Attorney Michael S. Keating Named an "Emerging Lawyer" by the Leading Lawyers Network

Attorney Mike Keating of Keating Law Offices 

Attorney Michael S. Keating of Keating Law Offices, P.C. in Chicago, Illinois, has been named an "Emerging Lawyer" by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s Leading Lawyers Division. The Emerging Lawyers are identified as the top two percent of lawyers who have proven themselves ethical, professional and experienced at an early point in their legal careers. 

Leading Lawyers Network

Regarding his nomination, Michael S. Keating stated:

“I am very honored to be selected as an Emerging Lawyer by the Leading Lawyers Division at the Law Bulletin Publishing Company. Everyone at Keating Law Offices is very proud of the fact that this distinction has been earned by fewer than 2% of all lawyers licensed to practice law in Illinois. In many ways this is an honor for everyone at Keating Law Offices who share the same deep commitment to providing the absolute best representation and obtaining justice on behalf of our clients.” 

Bike Attorney Michael Keating - A National Leader In Bicycle Law

Michael Keating has focused part of his practice specifically on the area of representing bicyclists injured in bicycle accidents in Illinois. He currently serves as the Chair of the Bicycle Litigation Committee for the American Association for Justice, the national trial lawyers group. He founded Keating Law Offices in 2008 with the mission of representing individuals and families whose lives have been affected due to the negligence of others. For the past decade Mr. Keating has practiced as a trial attorney in jurisdictions throughout Illinois. He represents the firm’s clients in personal injury and wrongful death litigation in state and federal courts. 

In addition to this most recent award, Mr. Keating was also named one of the "Top 100" trial lawyers in Illinois and a "Top 40 Under 40" by the National Trial Lawyers Association. For five straight years, from 2011 through 2015, he was named a "Rising Star" by SuperLawyers and Chicago Magazine. In addition to these accolades, Mr. Keating also has a perfect "10/10" ranking on AVVO, an independent attorney ranking website. 

Illinois Bicycle Law Attorneys

Keating Law Offices is the premiere personal injury law firm representing victims of bicycle accidents in Illinois. The firm is based in Chicago, Illinois and represents clients throughout Illinois. If you have any questions regarding this post or have a question regarding personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-239-6787 (Office) or 312-208-7702 (Nights/Weekends). Our staff and operators are available around the clock. You can also email Mike@KeatingLegal.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All e-mails and phone calls are returned promptly. All initial consultations are confidential and free.

How (and Why) Mike Keating Became a "Bike Lawyer"

Attorney Mike Keating

I'm often asked how I became a trial lawyer that represents people injured in bicycle accidents. My answer is that I was obsessed with bikes long before I was ever a lawyer. Bikes have been a constant in my entire life and that just continued into my career as a trial lawyer. To this day I still ride one of my bikes almost every day. The picture to the left is me on my commuter bike that I ride to the Metra train in Evanston every work day.

When I started my career as a trial lawyer I noticed a trend of clients who were injured in bicycle accidents that other attorneys didn't want to handle. These other attorneys didn't want the cases for the same reason a lot of people are unfortunately prejudiced against bicycles; they didn't think cars should share the road with bikes. However, I had two advantages as a trial lawyer that these other lawyers didn't have.

The first advantage was I had ridden all my life and still rode. I rode to class throughout law school at DePaul and typically rode to work in the Loop. I knew first hand what it was like to ride in Chicago. I knew the feeling and sensation of riding in rush hour when all your senses are alert. I understood the "flow" of traffic. And I knew the adrenaline rush that surges when an accident seems imminent. These experiences gave me valuable insight into the cases for my clients who were injured in a bike accident.

The second advantage was when I started as a trial lawyer I had just finished working in Springfield as the Assistant Counsel to the Illinois House of Representatives. During this time I learned the inner workings of the legislative process and had a chance to delve into all of the Illinois statutes regarding bikes. And I mean ALL of them. I would personally call about any bill that I thought was good for Illinois' burgeoning pro-bicycle agenda. Those days were long and the nights were longer, but it was there I learned how a clear, reasonable message could gain traction and even the smallest changes to transportation law could lead to big changes for bicyclists in Illinois. 

Soon thereafter I began working as a trial attorney at a prestigious personal injury firm in Chicago. This is when I had the chance to put what I knew from riding my entire life and my stint in Springfield to work. Armed with a unique combination of an intricate knowledge of transportation law and policy and the chance to work as a trial attorney I truly was able to "fight" for my clients. By then I also had the experience to volunteer my services as a pro bono lobbyist for bicycle advocacy groups in Illinois.

Not long after I started practicing as a trial lawyer, word spread that I was a "go to" guy for bike accident cases. Soon after that I launched www.IllinoisBicycleLaw.com. It has been a sincere privilege and an honor to have seen the influence of this blog grow and to have a positive impact on people's lives. The best part of it all is that I am more engaged and passionate than ever about bikes and bicycling advocacy. And now that I've seen that my two-year old daughter (pictured above) has her "Dada's" love of wheels and motion in her D.N.A., I'm reminded that my work trying to make Illinois safer for bikes is well worth it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices are a leading firm of trial lawyers that devote a significant portion of their practice to representing victims of bicycle accidents. Attorney Michael Keating was recently named to Chicago and SuperLawyers magazines list of "Rising Stars" and was named by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the top young lawyers in all of Illinois. He is also a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers legislative committee.

If you have any questions regarding this post, please contact the Illinois Bicycle Attorneys at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All e-mails and phone calls are returned promptly. All initial legal consultations are confidential and free.