ABOUT THE FOUNDERS
Without anyone’s assistance-by their perseverance, unrelenting drive and thrift, David and Deborah put themselves through college, then law school.
David went first. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1972 with a B.A. in political science; then worked multiple jobs for four (4) more years to save the necessary tuition money to study law. He started law school in the fall of 1976. On October 31, 1978 (while both worked full-time jobs; simultaneously caring for their 3 children in alternating fashion), Deborah gave David “exciting news”. With David knowing he still had to take AND PASS ALL his law school finals (he’d barely have enough credits to graduate, since he was trying to finish law school in 2 ½ years, instead of the normal 3 years); knowing he then had to study for the Bar exam and PASS it (knowing that more than one-third of those taking the Bar failed it), but not knowing Deborah was doing this, Deborah told David she had just signed a 3-year lease on a suite of 3 offices, a reception room and a separate secretarial area, large enough to accommodate 3 secretaries.
Moving forward–with the little money they had and their one credit card ($600 limit), they purchased a carpet remnant, 2 (used) secretarial desks, 3 (used) attorney desks, one used IBM Correcting Selectric and most of the supplies they needed. David graduated from John Marshall Law school with his Juris Doctorate in 1979. He then passed the Bar exam and received his license to practice law on April 26, 1979. Under the name McDermott and Associates, P. C., David and Deborah opened up offices on “Law Day”, i.e., May 1, 1979 in Park Forest Illinois. Deborah, (4 months pregnant at the time) posed as the offices’ receptionist and secretary. She had started part time at Prairie State College by this time. She didn’t know how to type, but answered the phone and watched their 3 children in one of the spare offices.
Five months later, i.e., on October 3, 1979, David had just arrived at court and met his client when Deborah called to say her contractions had started. He asked the judge’s clerk (Charlie) to call his case first, so he could get Deborah to the hospital. David (with Charlie’s help) was able to get his case called first; do the “Prove-Up” hearing on his Client’s divorce case; run home; pick-up Deborah and take her to the hospital in time for the delivery of their fourth (4th) child.
David was licensed to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court on April 26th, 1979. He was admitted to the Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois on April 15th, 1987. Shortly after that, he had two other lawyers and four secretaries working for him. Deborah took longer to complete her education because she gave birth to (and took care of) their five (5) children in addition to working (as secretary/manager) at the offices while attending college, then law school.
Deborah had started college in August of 1979, so, the Monday after delivering their fourth child, she was back in the offices’ receptionist and secretary, then went to College at night. She took longer to complete her education. She gave birth to their fifth child on November 7, 1980, while still attending Prairie State College and working as the offices’ secretary and manager. Fortunately, by that time, they were able to afford child care services and a secretary. She transferred to and graduated from Governor’s State University with her B.A.; then graduated from John Marshall Law School in 2 & ½ years; then passed the Bar and was sworn in on May 8th 1986. Thirty-nine days later, i.e., on June 16, 1986, McDermott & McDermott, Ltd. was founded – its sole partners, David and Deborah McDermott. David and Deborah worked together (with staff and attorneys) growing their practice until 2013, when (due to a serious, permanent and disabling illness), Deborah had to retire and give up her hard-fought-for law license.
After getting his A.A. degree from Prairie State College, David G. McDermott transferred to Eastern Illinois University. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1972. He then went to work in varied jobs to earn tuition money to go to law school. He began law school in the fall of 1976 and graduated in two and one-half years, taking extra courses to do a 3-year program in 2 ½ years. He graduated from John Marshall Law School in 1979; thereafter working full-time while studying to pass the Bar and did so that same year.
While still in law school, he was granted a “711 license” by the Illinois Supreme Court and worked in the Workers’ Compensation Division of the Attorney General’s office. He was certified by the Illinois Supreme Court to practice law on April 26, 1979, and began practicing law on May 1, 1979. On April 15, 1987, he was admitted to the Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois.
In his early years of practicing law, David worked on Senator DeAngelis’ Workers Compensation Committee (which consisted of business owners and managers – David was the only attorney working on that Committee), working to overhaul the then-existing Workers’ Compensation Act. This Committee was successful in helping to implement (and pass) a long-needed overhaul of the Workers’ Compensation Act. During those same years, David also became politically active and ran for the Board of Trustees of Prairie State College, which then consisted of 183,000 residents. He won a Term on the Board. While on the Board, he assisted with the College’s efforts to pass a referendum, which would fund construction of a large Vocational Technical Building for the College. This referendum was one of the few referendums that passed in many a year. Nearing 40 years later, along with those senior to him, David McDermott’s name is still on the plaque to that Building.
David’s past efforts to give back with respect to education not only included his years as Trustee for Prairie State College. He also was responsible for establishing a fund at Eastern Illinois University to assist students with families who were going to that school and needing assistance – as long as they maintained at least a “B” average. David also gave free law/legal lectures on varied law topics throughout the years. The most far away lectures given by him were in March of 2006 at the Beijing School of Law.
As with many small firms, the range of legal services McDermott & McDermott, Ltd. provided to its Clients at the beginning were general in nature, but often achieved “out of the box” solutions for its Clients. As a consequence of being a general practice Firm, yet willing and capable of providing innovative/unique legal solutions to Clients’ (sometimes unusual) problems, the Firm’s legal work/projects (on a more esoteric level) included: (a) setting up necessary protocols for the cryogenic preservation of one of its wealthier Clients; (b) undertaking an “Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors” for a business Client; (c) handling the sale of a Radio Station for one of its corporate Clients; (d) doing a successful Chapter 11 proceeding for one of its corporate Clients; (e) successfully prosecuting Injunctions to establish easements along the Illinois and Michigan (“I & M”) canal for a land developer; (f) defending two minority shareholders in an attempted Corporate take-over; and (g) on a unique (but perhaps not so momentous note): defending a dog (saving it) when a Municipality was attempting to have put to death.
On the other end of the spectrum, McDermott & McDermott, Ltd. attorneys prepared Wills, Trusts and Powers of Attorney; litigated divorce and paternity cases, family law matters, adoptions, criminal cases, traffic cases, bankruptcy cases, Workers’ Compensation claims and personal injury cases.
For the last fifteen years of his practice, David McDermott has concentrated his practice by only accepting “injury cases” which in and of itself consists of a wide range of different cases, e.g. Medical Malpractice, Wrongful Death, Birth Injuries, Construction Accidents, Nursing Home Abuse, Auto and Truck Accidents, Slip and Falls, Workers’ Compensation, etc. During this same time, he slowly reduced his staff so he could more effectively (one on one) handle most of his Clients’ details while concentrating the practice on personal injury.
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines “empathy” as: “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experiences of another”. Circling back to the top of our Home Page button that asks: “WHY CHOOSE US?” – How can you (a prospective Client) hope to find an attorney – one who cares about you and your case (or claim) and will honestly pursue your best interests timely with respect, honesty and empathy? There is no way the internet or even a personal consultation can assure you of making a good choice with respect to choosing a lawyer with “empathy,” but there are some core attributes you should look for in making this choice. As we perceive it, these core attributes may be found in our Mission Statement which may be found under the tab: “The Golden Rule”. After providing some background regarding the Founders and the startup of our Firm, our Mission Statement speaks to a frank paraphrase attributed to Socrates, i.e., “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. This paraphrase is at the core of and embedded in our concept of “empathy”, which we call our “Golden Rule,” and we are committed to following this Rule in the service of our Clients.
This element of “empathy” in the Client/Attorney relationship is almost always overlooked and/or not even mentioned: (A) initially by Clients themselves (when they choose a law Firm by the glitz and glitter of the lawyers’ internet, tv or other ad blitz) or (B) by a casual referral made by a friend or other source or (C) by the lawyer and/or Law Firm hired by the Client. Unfortunately, too many lawyers suffer from: (C-1) handling too many cases at the same time (especially those who practice in fields other than personal injury such as divorce, criminal law, etc.) thereby reducing time and effort for your personal injury claim; or (C-2) by what we call “9 to 5” lawyers – lawyers who only look at their handling of your matter as a 9 – 5 “job” which they quit thinking about the minute they leave their office.
We challenge you to find ANY LAW FIRM (OTHER THAN OURS) that even mentions the word “EMPATHY” or mentions being driven to provide excellent service to you, AND acknowledges you are due the respect and care inherent in our promise to live by the Golden Rule while handling your case.
When you choose us (a service provider) as your law Firm to handle this very important aspect of your life – your “INJURY”, we know (from the very moment you hire us to handle this matter) the many facets involved in this process. We know you will not only be depending on us to represent you with respect to your injury BUT ALSO (in the course of our doing so) we know you will be relying upon us to respect the many facets involved in your representation. That knowledge compels us to provide you with the type of service YOU (not us) believe to be excellent – to care about all the facets touching upon our representation of you and your case. Your INJURY MATTERS TO US, but equally important, YOU MATTER to us. These “facets” I am referring to are those such as our Firm returning your calls; keeping you updated on the progress of your case when you wish to talk to us about it; moving your case along as expeditiously as possible; trying to settle your case if practicable, but if that is not possible; filing, then prosecuting your case aggressively, yet honestly, to achieve the best possible result. If you agree with the foregoing four (4) paragraphs, you’ve found your law Firm.
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Our Practice Areas
Car Accidents
At McDermott & McDermott, Ltd., we bring our vast experiences and resources to ensure you are fully compensated for all injuries and other damages resulting from car accidents you didn’t cause.
Truck Accidents
According to the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), in 2017, persons were injured in 49.7% of all trucking accidents. One of the attorneys working with McDermott & McDermott, Ltd (with some few exceptions) exclusively practices in truck accident cases, making sure you receive compensation for ALL injuries & other damages resulting from a trucking accident.
Work Accidents
The Workers’ Compensation Act is very complex but provides many benefits (BUT ONLY IF YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM!) if you are injured in the course of doing your job. Neither your Employer nor its insurance carrier will look out for you. To be sure you receive ALL benefits due to you (and in the right amounts), you need to hire an experienced lawyer as soon as possible after the accident!
Medical Malpractice
Doctors are bound by certain legal obligations, one of the principal ones being “do no harm,” i.e., NOT to deviate from the “standard of care” due to their patients. When doctors “deviate” from the standards established by their medical communities, they become liable to their patients to compensate them for the injuries resulting from the deviations.
41+ Years Of Experience!
Give yourself an advantage in your next personal injury case by hiring McDermott & McDermott, LTD. Benefit from our years of experience in fighting for the rights of injured parties in Illinois!
The Golden Rule
We follow the Golden Rule as espoused by Socrates (Dictes and Sayenges of the Philosophirs, 1477) “Do to others as thou wouldst they should do to thee, and do to none other but as thou wouldst be done to,” or [modernized shorthand] “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” OF WHAT SIGNIFICANCE IS THIS RULE TO MY CHOICE OF LAWYERS AND THE PRACTICE OF LAW? Well, unfortunately, most of those choosing a lawyer to represent them in a serious matter (such as personal injury) do so in a very uninformed and/or “off the seat of the pants” manner.
Too often, people, unfortunately, take the advice of a friend who says: “Go see my lawyer, he did a good job for me.” Many times, this friend used the lawyer for a Will or divorce or traffic ticket . . . but NOT the type of case you need the lawyer for, such as personal injury. In this instance, you may find out the hard way (if the referred lawyer lacks the necessary education, experience, and/or empathy) that you should have chosen a lawyer whose practice concentrated on personal injuries. The outcome of your case and the very nature of the interactive experiences you have with your attorney while your case undergoes all the pre-trial stages (e.g., discovery, depositions, pre-trials and/or arbitration) and finally trial will be [go back to what’s there] VERY different from one lawyer to another, and the experiences for YOU, while your case is being handled by an attorney, can be VERY different from one lawyer to another, depending upon your choice of lawyer. A lawyer’s education and experience are NOT the sole important criteria in your choice of an attorney to represent you in your injury claim. There is an overwhelmingly significant element you want to receive from the lawyer you choose, which is almost impossible to know in advance – EMPATHY.
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