Valerie Leopold

I am Chicago personal injury and medical malpractice attorney Valerie Leopold. I grew up on the south side of Chicago in the 1960s. I saw many things that I thought were unfair. I decided to go to law school to learn how to stand up for not only my own rights, but also for the rights of others. I graduated from Harvard Law School in 1977 with top honors, summa cum laude. During law school, I clerked for a criminal court judge in Roxbury and worked at Harvard's Legal Aid Society representing lower income families in court.

These early experiences confirmed my desire to obtain justice for the injured, but also made me realize that as a young lawyer, I needed to learn how my future opponents — large corporations, insurance companies, and medical organizations — worked. So for my first five years as an attorney, I worked for a very large law firm defending drug companies, automobile manufacturers, and other large corporations.

In 1982, I joined with another attorney in establishing a new firm to represent the injured. Since then, I have successfully recovered millions of dollars for people injured in everything from car, plane, truck, train, bicycle, and even horseback riding accidents. I have obtained compensation for families who have lost children or parents due to accidents, defective products, or medical negligence. I have represented infants, children, and adults who have suffered brain damage, birth injuries, paralysis, amputations, blindness, and burns. We help the injured.

I also know that in our world not everyone is treated equally or fairly. As a woman, I understand that sometimes issues, such as insurance, race, sexual orientation, gender, and income level influence how you are treated. I will stand up for your rights.