Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer
At Levin & Perconti, our Chicago-based medical malpractice team has recovered more than $1 billion for clients nationwide. With over 400 years of combined experience, we have secured record-breaking verdicts and settlements for families throughout Cook County and across Illinois.
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Quick Facts About Levin & Perconti
- Levin & Perconti celebrated over 20 attorneys receiving 2026 Super Lawyers honors.
- Levin & Perconti features five attorneys recognized in the 2026 Best Lawyers list for Medical Malpractice.
- Levin & Perconti maintains a Tier 1 ranking in Chicago for medical malpractice law.
- Levin & Perconti has recovered over $1 billion for clients, including significant settlements for medical malpractice.
What is On This Page
- Why Choose the Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Levin & Perconti?
- Medical Malpractice Statistics
- How Can Levin & Perconti Help Victims of Medical Negligence?
- How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Claim in Chicago?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice
- How a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Proves Negligence
- Examples of Medical Malpractice
- Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Near You Today
Why Choose the Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Levin & Perconti?
Levin & Perconti has helped thousands of injured clients in more than four decades of practice, securing over $1 billion in total compensation for our clients. But don’t let the numbers fool you. Our best medical malpractice attorneys think beyond the payouts, to the human being and their family who has been harmed by medical malpractice.
Some of our notable Illinois medical malpractice case results include:
| Recovery Amount | Case Context |
|---|---|
| $17.7 Million Settlement | former police officer who suffered a life-altering brain injury due to nursing staff negligence at a Chicago hospital. |
| $14 Million Verdict | record-setting verdict against a doctor and Northwestern Memorial Hospital for ignoring abnormal chest X-ray results, which caused a delay in the diagnosis of lung cancer. |
| $6.5 Million Settlement | for the family of a child that will suffer with Cerebral Palsy for the rest of her life. There were many areas of medical care in which the hospital failed the mother and the baby. |
| $6.2 Million Settlement | for a 61-year-old man who was left permanently disabled following a procedure at Hines Veterans Administration Med Center. |
| $5 Million Verdict | against a doctor and resident for mishandling a breathing tube, losing our 14-year-old quadriplegic client’s airway, which led to her death. |
| $3 Million Settlement | a 84-year-old woman who was permanently paralyzed when a Chicago neurosurgeon caused irreparable damage to her spinal cord during a procedure |
| $1.1 Million Verdict | for the family of an elderly woman whose stroke resulted from medical negligence. |
Read more about more of our Chicago medical malpractice results here.
Medical Malpractice Client Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it. Hear from some of the medical malpractice victims we’ve helped:
Chicago Medical Malpractice Statistics
Here’s something startling about the prevalence of medical malpractice: 1 in 3 people experience errors during a medical visit, but the majority don’t even realize it. Constant errors, which become almost routine in poorly-managed medical operations, can become invisible in the day-in, day-out of health care.
Illinois medical malpractice statistics provide an important tool for assessing the state of our health care system and identifying trends that negatively impact health care quality in Illinois.
From 2020-2024 alone, Illinois health care providers were named in 5,944 adverse action reports and 1,801 medical malpractice payment reports.
How Can Levin & Perconti Help Victims of Medical Negligence?
Our nationally-recognized medical malpractice lawyers will help you by:
- Review your case to ensure it meets legal standards for malpractice
- Research reports from state and federal regulators
- Request medical records from health care providers
- Investigate bills, billing procedures and Medicare payments
- Ensure access to charts and files from medical providers
- Facilitate photographs when necessary
- Connect with witnesses and expert witnesses
- Take depositions, which will be used in court
- Front all of the costs of working your case and obtaining evidence
- Help you understand standards of care that medical providers must meet
- File lawsuits and negotiate settlements, depending on our situation and preferences
- Take you seriously and support you during the entire process
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Claim in Chicago?
The lawsuit can begin as soon as you learn about an injury that should have been prevented by your medical provider. However, there is a time limit that applies to these cases, known as a medical malpractice Statute of Limitations. That means that it is very important to contact a Chicago personal injury lawyer soon after you learn of the injury. For example, in most cases you must file a claim within two years of the time that you became aware of the injury (735 Ill. Comp. State. Ann. §5/13-212(a)). However the rules are different for child victims and in a few other circumstances. A medical malpractice lawyer will be able to explain what applies in your case.
Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice in Chicago, IL
What is a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?
A medical malpractice lawsuit is filed when someone is injured or killed because of the negligence of their medical providers. Unfortunately, every day, medical mistakes are made in Chicago’s hospitals, clinics, dentists’ offices, and other healthcare facilities. When a mistake occurs that causes the patient to suffer a catastrophic personal injury , the law allows victims to take legal action to recover fair compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.
Who Can File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?
A lawsuit can be filed by anyone who has been injured because of negligent care by their medical professional—doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, dentists, and others. If the victim was killed because of the error, the surviving family members can file the suit on the victim’s behalf. Children who are injured can file suit, but obviously the parents are the individuals who take the steps on their child’s behalf.
How Much Does a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Cost?
You will pay no attorneys’ fees unless or until we recover compensation for you.
We understand that victims of medical malpractice are often placed in difficult financial situations. Hospital bills add up, wages at work are lost, and other expenses mount. It is for those reasons that we work on a contingency fee basis. Our Chicago medical malpractice lawyers have the resources to conduct an investigation and pay the court costs on your behalf. We only receive a payment if your case is successfully resolved. This allows a victim to receive fair compensation even if they do not have the money upfront.
What Compensation is Covered in a Medical Negligence Claim?
When you pursue a medical malpractice claim in Illinois, you can seek to recover all damages and monetary loss caused by the medical mistake, including:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Costs to make medical modifications to your home or hire in-home medical care
- Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of consortium
What is the Average Medical Malpractice Settlement?
At Levin & Perconti, our clients often ask what kind of payout they might expect in a malpractice lawsuit.
An estimate is never a guarantee, but it’s helpful to have some idea of what you can anticipate in a medical malpractice suit. Look at some Illinois statistics in this resource.
How a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Proves Negligence
In general, a plaintiff in a medical malpractice lawsuit must prove five things in order to prevent having their lawsuit dismissed by the court:
- There was a doctor-patient relationship
- There was a duty of care that the doctor should have provided
- The doctor breached the duty of care
- The breach of care caused the patient’s injuries
- The patient suffered damages as a result: physical, emotional, financial
To hold a negligent doctor liable for your injury, you and your medical malpractice attorney will need to show that they deviated from acceptable medical practices and standards of care. To prove malpractice, you will need a medical report from a consulting physician, under Illinois law. This physician will provide an explanation of medical standards and how your treatment would normally be handled.
You may also need additional testimony from incident witnesses or expert witnesses. Rely on your malpractice attorney’s advice about witness testimony.
Examples of Medical Malpractice
Medical negligence can happen in many forms and settings, often leading to serious injury or death for patients who trusted their healthcare providers. At Levin & Perconti, we handle a wide range of medical mistake cases where healthcare providers fail to meet the expected standard of care, causing harm. We represent clients in various medical malpractice scenarios across Illinois.
Below are some of the most common types of malpractice claims our attorneys handle in Illinois:
| Type/Cause of Medical Malpractice | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth Injuries | These cases involve harm sustained by either the mother or the child during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or shortly after birth due to trauma or medical errors. Birth injuries can result from various mistakes, such as the improper use of birthing tools, failure to detect fetal distress, or delays in performing a necessary C-section. Common outcomes include brain injuries like cerebral palsy or brachial plexus injuries. |
| Misdiagnosis, Delays in Diagnosis, & Failure to Diagnose | This occurs when a doctor incorrectly identifies a patient’s medical condition. It can result from inadequate medical histories, ignoring symptoms of serious conditions, or failing to order necessary tests. Misdiagnosis can lead to a lack of treatment, inappropriate or unnecessary treatments, and delayed intervention, potentially causing severe health complications. |
| Medication Errors | These preventable errors occur when healthcare professionals fail to follow best practices in prescribing, dispensing, or administering medications. Mistakes can include giving the wrong medication or dosage, administering it incorrectly, or overlooking dangerous drug interactions. Such errors can cause severe harm, including hospitalization, permanent injury, or death. |
| Surgical Errors | Mistakes made during surgery are preventable errors that can cause significant patient injury or death. These errors range from operating on the wrong site or patient to damaging nerves or organs, performing the incorrect procedure, or leaving foreign objects inside the body cavity. |
| Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect | Residents in nursing homes can suffer harm due to the negligence or intentional acts of staff. This can include medication mismanagement, falls, neglect leading to infections like MRSA, or other failures to provide appropriate care based on the standard of care for vulnerable residents. |
| Radiology Errors - Misreading X-rays, Scans & Other Imaging | Errors in interpreting diagnostic imaging and test results are a significant cause of medical malpractice. A radiologist misreading an X-ray, a pathologist misinterpreting lab slides, or a technician misreading an ultrasound can lead to a missed or incorrect diagnosis of serious conditions like cancer or tumors, delaying critical treatment. |
| Lack of Informed Consent | Healthcare providers are required to adequately inform patients about the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives of a medical procedure or treatment before proceeding. A lack of informed consent claim arises when a provider fails in this duty, and the patient suffers harm as a result of a procedure they did not fully understand or agree to. |
| Anesthesiologist Error | Errors made during the administration of anesthesia can have severe consequences. These mistakes may include miscalculating the dosage of anesthesia, making intubation errors or improperly monitoring a patient's vitals. Such errors can potentially lead to respiratory distress, brain damage, or even death. |
Learn more about other specific examples of medical malpractice here.
When a trusted medical provider causes harm, you deserve clear answers and a path forward. Our Illinois medical malpractice attorneys have the experience to investigate what went wrong and help you take the next step toward accountability.
How a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Proves Negligence
In general, a plaintiff in a medical malpractice lawsuit must prove five things in order to prevent having their lawsuit dismissed by the court:
- There was a doctor-patient relationship
- There was a duty of care that the doctor should have provided
- The doctor breached the duty of care
- The breach of care caused the patient’s injuries
- The patient suffered damages as a result: physical, emotional, financial
To hold a negligent doctor liable for your injury, you and your medical malpractice attorney will need to show that they deviated from acceptable medical practices and standards of care. To prove malpractice, you will need a medical report from a consulting physician, under Illinois law. This physician will provide an explanation of medical standards and how your treatment would normally be handled.
You may also need additional testimony from incident witnesses or expert witnesses. Rely on your malpractice attorney’s advice about witness testimony.
Video: Margaret Battersby-Black answers the question “How to find out if my Illinois doctor has been sued?”.
Legally Reviewed by
Bonamarte, IV
Read Bio
Since 2005, Michael Bonamarte IV has been a passionate advocate for victims of negligent conduct, corporate malfeasance, and medical malpractice. He has won numerous awards and recognitions, including Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers’ Rising Star. He has presented for the American Association for Justice, the AAJ Nursing Home Litigation Group, the John Marshall Law School, and numerous other legal associations. He regularly lectures at Chicago-area aging organizations about nursing home abuse. His writings have been published by the American Bar Association, the Chicago Daily Bulletin, and numerous other prestigious publications.
Related Pages
- Anesthesiologist Error
- Birth Injury
- Chiropractor Malpractice
- Defective Medical Device Lawyer
- Emergency Room Negligence
- HMO Misconduct
- Hospital Staph Infection Lawsuit
- Lack of Informed Consent
- Medication & Pharmaceutical Error
- Misdiagnosis or Failure to Diagnosis
- Nursing Home Abuse
- Nursing Malpractice
- OG/GYN Negligence
- Radiological Error
- Surgical Error
Notable Results
child who suffered a catastrophic hypoxic-ischemic brain injury as a result of a negligent neonatal resuscitation and intubation
for a former police officer who suffered a life-altering brain injury due to nursing staff negligence at a Chicago hospital
on behalf of a family whose mother died of lung cancer in 2015 as a result of a failure to diagnose
Related FAQs
- How Long Does a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Take?
- How Do I Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer?
- How Do I Choose the Best Medical Malpractice Lawyer?
- How Do I Know If I Have a Medical Malpractice Case?
- How Much Does a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Cost?
- Can You Sue a Doctor for Negligence?
- Can You Sue a Hospital for Emotional Distress?
Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Near You Today
Negligence in a medical setting is a form of personal injury that is referred to as medical malpractice. Doctors and hospitals that commit medical errors are often unwilling to come forward voluntarily. It takes brave citizens, with the help of experienced medical lawyers, to hold these medical practitioners accountable for malpractice.
We’ve seen many people struggle with traumatic medical negligence, and will support you through the entire litigation process. Victims of medical negligence may be eligible to obtain compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and non-economic damages.
If you have experienced medical malpractice in Chicago or anywhere in Illinois, take action and immediately contact Levin & Perconti online or call us at 877-374-1417 or 312-332-2872 to set up a free consultation with an experienced Chicago medical malpractice lawyer.
