his peers as a "Super Lawyer" in medical malpractice litigation at the age of 35, a distinction also awarded to fewer than 5% of all Illinois malpractice attorneys. Joe has been repeatedly selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer. In 2008, Joe was featured in Chicago Lawyer Magazine following a survey of judges, veteran trial lawyers, and law firm partners as a rising star of the trial bar at the age of 37. In 2010, Joe was selected as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the The National Trial Lawyers at the age of 40. In 2014, Joe was elected President of the Society of Trial Lawyers at the age of 44. In 2015, Joe was selected as a "Top 100" Lawyer by the Illinois Super Lawyer Publication. In 2015 and again in 2017, Joe was appointed to the Supreme Court of Illinois’ Committee on Equality, which has been charged with promoting “equality and fairness in all aspects of the administration of justice and facilitate a high level of trust and public confidence in the courts, judicial officers, and the entire judicial system.”