Train Accident | Profiles In Law

Railroad Accident Attorney in Chicago – Laurence C. Acker

Chicago FELA Attorney

Larry Acker is a very experienced appellate court advocate and trial lawyer. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1973 and from Loyola University School of Law in 1976. After finishing law school, he obtained invaluable experience as a Cook County Public Defender, where he worked on a variety of high profile murder cases as a member of the Murder Task Force.

During the past 30 years, Larry has concentrated his practice on appeals and on cases filed under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. He has researched and authored hundreds of briefs in state and federal courts involving railroad litigation. His unselfish, behind the scenes work and talented writing skills often form the foundation for important decisions at the trial and appellate court level in FELA cases where the rights of injured railroad workers are at risk.

Larry is licensed as an attorney in Illinois and in Michigan and he has been admitted pro hac vice in cases filed in state courts in Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin. In the federal court system, Larry has been admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Northern District of Indiana, the Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Federal Trial Bar for Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Western District of Michigan, the Eastern District of Wisconsin and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Seventh Circuit. During his more than 30 years of practice, Larry has also tried cases in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota. Larry has argued cases in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), and the Michigan Bar Association (MBA).

In 2008, Larry’s distinguished career was recognized by his peers when he was appointed to the Alumni Board of Governors for the Loyola University School of Law. Larry is well known for his dedication to his family and his work, but he is also fiercely loyal to the Chicago White Sox and the Notre Dame football team.

Larry is admitted to practice in the following courts:

State of Illinois
State of Michigan
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Harrington, Thompson, Acker & Harrington, Ltd. – Railroad Accident Attorneys in Chicago

180 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60606
(800) 828-5828
(312) 332-8811

Chicago FELA Lawyer – Robert E. Harrington, Jr.

July 7, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois by staff

Railroad Accident Attorney in Chicago

Robert E. Harrington, Jr. has been a successful trial lawyer for more than 30 years. The foundation for his success, and his expertise in FELA litigation, started when Bob began trying railroad cases with his father and his uncle in 1977.

In 1991, Bob was appointed a Designated Legal Counsel for the United Transportation Union and has since been regularly re-appointed as a DLC by the United Transportation Union (UTU), the largest railroad union in the United States. He is also a long standing member of the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA).

Bob has achieved many million dollar settlements and verdicts on behalf of railroad employees injured on the job, including cases against every major railroad operating in the Midwest, as well as many short line railroads. During his career, Bob has handled thousands of FELA claims and lawsuits in state and federal courts, including cases in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Wisconsin. In addition to his impressive trial record, Bob’s attention to detail and insightful arguments in both state and federal appellate courts have resulted in a variety of leading decisions that serve as a foundation for workers rights under the FELA (Federal Employers Liability Act) .

Bob has been invited to speak and lecture to many different groups about the importance of the FELA to railroad employees and he has been an annual speaker at UTU state and regional meetings for many years. He has also been a guest speaker at over a thousand union functions educating union members about the federal laws that are designed to protect the rights of railroad employees.

Bob received a B.A. from John Carroll University in Ohio in 1972 and his J.D. from the IIT Chicago Kent College of Law in 1976. During and following law school he worked for the Chief Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County and distinguished himself as a trial lawyer while working as Public Defender in the Chicago criminal courts in 1976 and 1977. Bob then joined the law firm of Harrington & Harrington, Ltd. in 1977. In 1991, the firm was renamed Harrington, Thompson, Acker and Harrington, Ltd. Under Bob’s leadership, the firm is now recognized as one of the leading FELA trial firms in the Midwest.

Bob is admitted in the following states and federal district and appellate courts: