David J. Gallagher

Attorney David J. Gallagher joined the firm in 2018 after spending the first eleven years of his career at another Chicago Plaintiff’s personal injury firm where he served as the head of the medical malpractice division.

In 2021 Mr. Gallagher was recognized by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as being one of the attorneys selected to the list of 40 under 40 in an annual survey of up-and-coming lawyers. Mr. Gallagher has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company from 2015-2022.  This distinction recognizes Mr. Gallagher as being amongst the top two percent of lawyers who are age 40 or younger practicing in the field of Personal Injury Law. Mr. Gallagher has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2019-2022.

Mr. Gallagher received scholarships from the Intermodal Trucking Association and the Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association while earning his undergraduate degree from The University of Illinois, Chicago. He graduated in 2004 and was named to the Dean’s List.

Mr. Gallagher earned his Juris Doctorate from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2007, graduating Cum Laude. He earned a full academic scholarship during his three years of law school and was named to the Dean’s List of the College of Law.

Mr. Gallagher is a proud member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the American Association for Justice.

As an experienced trial attorney, with over 50 jury trials to verdict, Mr. Gallagher’s many successes have been published by The Illinois Jury Verdict Reporter and the Illinois Settlement Reporter.

Mr. Gallagher was the lead attorney on a $6.75M settlement for the wife and two adult children of a 60-year-old male patient who had suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while unattended and awaiting treatment in the hospital waiting room. The settlement was secured against a Cook County hospital in the Chicago area for medical negligence that resulted in the death of the patient.

Mr. Gallagher was trial counsel on a $1.7M verdict in Grundy for a 34-year-old woman who was diagnosed with a blood clot in her leg and, subsequently, was not properly monitored by her primary care physician following the discovery of the condition. The woman suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism as a result. She was survived by her husband. This matter is reported to be the largest medical negligence verdict in Grundy County history to date.

Mr. Gallagher was trial counsel on a $3.8M verdict in Will County. The plaintiff had a lumbar spinal fusion procedure performed. During the surgery, despite the fact that the displacement of a right L4 pedicle screw had been noted, the screw was left in the incorrect position. After the development of severe, post-operative, right-thigh pain, a CT scan confirmed the error, showing medial displacement of the screw into the spinal canal, forcing compression of the L4 nerve. Although the screw was removed the following day, Ms. McFarland subsequently developed permanent chronic right leg pain, weakness, and a partial right-foot drop.

Mr. Gallagher was the lead trial attorney on a medical malpractice case involving a 17-year-old heart patient who died as a result of medical malpractice. Mr. Gallagher obtained a $7,000,000.00 settlement on behalf of the estate on the second day of trial.