Gerald J. Bekkerman

Results matter in plaintiff’s personal injury law. Gerald Bekkerman, a name partner with Chicago’s Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, gets them.

During his relatively short legal career, Bekkerman has earned a long string of impressive verdicts and settlements for his clients. He often wins these decisions while representing clients whose chances of victory initially looked slim.

Members of the bench have taken notice of Bekkerman as well, One Circuit Court Cook County Judge who Bekkerman has appeared before said, “He moves about the courtroom with a commanding presence and relatable quality with respect to the jurors, and comports himself with the utmost professionalism”

In one case, Bekkerman secured a $2.27 million jury verdict against the City of Chicago in a zero-offer premises liability case. His client tripped and fell due to a defect in a premise maintained by the City of Chicago.

Such results are not unusual for Bekkerman, who has earned a reputation as one of the savviest personal injury attorneys working in the Chicago area “In another example of Bekkerman’s successes, he obtained a $4.8 million global settlement, including a $2.5 million jury verdict, on a zero-offer automobile case in which his Plaintiff was actually improperly ticketed by the investigating officer. He also recently secured a $5.25 million-dollar policy limits settlement for a motorcyclist in a disputed liability crash in Federal Court in Indiana.”

Opposing counsel are also quick to point out Bekkerman’s strengths. “Gerry's unique charisma and confidence gives him (and his clients) an intangible litigation advantage in terms of relationship building with judges, mediators, and being the voice of reason amongst all counsel in more complex/multi-party claims. Jerry's preparation and style yields him the necessary tools take and/or defend any deposition. Jerry knows what questions are coming and masterfully avoids MSJ threats,” said one nominator who currently has two cases against Bekkerman.

Bekkerman’s peers also say he has a winning presence in the courtroom. Bekkerman doesn’t bluster. And he doesn’t try to win his cases by intimidation. Instead, Bekkerman relies on his hard work, superior arguments and in-depth knowledge of the law when in front of a jury, his peers say.

“He is always extremely well prepared and ready. he knows the law. He knows his cases. He presents very effectively. His results speak for themselves. What really distinguishes Gerry from so many other injury litigators is his upbeat and cheerful demeanor.” said former Cook County judge Michael Panter, a senior mediator at ADR Systems of America LLC.

Faustin Pipal of Resolute Systems who has witnessed Bekkerman’s negation skills first hand said, “Gerry is skilled beyond his years and in every instance has stepped up and handled his cases with maturity and ”When he’s not earning verdicts and settlements for his clients, Bekkerman is an active member of the legal profession. He is an elected member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Board of Managers and has spoken at several Illinois Trial Lawyers Association seminars. He has also been involved with many charitable organizations, including the Illinois State Bar Foundation, WBAI, and the Active Transportation Alliance.”