Kathleen Zellner has the rare distinction of having won major verdicts in civil and criminal cases. Most trial attorneys only try cases in one area of law. Ms. Zellner has won first degree murder trials, multi-million dollar civil verdicts, criminal and civil appeals, and post-conviction exonerations.
She is the only trial attorney in the United States who has won 5 multi-million dollar record verdicts in the span of 11 months. She currently has the highest civil rights verdict in the United States calculated per months of incarceration, totaling $1 million per month. Additionally, she has the highest false arrest settlement, calculated at $15,555 per minute for a total of $1.4 million for a 90 minute false arrest. There is no other civil rights attorney in the United States who has won larger verdicts when the months of incarceration or the minutes of false arrest are calculated. By monthly comparison, a $21 million verdict for 11 years would be $159,000 per month. Another example is a $9 million verdict for 4 years imprisonment, totals $187,500 per month.
The underlying premise of Zellner’s remarkable success is that she is not just “practicing” law, she is getting unparalleled results. Her ability to win in the courtroom, no matter the type of case, is the result of her creative trial strategies to winning for the victims of injustice.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
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Civil Rights Violations
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Medical Malpractice
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Prisoner Abuse
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Criminal Appeals
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Post-conviction and Habeas Actions
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Sexual Assault Civil Liability
HONORS
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Martindale – Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers – AV Rating, 2000 – 2021
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Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, 2020 – 2021 (invitation only)
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Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, 2012 – 2021 (invitation only)
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Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America, 2013 – 2021; Senior Charter Fellow – 2021 (invitation only)
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Lawdragon Member, 2015- 2021; Top 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer, 2021 (invitation only)
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National Association of Distinguished Counsel -Nations One Percent, 2017 – 2021 (invitation only)
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National Trial Lawyers Top 100 (Illinois), 2013 – 2021 (invitation only)
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Million Dollar Advocates Forum; Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 1999 – 2021
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Super Lawyers (medical malpractice), 2005 – 2021
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Super Lawyers Top 50 Female Lawyers in the United States, 2006
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Leading Lawyers in Illinois in civil appellate law, civil rights/constitutional law, criminal appellate law, criminal defense law: felonies & misdemeanors, personal injury law: professional malpractice, 2021; Top 100 Lawyers in Illinois – all areas of law
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Leading Lawyers in Illinois the top female criminal defense attorney in Illinois, 2012, 2017
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Chicago Magazine – 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans, 2015
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National Law Journal Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, 2002
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Top Ten Most Influential Attorneys in Illinois, American Research Corporation, 2001
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Chicago Tribune – The Year in Women – Top Influential Women Internationally, 2001
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National Law Journal Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, 2002
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National Law Journal America’s Top 50 Women Litigators, 2001
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National Law Journal Ten of America’s Top Litigators for Successful Strategies, 2000