Attorney Articles

In a Chicago Lawyer article titled “Facing the Facts“, Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, scrutinizes the ethical and legal ramifications of vehicles controlled by artificial intelligence. Cases involving people injured or killed in accidents involving driverless cars that depend upon machine learning from enormous databases are beginning to hit courthouses across the country. So who is to blame when a person is not necessarily at fault? That is not…

For families whose lives are forever changed by an aviation disaster, the pursuit of accountability extends far beyond the courtroom. In an interview with Lawdragon, Tracy A. Brammeier, partner at Clifford Law Offices, reflects on her work representing victims of some of the world’s most devastating aviation tragedies, the responsibility that comes with that work, and how civil litigation helps drive meaningful safety improvements. Over the course of her career, Tracy Brammeier has played a…

Clifford Law Offices attorneys continue to contribute to legal scholarship by sharing practical insights with fellow Illinois attorneys through the Illinois State Bar Association’s Tort Trends newsletter. In the February 2026 issue, associate Courtney A. Berlin, in collaboration with then-Clifford Law Offices law clerk Mary Dalenberg, authored “Audit Trails and the Scope of Medical Record Discovery in Illinois.” The article examines the Illinois Appellate Court’s decision in Burnette v. Nockels, explaining how the ruling clarifies…

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, authored a column in the June/July issue of Chicago Lawyer Magazine, titled “Time for a Redesign?” examining a wrongful death claim involving Tesla’s electronically activated door systems and the broader vehicle safety concerns raised by the litigation. The lawsuit, filed in 2026 by a Massachusetts family, alleges that their teenage son died from fire and smoke inhalation after a crash in his 2021 Tesla…

In an interview with Lawdragon, James Pullos, partner at Clifford Law Offices, reflects on a career shaped by challenge, perspective, and a deep sense of responsibility to his clients. Jim Pullos’ path to personal injury law was shaped over time, through a range of roles and experiences. As the first in his family to attend and graduate from a four-year university, his decision to pursue law was rooted in a desire to challenge himself and…

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices and columnist for the Chicago Lawyer magazine, wrote an article titled “Seeking An Answer” for the April/May issue on the latest word from the Illinois Supreme Court on tort issues impacting custodial rights cases. In particular, he examined the recent case of a father who the court said had wrongfully taken his two children out of the country, and the children’s mother brought an…

As more and more lawyers use artificial intelligence (AI) in the profession, it is imperative that they not rely on this new tool without human legal knowledge to review any work product. Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices and columnist for the Chicago Lawyer magazine, wrote about the issues lawyers are confronting as AI becomes a tool in their toolbox to improve efficiency when representing clients. That efficiency, however, should…

In an interview with Lawdragon, Craig Squillace, partner at Clifford Law Offices, offers a thoughtful look at a career defined by empathy, preparation, and quiet command of the courtroom. Craig’s path to the law began early, when he was introduced to Clifford Law Offices as a college student at Illinois State University. What started as a backroom job during school breaks quickly became a calling. Seeing the civil justice system at work, particularly how it…

Following a $289 million verdict for a groundskeeper who developed cancer after long-term exposure to a cancer-causing pesticide, Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices and a columnist for the Chicago Lawyer, authored a piece titled “Hiding Behind Their Sheilds” in the December-January issue, writing that corporate immunity is an argument corporations use to try to avoid responsibility for those injured by exposure to the dangerous chemical. Farmers often suffer the…