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| Recommended by peers in: | ||||||||||||||
| Civil Rights/Constitutional Law | ||||||||||||||
| Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance Law | ||||||||||||||
| Personal Injury Defense Law: General | ||||||||||||||
| Products Liability Defense Law | ||||||||||||||
| Transportation Defense Law: Including Aviation/FELA/Maritime | ||||||||||||||
| Advisory Board Member | ||||||||||||||
| County: Cook | ||||||||||||||
| Litigator: Yes | ||||||||||||||
| Practice Description: Richard T. Sikes, Jr. is as a member of the firm’s Railroad Practice. Mr. Sikes is an experienced trial and appellate attorney who represents railroads and other transportation industry clients, defends state actors against civil rights claims, and serves as lead counsel in other civil and commercial litigation. He has represented railroads in serious liability claims such as multimillion dollar property damage cases, railroad and grade-crossing fatalities, and injury claims brought by railroad employees under FELA. He has participated in other large-loss incidents, such as cost-recovery actions for damages caused by derailments and maritime collisions. In addition, Mr. Sikes has broad experience that includes defending municipalities and police officers against civil rights claims, defense of asbestos and other product liability or premises claims, and commercial litigation. Over the course of his career, Mr. Sikes has drafted briefs and presented oral argument before the Illinois Supreme Court in four cases and in the Illinois appellate courts in more than two dozen cases. He began his career as an Assistant State’s Attorney (ASA) in Cook County, Illinois, where he prosecuted 49 felony jury cases to verdict, including several capital cases. Notable Cases and Results: Mr. Sikes has extensive civil trial, appellate and arbitration experience in the following areas: Transportation law: class actions and property damage arising from large derailments; personal injury and wrongful death; Federal Employer's Liability Act; freight claims Personal injury and wrongful death in medical and psychiatric malpractice, asbestos claims, products liability, miscellaneous other accidents Civil Rights Litigation Commercial Litigation Trademark Litigation Employment Law Defamation Class Actions Bar Admissions: Illinois Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Member, Trial Bar) U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Pro Hac Vice in Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Pennsylvania Year of Birth: 1954 Law School: DePaul University College of Law, J.D., 1980 Law School Honors/Involvement: National Moot Court Team Undergraduate School: Marquette University, B.S., B.A., 1976 Bar/Professional Association Involvement: Chicago Bar Association National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel Published Legal Writing: "OSHA V. FRA Regulations and Use of OSHA Regulations As A Basis For Negligence," Third Railroad Litigator's Notebook, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, 2002 (publication pending in Fourth Railroad Litigator's Notebook) Firm Description: Heyl Royster is a regional Midwest law firm with more than 100 lawyers, and offices in Peoria, Champaign, Chicago, Edwardsville, Rockford, and Springfield, Illinois. The firm provides legal services for businesses and corporations, professionals, healthcare organizations, governmental entities, universities, insurance carriers, and other major institutions. Heyl Royster lawyers have successfully defended clients in all of the federal courts and in each of the 102 counties in the State of Illinois, as well as in courtrooms in Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. Our attorneys also counsel clients on all aspects of business life. Through our lawyers' participation in bar and industry activities, we identify and help develop trends in the law which we believe will be of benefit to our clients. 1020720 | ||||||||||||||
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