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Practice Areas
Purcell
& Wardrope’s areas of expertise include tort, commercial,
and insurance litigation, insurance coverage and appeals. The
firm works extensively in the U.S. District Courts, the Circuit
Court of Cook County and throughout neighboring counties such
as DuPage, Will, Lake, Kane, McHenry, Winnebago and Kankakee.
Additionally, Purcell & Wardrope is active throughout Illinois
and nationally, both as trial and monitoring counsel for businesses
and insurance carriers.
Tort and Commercial Litigation
Purcell & Wardrope has defended a wide variety of tort and
commercial matters. The firm work runs the gamut from single-defendant
motor vehicle lawsuits to multi-party and class action litigations.
The amounts in dispute in these cases have ranged from relatively
small claims to multi-million dollar compensatory and punitive
claims. The following list includes of some of the many areas
of tort and commercial practice at Purcell & Wardrope. While
it is not all inclusive, it demonstrates the depth and breadth
of services available at the firm.
- Commercial litigation including breach of contract
and U.C.C warranties.
- Construction defects - building design, construction,
and excavation - tort and breach of contract actions.
- Employment law - defamation, discrimination,
sexual harassment, wrongful termination and sexual molestation
claims.
- Environmental/Toxic tort claims - chemical
exposure, asbestos or other mass tort claims.
- Government liabilities and immunities - on
behalf of school boards and municipalities.
- Health care liability - claims against nurses,
psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, dentists, nursing homes,
hospitals and other health care providers.
- Premises liability - accidents involving
any type of alleged dangerous condition, from slip-and-falls
to criminal acts of third parties.
- Products liability - strict liability, failure
to warn, and breach of warranty.
- Professional liability - claims against attorneys,
accountants, architects, engineers, designers of computer systems
and insurance agents and brokers.
- Residential and commercial property damage
- fire or flood.
- Transportation law - commercial vehicle or
automobile accidents.
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Insurance Coverage
 The
firm’s attorneys have worked actively in all areas of insurance
law, including primary and excess insurance, re-insurance, policy
interpretation, and insurance regulation. As a result Purcell &
Wardrope can offer to its clients experience and expertise in analyzing
and litigating any coverage issue. The firm provides prompt and
accurate analysis of coverage questions and drafts reservation of
rights letters and non-waiver agreements. If litigation is required
or filed against the client, Purcell & Wardrope has the experience
to handle it. The firm also has litigated insurance coverage issues
at the state and federal trial and appellate levels relating to
construction accidents, products liability, additional insureds,
targeted tenders, re-insurance, uninsured and underinsured motorist
coverage, first-party claims, professional liability, wrongful discharge,
discrimination, property damage, bad faith, mold, T.C.P.A. and fine
arts coverage. Purcell & Wardrope serves as national counsel
for insurers on complex multi-party cases involving disputed coverage
for environmental clean up and other toxic tort claims.
Whether a client needs the firm to provide an initial analysis,
prepare a coverage opinion letter, litigate a declaratory judgment
action, or act as national counsel, Purcell & Wardrope has
the experience and expertise to meet those needs.
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Appellate Work
 To
fully serve its clients, the firm handles all phases of litigation
from trial through appeal. The firm’s extensive appellate
experience provides its clients with quality representation at all
appellate levels. Purcell & Wardrope’s appellate attorneys
appear in the Illinois appellate courts, the Illinois Supreme Court,
and United States Courts of Appeals. Their appellate work covers
all the firm’s areas of litigation, from personal injury through
insurance coverage.
Purcell & Wardrope has briefed and argued precedent setting
tort and insurance coverage cases. The firm has made significant
contributions to the law in the areas of tort immunity, indemnity
and contribution, products liability, construction law, late notice,
uninsured motorist claims, policy arbitration, policy exclusions,
and interpretation of insurance statutes.
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Purcell & Wardrope’s Clientele
Purcell & Wardrope represents a broad range of clients. These
clients, both large and small, include self-insured businesses,
insured individuals and corporations and insurance carriers. The
following are some examples of the clients Purcell & Wardrope
has served:
- Construction companies - small, local construction
contractors to the world's largest construction and design company.
- Consumer product manufacturers - small firms
to one of the nation's largest.
- Consumer product retailers and distributors
- small stores to the nation’s largest home improvement
retailer.
- Hospitals, Health clinics, HMOs, and nursing homes.
- Insurance carriers - small, personal lines
insurance carriers to the world's largest insurance company.
- Manufacturers and installers - construction
and manufacturing equipment and auto parts.
- Municipalities - the largest municipality
in Illinois, as well as numerous suburban municipalities.
- Not for profit associations - religious and
trade organizations.
- Professionals - law firms, physicians, nurses,
psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists, social workers, accounting firms,
engineering firms, and insurance agents and brokers.
- Property owners - condo associations, health
clubs, churches, restaurants and homeowners.
- Public utilities - one of the nation’s
largest.
- School boards - the largest school system
in Illinois, as well as several suburban public school systems.
- Trucking companies - small, independent trucking
companies through large interstate trucking companies.
- Security firms - small, local security firms
through the nation’s largest.
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