Steven M. "Steve" Levin

Nationally known for successfully representing clients in personal injury matters, Mr. Steven M. Levin is an outstanding attorney, successful entrepreneur and, most importantly, a committed family man. his family values carry over into everything he does, from representing people seeking better care for their elderly loved ones to building a law firm that has become one of the best in the nation at winning substantial verdicts and settlements for people affected by medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, or other personal injury cases.

Recognized across the country as one of the best trial attorneys, his peers and adversaries acknowledge that his cross-examination skills rival those of the very best litigators and he is widely sought after to share his techniques and strategies in speaking roles at seminars all over the United States.

Groundbreaking Leadership Roles & Professional Accolades
Steve is a pioneer in the area of nursing home abuse and neglect and is one of the first attorneys in the country to prosecute these types of cases on behalf of the elderly and their families. He is a founding member and one of the original officers of the American Association for Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group, a national group of attorneys dedicated to prosecuting nursing home corporations that allow residents to be abused and neglected. His firm has obtained the top three jury verdicts in nursing home negligence cases in the state of Illinois.

Steve has been a zealous advocate for the rights of nursing home residents. Not only will he make sure that nursing homes are held accountable for wrongdoing toward residents, he works with numerous advocacy groups in an effort to effect change and prevent neglect and abuse from occurring. His ultimate goal is to 'Stop Poor Care' and he has contributed to lobbying efforts in Springfield to strengthen legislation that governs the operation of nursing homes.

He has helped draft and write stricter laws that have been enacted as part of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. He is in regular contact with Federal and State ombudsman regarding issues they are dealing with from a regulatory perspective. Steve is a member of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care’s Leadership Council. This organization is dedicated to protecting the rights of nursing home residents.

Steve has instilled a family-like culture at Levin & Perconti since the firm’s inception in 1992. The firm began with Steve, John Perconti, and Steve’s sister and partner Susan Novosad. Steve and Susan have worked together for over 30 years. Steve has helped grow the law firm of three to more than 20 attorneys handling hundreds of serious injury and death cases. Through the practice of law Steve has touched and influenced the lives of thousands of colleagues and clients since beginning his legal career in 1976.

He grew up in the Chicagoland area and has lived there with his family his entire life. He married his childhood sweetheart Marsha and is the father of three boys and one girl, and grandpa to fourteen grandchildren. He also proudly plays the role of ‘dad’ to some of the younger attorneys he mentors, including his now partners Mike Bonamarte and Margaret Battersby. Steve was a groomsman in Mike’s wedding and spoke at Margaret’s rehearsal dinner.

Notable Cases and Results:
Steve’s firm has recovered nearly a billion on behalf of their clients including the following notable results:

$40 M record birth injury verdict, the Largest Medical Malpractice Verdict in Illinois History Outside of Cook County.

$29 M settlement for the family of an 11-year-old girl for injuries suffered during childbirth.

$20 M verdict on behalf of a child who suffered preventable HIE and asphyxia injuries at birth, resulting in permanent cognitive and developmental impairments.

$17.7M settlement on behalf of an injured police officer who sustained a serious brain injury due to nursing staff negligence in a Chicago hospital.

$16M settlement for a child who suffered a catastrophic hypoxic-ischemic brain injury due to, among other things, mismanagement of abnormal fetal heart rate tracings during labor and delivery.

$14M record failure to diagnose cancer verdict in Illinois for a women whose doctor delayed her diagnosis of lung cancer.

$14M birth injury settlement.

$9.975 medical malpractice settlement for a 39-year-old woman after the defendants’ failures to diagnose her cervical cancer.

$9M birth injury settlement.

$8.1M jury verdict on behalf of a 63-year old women whose lung cancer went undiagnosed and untreated after clearly being identifiable on a chest x-ray.

$9M birth injury settlement.

$7.5M record Jones Act settlement for injured worker on the Mississippi River.

$7M verdict in a medical negligence suit against a doctor who failed to diagnose our client’s postpartum bleeding, resulting in her death.

$6.7M jury verdict against a hospital in a birth injury lawsuit.

$6.2M trial verdict for a 61-year-old man left permanently disabled following a procedure at the Hines Veterans Administration Medical Center.

$5.7M workplace injury settlement for a 27-year-old roofer who was injured on the job

The Top 3 Illinois Jury Verdicts in Illinois Nursing Home cases:

$4.1M jury verdict for nursing home negligence in medication error case

$2.9M nursing home neglect jury verdict in a choking case

$2.77M nursing home neglect jury verdict in a fall case

A PIONEER OF NURSING HOME LITIGATION

Steve was one of the first lawyers in the United States to handle nursing home cases, and has established a reputation as one of the country’s top litigators in the area of nursing home abuse and neglect. He has represented hundreds of nursing home residents who have been victimized by improper care and treatment, achieving record-setting verdicts and settlements in these cases.More importantly, Steve’s vigilance in representing victims in nursing home negligence lawsuits has brought national attention to this rampant and unacceptable problem, sending a message that elder abuse or mistreatment of one of society’s most vulnerable groups will not go unnoticed. Steve serves on the Leadership Council of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (formerly known as the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform), an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of nursing home residents and their families. He is also the former chair of the AAJ's Nursing Home Litigation Group. Steve's comments on nursing home litigation have been quoted in national news publications including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Steve was recently listed in the Illinois: The Top 100 list in the February 2013 through 2024 issues of Chicago Magazine, a listing of the attorneys who ranked at the top of the Illinois Super Lawyers nomination, research and review process. He has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer every year since 2005.

Steve is well-respected among his peers who have chosen him as one of the top Illinois lawyers in his field through the Leading Lawyers Network. Steve was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2013 in the field of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs.

Steve has been honored by the Martindale-Hubbell American Law Directory, and awarded their “AV” rating for his legal abilities and very high ethical standards and is a member of The National Trial Lawyers, an organization composed of The Top 100 Trial Lawyers from each state. He is also a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society.

In October 2012, Steve received an award for Trial Lawyer Excellence for the Highest Reported Illinois Verdict in a Nursing Home Malpractice case. The award was presented by the Jury Verdict Reporter, a division of Law Bulletin Publishing Co. To view the announcement that appeared in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletinon October 23,2012, click here.

As a Chicago medical malpractice lawyer, Steve is dedicated to helping people who have been injured, or the families of people killed, because of someone else’s mistakes or improper conduct. He stands by the belief that lawsuits not only bring relief to injured victims, but also motivate healthcare providers, businesses and manufacturers to make systemic changes to provide better care, service, and safer products. Steve and his wife, Marsha, reside in Chicago and have four grown children and thirteen grandchildren.