Kevin J. Conway received his J.D. from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1976 and his B.A. Honors in 1973 from Loyola University of Chicago. He joined the firm of Cooney & Stenn as an associate in 1976; he became a partner in 1987. In 1989 the firm was renamed Cooney and Conway.
Mr. Conway has achieved multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts in all areas of personal injury law, including aviation, construction, mass torts, and asbestos. Significant verdicts include the Federal District Court trials of Tragarz v. Owen-Corning and Wilson v. Johns-Manville. He was also lead counsel at the trial of 177 consolidated asbestos cases, which settled at trial in 1996.
Mr. Conway is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, which limits its membership to the top on-quarter of one percent of trial lawyers in the United States. Mr. Conway has been a guest on WGN radio and ABC and CBS television news programs regarding serious injury cases. He has written and spoken extensively to legal, professional and educational groups regarding developments in personal injury law.
In 1998, Kevin Conway, with a small group of Illinois attorneys, were national finalists for Trial Lawyers of the Year in Washington, D.C. for the successful constitutional challenge to anti-consumer legislation in the cases of Best v. Taylor Machine Works, Inc., and Isbell v. Union Pacific Railroad Company.
Mr. Conway and his firm achieved the largest personal injury settlement in Illinois history in 1999 (a $200 million dollar asbestos settlement), the most multi-million dollar injury settlements in a single year in 1998, and more verdicts and settlements over one million dollars than any firm in Illinois from 1995 to 1997.
Mr. Conway was elected Vice President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association in 2000. He will become President in June, 2004. The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association consists of over 2300 trial lawyers in Illinois who are dedicated to preserving the right of trial by jury for all citizens.
Cases of significance in local and national news handled by Mr. Conway in 2002 and 2003 include:
Brewster v. Hong - Heather Brewster a graduate student and scholar-athlete of the year at Eastern Illinois University, was seriously brain damaged in an auto accident when a resident physician fell asleep at the wheel after working a 36 hour shift at the hospital. Mr. Conway filed an action against the hospital for overworking its resident-doctor. He charged the hospital had violated an Illinois Statute limiting the doctor's work hours.
The Brewster case was featured on Chicagoland television and national news. Shortly thereafter, new limits were placed on resident physician work hours at accredited hospitals in the U.S.
Broz v. Dynaprop - involved an elevator free fall in a Chicago office building that injured 10 young architects who were passengers in the elevator. Investigation revealed a hydraulic failure in an underground cylinder caused the fall. Mr. Conway brought action against the owner of the building and the elevator maintenance company for inadequate corrosion protection of the underground cylinder which caused the failure.
A recently filed case of Buckhouse v. Garvey Marine involved a tug boat pushing barges on the Calumet River outside of Chicago in Blue Island, Illinois. The vessel struck and killed a young engineer, Evan Buckhouse.
Mr. Buckhouse was struck by a barge while inspecting a bridge. Mr. Conway filed an action against the operator of the vessels for not keeping a proper lookout. He also filed against the bridge contractor for failing to provide a safe work place for Mr. Buckhouse.
In 2001, Kevin was recognized in the book Fighting for Justice, Cases and Trial Lawyers that Made a Difference, by Wesley Smith. The foreword for the book was written by Erin Brockovich.
Kevin has also been named a leading Illinois attorney in the Consumer Law Guidebook from 1996 to present
He and his partners were featured in August 2003 in the Chicago Magazine.
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