Current Employment Position(s)

Associate, since November 8, 1988

Lawyer Overview

Kathy Byrne has been practicing in the field of asbestos litigation since graduating from law school in 1988.  She exclusively represents plaintiffs in product liability litigation at both trial and appellate levels.  She has secured multi-million dollar jury verdicts in many asbestos trials.  In addition to being licensed to practice law in Illinois, Kathy is also a member of the Federal Trial Bar, the Seventh Circuit Appellate Bar, and has also argued, by special permission of the Court, before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kathy was appointed by the Court to the committee which framed the criteria for the Cook County asbestos registry and she successfully defeated an appellate challenge to the registry by several asbestos manufacturers.

Kathy was heavily involved with the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association successful challenge to the constitutionality of the Illinois Legislative Tort Reform package.  Her Appellate Brief, submitted on behalf of the Brotherhood of Heat and Frost Insulators, Local 17, and The Southeast Environmental Task Force, was the first Amicus Curiae brief accepted by the Illinois Supreme Court in the tort reform challenge.

In addition to her practice, Kathy has also lectured extensively throughout the nation at litigation seminars; written a published chapter in the Illinois Continuing Legal Education Premises Liability Handbook volume; judged and critiqued law school moot court finalists, and acts as a mentor for new trial lawyers through a special program instituted by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA).  She is a member of the Board of Managers of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and is listed in Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in American Women.

Kathy has served as Chairman of Children's Dental Health Month for the Chicago Chapter of the American Dental Association, and is a charter member of the Loyal Law School Circle of Advocates.

Kathy, a lifelong Chicagoan, is a graduate of the Loyola University School of Law and Saint Mary's College of Notre Dame.

Areas of Practice

• Personal Injury -- Plaintiff
• Products Liability-Asbestos

West Practice Categories

Consumer Protection, Construction Law, Wrongful Death -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Asbestos, Chemicals & Cosmetics, Recreational Products, Toxic Torts

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 1988
• U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1989
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1988

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, January 1, 1999 - Present (Board of Managers)
• AAJ, January 1, 1998 - Present (Member)

Education

• Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois, 1988
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
• St Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, 1979
  B.A., Bachelor of Arts

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Address

# 3000
120 N Lasalle St
Chicago, IL 60602-2415

Phones

(312) 236-6166

Faxes

(312) 236-3029

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.cooneyconway.com