Advocate, Expert, Family Man, Trial Attorney
John J. Perconti is a nationally recognized attorney and one of the country’s leading medical malpractice experts, with extensive experience in federal and state courts. As one of the firm’s founding partners, he has worked tirelessly to build Levin & Perconti into one of the nation’s best personal injury firms. John’s excellent record of success representing clients in injury, elder abuse and wrongful death cases can be attributed to both his acclaimed skill as a lawyer and to his acute understanding of what it means for a family to experience a loss.
When John was just a 9-year-old boy growing up in Morton Grove, his father died suddenly, leaving John and his brother and sister to be raised by their mother, who worked as a nurse, and their grandparents. Losing a loved one at such a young age taught him a difficult but valuable lesson, that life is fragile and precious, and that when someone dies the lives of family members are forever changed. From a young age, John knew that he would pursue work helping people. His commitment has only deepened over the years as he went on to marry his wife, Toni, and become a father to his two daughters, Morgan and Paige.
Initially interested in pursuing medicine, John spent two summers as a Page in the U.S. House of Representatives and two more as a tour guide of the U.S. Capitol. It was there he discovered his love for the law. He changed his major at the University of Illinois from pre-med to pre-law and continued on to John Marshall Law School for his law degree.
John still found a way to put his interest in medicine to good use. His in-depth knowledge of complex medical issues has allowed him to achieve record-setting multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients over the course of his career spanning more than 35 years. In 1992, he merged his practice with Steven Levin, and now the firm employs more than 30 lawyers and has obtained over a billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for their clients.
"Losing my father at just 9 years old taught me the devasting effects the loss of a father has upon the entire family. When a loved one dies, the lives of family members are changed forever. My career path as an attorney was to fight for people who were wrongfully harmed by the conduct of others. As a founding partner of Levin & Perconti, we have spent over 30 years protecting and vindicating the rights of people injured or had their lives taken by the negligence of others."
John Perconti
Founder and Senior Partner
John is an active member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Society of Trial Lawyers, The Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America and The Justinian Society of Lawyers, and has been a strong voice against tort reform. He is also a member of The National Trial Lawyers, an organization composed of The Top 100 Trial Lawyers from each state, and is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.
John has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2013 in the field of Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. He has received an “AV” rating from the Martindale-Hubbell American Law Directory, indicating preeminent legal ability and very high ethical standards. He has also been named one of Illinois’ top litigators by Leading Lawyers Network and achieved a Lead Counsel Rating in Elder Law.
John is also included in Chicago Magazine’s Illinois: The Top 100 list, a listing of lawyers who topped the Illinois Super Lawyers nomination, research and review process. He has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer every year since 2005.
John has recovered millions on behalf of his clients including the following notable results:
$6.5M
settlement for a young girl who suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of an inexperienced physician’s failure to perform a timely c-section
$5.35M
verdict against a Chicago hospital for the family of an 18-year-old woman who died when hospital staff failed to diagnose her with postpartum cardiomyopathy
$4.29M
medical malpractice settlement for a 38-year-old woman who died as a result of a hospital and 5 physicians failing to recognize and treat a pericardial effusion, causing cardiac tamponade
$4.5M
Jones Act settlement for a deckhand whose leg was injured on a barge and required an above-the-knee amputation
$10M
settlement for a 5-year-old boy who lost his leg when he was run over by a fire truck
$6M
settlement for two families who lost six children in an apartment fire
John's record-setting multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements
$14 MILLION
record failure to diagnose cancer verdict in Illinois for a woman whose doctor delayed her diagnosis of lung cancer
$7.5 MILLION
record Illinois Jones Act settlement for a boat worker who was injured in a boat explosion in Alton, IL
$6.5 MILLION
record-high settlement for a Kane County wrongful death claim for the family of a 32-year-old woman killed in a trucking accident
View John Perconti’s Martindale-Hubbell biography
Education
J.D., John Marshall Law School, 1982
Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, representing all state agencies in civil litigation, 1983-1986
B.A., University of Illinois, 1979
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
Illinois, 1982
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1982
Past and Present memberships and positions
Illinois State Bar Association, Member
Chicago Bar Association, Member
American Association for Justice, Member
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Medical Negligence Committee
The Society of Trial Lawyers, Member
Justinian Society of Lawyers, Member, DuPage and Cook County Chapters
Illinois Super Lawyer, Member
Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, Member
Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, Member
National Italian American Bar Association, Member
American Board of Trial Advocates, Member
Awards & Honors
Top 10 Lawyer, Leading Lawyers
Nursing Home Negligence, 2021, 2022
Leading Lawyer, Personal Injury Plaintiff, Leading Lawyers, 2021
Top 50 Medical Malpractice Settlements in the United States, 2020
Top 100 “Wrongful Death” Settlement, 2020
Top 20 Illinois Settlement, 2020
Leading American Illinois Attorney
Leading Lawyers: Top Lawyers in Illinois
Illinois Super Lawyer
Illinois Top 100 2013 – 2022
Trial Excellence Award – Highest reported Jones Act settlement in Illinois, Jury Verdict Reporter, 2015
Chicago Lawyer Magazine’s Illinois Top 100 Attorneys, since 2013
Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America
Best Lawyers in AmericaⓇ – Medical Malpractice, since 2013
Best Lawyers in AmericaⓇ – Personal Injury, since 2013
Professional Presentations
Presented to the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Webinar, “How to Successfully Sue Nursing Homes,” Chicago, IL.
Presenter at 20th Annual Elder Rights Conference, “Litigation and Advocacy Tips,” Chicago, IL.
Faculty presenter for Lorman Education Services: “An Update on Supreme Court Rule 213(f) and (g) in Illinois.”
American Trial Lawyers Association, National College of Advocacy, “Litigating Rezulin Cases.”
Chicago Bar Association, “Federal Expert Witness Practice.”
