Four Clifford Law Offices partners have been named to the 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America list, recognizing their work in some of the most complex and consequential areas of plaintiffs’ litigation in Chicago and across the United States.
Robert A. Clifford, Bradley M. Cosgrove, Kevin P. Durkin, and Keith A. Hebeisen have built distinguished careers representing individuals and families in cases involving catastrophic injury and loss across aviation, medical malpractice, wrongful death, product liability, and complex transportation cases.
Their recognition reflects Clifford Law Offices’ longstanding record of high-impact litigation. For more than four decades, the Chicago-based plaintiffs’ law firm has represented individuals and families in major civil litigation nationwide, securing more than $5 billion in verdicts and settlements while pursuing corporate and institutional accountability.
Robert Clifford: National and International Leadership in Aviation and Complex Litigation
Robert Clifford, founder and senior partner, is an internationally recognized leader in aviation and complex personal injury litigation. Over nearly five decades, he has represented victims and families in cases arising from nearly every major U.S. commercial airline disaster. As court-appointed Lead Counsel in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 litigation, Clifford led the federal litigation against Boeing on behalf of the families of all 157 people killed. He also represents families following the 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the 2025 UPS cargo jet crash in Louisville.
Beyond aviation, Clifford has secured landmark results in complex civil litigation and has held leadership positions across the legal profession, including serving as president of the Chicago Bar Association and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation.
Bradley Cosgrove: Leadership in High-Stakes Trial Litigation
Bradley Cosgrove is a nationally recognized trial lawyer handling catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, product liability, and transportation cases. In 2026, he led the trial team that obtained a $60 million verdict on behalf of a 31-year-old woman who was paralyzed in a crash in an unsafe construction zone on I-55 and a $50 million verdict involving the sexual assault of a child at a Chicago-area summer camp. Cosgrove also leads the firm’s litigation arising from the 2025 UPS cargo jet crash in Louisville.
His record in high-stakes trial litigation has earned him recognition among his peers. Cosgrove is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only organization of accomplished plaintiffs’ trial lawyers, and serves in a leadership role with the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
Kevin Durkin: Decades of Leadership in Aviation and Transportation Litigation
Kevin Durkin has more than four decades of experience in aviation, transportation, personal injury, and wrongful death litigation and has been involved in nearly every major commercial airline crash during that time, often serving in court-appointed litigation leadership roles. He served as lead plaintiffs’ co-counsel in the American Eagle Flight 4184 litigation, where a $110 million settlement was negotiated for several families, and as a member of the Management Committee leading the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 litigation, where he secured more than $40 million in settlements for seven families. He also played key roles in litigation involving American Airlines Flight 587, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248, Comair Flight 5191, and Colgan Air Flight 3407.
Durkin continues to represent families in major aviation litigation, including claims arising from the 2025 midair crash of a U.S. military helicopter and a regional jet over the Potomac River. His authority in the field extends beyond individual cases: he previously served as Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation’s Aviation Committee and Co-Chair of its Mass Torts Litigation Committee and has served as Vice-Chair of the ABA Aviation and Space Law Committee.
Keith Hebeisen: Leadership in Medical Malpractice Litigation and Trial Advocacy
Keith Hebeisen is one of Illinois’s most respected medical malpractice attorneys, with decades of experience handling complex cases involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death. His record includes a $101 million verdict for a child who sustained brain damage at birth, the highest reported medical malpractice verdict in Illinois, as well as a $27 million settlement involving permanent injuries to a newborn and a $20 million birth-injury settlement on behalf of an infant who suffered severe and permanent brain damage due to negligent obstetrical care during labor.
Beyond his courtroom work, Hebeisen has held influential positions in plaintiffs’ and medical malpractice law for decades. A past president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and former Chair of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Medical Professional Liability, he has edited ITLA’s Medical Malpractice Trial Notebook since 1992 and has taught medical malpractice law at DePaul University College of Law. He is also a Fellow of both the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers.
About the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
The Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America recognizes top trial lawyers handling consequential courtroom, investigative, and administrative matters across the United States. Honorees are selected through submissions, independent journalistic research, and vetting with leading trial lawyers nationwide.
The continued recognition of Clifford Law Offices attorneys reflects the firm’s record of significant trial results, leadership in high-stakes litigation, and commitment to Righting the Heaviest Wrongs® for clients in Chicago and nationwide.
Click here to view the complete list of 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America honorees.