Kimberly M. Halvorsen is a highly experienced trial lawyer, having gained the ability to do so at Clifford Law Offices since graduating from law school.  Almost immediately she found herself handling high-profile, complex litigation, preparing for trials shoulder-to-shoulder with others much older.  She absorbed much from each experience, learning at what appeared to be light speed, and strategizing and handling cases like someone well beyond her years.

For example, Kim second-chaired a trial that resulted in a $2.91 million verdict in 2010 on behalf of a 52-year-old woman who died following a routine outpatient procedure at a surgery center.  She worked tirelessly in achieving a $5 million settlement in 2010 on behalf of a 45-year-old mother of two when medical personnel failed to timely diagnose and treat her cancer.  She also worked round the clock on a trial with Robert Clifford, senior partner at the firm, in 2007 which resulted in a $15.8 million verdict. She drafted motions and trial briefs, researched critical issues and organized day-to-day trial testimony. Kim also worked on the voluminous case involving the recovery of property damages involving the destruction of the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. Numerous lawsuits were filed against American Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways for their multiple failures in properly screening the terrorists that hijacked and boarded two Boeing 767 jets that they piloted into the 110-story structures. Kim successfully worked on the settlement of these complex suits brought on behalf of insurance companies and business interests from around the globe that suffered $1.2 billion dollars in losses.

Kim is very familiar working on such difficult legal matters. Before coming to Clifford Law Offices, she worked in the Criminal Enforcement Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office where she prepared policy summaries and analyses of state and federal legislation. Kim also worked as a member of the Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s Issue Development Staff where she worked closely with state legislators in Springfield to assist in implementing the Democratic caucus agenda,, providing them analyses of pending legislation debated on the House floor, as well as recommending legislation sponsorship and researching state-funded programs. Kim helped key House committees that considered legislation affecting the state budget, judiciary, health care and public safety. She helped coordinate and plan forums to assist constituents in applying and receiving state aid and program assistance. Her dedication to service and commitment to helping the Chicago community led to her bring named one of the Chicago Bar Foundation’s (CBF) pro bono “Stars of the Year” in 2009, and she now serves on the CBF’s Young Professionals Board.  In 2011, she also was named Chair of the Junior Board of Directors for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS).

Kim’s academic achievements are outstanding as well. Kim graduated magna cum laude from DePaul University and was a member of the DePaul Law Review. Kim wrote her comment for the DePaul Law Review on the unconstitutionality of the cap on non-economic damages passed by the Illinois Legislature in 2005. Kim was named to the Dean’s List and received the CALI Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy, Civil Procedure and Products Liability Litigation, achieving the highest grade in each of those classes. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, majoring in Political Science. There she was named to the Dean’s List and a member of the Phi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society.

Kim is a hard worker and enjoys a challenge, particularly involving cases at Clifford Law Offices in the area of transportation and medical malpractice, some of the most complex areas of law.