John Hughes

John K. Hughes is a founding member, Shareholder, and member of the Management Committee of Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. Since 1974, Mr. Hughes has been engaged in civil litigation in both state and federal courts at the trial and appellate level. He has extensive trial experience, particularly in the areas of personal injury; professional, product and municipal liability; medical malpractice; and insurance coverage.

Mr. Hughes has defended physicians, attorneys, therapists and hospitals from claims of deviation from the standard of care owed to patients or clients, wrongful death and violation of statutory duties. He has also tried cases involving admiralty law, industrial accidents and other personal injury matters. His municipal liability practice involves defending local governmental entities from tort claims.

Mr. Hughes has served as coordinating counsel of insurance programs for both physicians and attorneys, and has represented professionals before the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation.

EDUCATION :

• University of Chicago Law School (J.D. 1974)
• College of the Holy Cross (A.B. 1970)

BAR ADMISSIONS : Illinois (1974); Wisconsin (1986)

COURT ADMISSIONS :

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
•  U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois – Trial Bar
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois

MEMBERSHIPS / ASSOCIATIONS :

• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Illinois State Bar Association
• Member, Chicago Bar Association
• Member, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Member, Society of Trial Lawyers
• Member, DRI

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS :

• Successfully defended a women’s healthcare clinic in a case involving the care of a 13-year-old girl who died immediately after a second trimester abortion.
• Successfully defended an obstetrician/gynecologist in a case involving an alleged failure to give antibiotics prior to an abdominal hysterectomy. The plaintiff required two subsequent surgeries and sixteen more hospitalizations.
• Successfully defended a general surgeon accused of alleged negligence in performance of right antecubital cut down and failure to monitor administration of narcotic drugs, resulting in left hand amputation and drug dependency.
• Successfully defended an internist in a case involving an alleged excessive administration of steroids, resulting in bilateral avascular necrosis, causing need for bilateral hip replacement.
• Successfully defended a cardiologist to whom a patient with a positive treadmill test was referred who discharged patient after a negative arteriogram and discontinued medications. Patient died shortly thereafter of heart attack.