CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- John Marshall Law School alumnus Antonio Romanucci has given $100,000 to the law school's Pro Bono Program & Clinic. This first-of-its-kind gift will help fund the clinic for the next two years, John Marshall Dean John E. Corkery announced today.
Romanucci, a leading Chicago plaintiff's attorney, hopes his gift will make the Clinic's work more impactful. "I would like to see the Clinic not only help the individual client, but also help insure the right policies are put in place moving forward so society is affected positively by the work we do," said Romanucci, a 1985 graduate of the law school.
"This gift will help fund our clinic and help provide real life, practical experience for our students to help them become more practice ready," Dean Corkery said in thanking Romanucci for his generosity. "Tony Romanucci is a great example of a John Marshall alumni who gives back."
Pro Bono Program & Clinic Director and Professor Damian J. Ortiz also thanked Romanucci. "We are grateful for Mr. Romanucci's thoughtfulness, kindness and consideration of our Program," he said. "His gift will allow us to continue representing victims of civil rights violations, among others matters. Such cases, I know, are close to Mr. Romanucci's heart. We look forward to working with Mr. Romanucci in this endeavor."
Romanucci is a name partner of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, a Chicago law firm where he focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injuries arising from police misconduct, including civil rights actions, medical malpractice, construction and other workplace accidents, nursing home negligence, aviation disasters, motor vehicle accidents and educational and sexual abuse. His life's work has been devoted to fighting for the underserved and voiceless in society, whether it is traumatic brain injury victims, the mentally ill or children. His passion for fighting on behalf of injured victims and their families was sparked when his best friend from high school suffered a fatal brain injury playing football. His experience working as an Assistant Cook County Public Defender for two years further solidified his commitment to fighting for the rights of the underserved.
That passion extends outside the courtroom where Romanucci participates in many professional and charitable organizations, including the Midwest Brain Injury Clubhouse, where he is the co-founding chairman, the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association where he servers as Third Vice President, and Chair of the Police Misconduct Litigation Group and Chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group for the American Association for Justice. Romanucci is also an active member of the Justinian Society of Lawyers and the founder of its Charitable Endowment Fund, where thousands of dollars annually are awarded to organizations in need. Romanucci, along with the Justinian Society of Lawyers, recently spearheaded an aggressive fundraising effort for the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago, which houses the families of patients being cared for at Lurie's Children Hospital. For his work, he has been named a "Top 100 Super Lawyer" for 10 straight years in Illinois, a "Leading Lawyer" since 2004 and was named a "Best Lawyer" for 2013 through 2016 by U.S. News & World Report. He maintains a perfect Martindale-Hubble AV rating and an AVVO rating of 10/10. He was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
In addition to making the gift to the law school, Romanucci wants to involve John Marshall students in his work by bringing some of his high-profile civil rights cases relating to police misconduct to the Clinic. He hopes students will learn about and be able to participate in the kind of societal change that can come through litigation.
He also hopes his gift to the law school inspires his fellow John Marshall alumni to join him in supporting the law school and its mission. "The law school is training lawyers to be great advocates for their clients."
About John Marshall's Pro Bono Clinic
The Pro Bono Clinic is the largest of John Marshall's eight clinics offering law students the opportunity to develop real legal experience in a myriad of legal matters, while embracing the school's mission of providing access to justice. John Marshall encourages its students to participate in pro bono work to foster commitment to community service, both during law school and after graduation. By cultivating a culture of service, John Marshall's Pro Bono Clinic not only provides a valuable resource for clients in need, it also prepares students for a life of purposeful citizenship.