Matthew McElligott
Hall Prangle & Schoonveld LLC
Medical malpractice defense

Matthew McElligott has such an in-depth knowledge of medical law, you can forgive some of his peers for wondering if this medical malpractice specialist with Chicago's Hall Prangle & Schoonveld attended not only law school but medical school, too. 

McElligott's peers say he understands the most complex of medical concepts, procedures and diagnoses. He knows the medicine on every case he handles and is never outworked or out-prepped when representing his clients. 

This combination of knowledge and dedication has helped McElligott build a thriving medical malpractice career. His clients are loyal because they know he'll provide the best possible representation. They also know that McElligott is honest and ethical. 

One nominator, a claims manager for a national health network, has seen McElligott’s work up close. He has designed and implemented the defense for numerous of this client’s largest exposure cases and was second chair on a high-damages case that resulted in a not-guilty decision for the health network. 

McElligott has handled some other particularly challenging cases for this client, cases in which he was able to again obtain positive outcomes, even when the odds were against him.

"He has an excellent eye for identifying legal issues, knows the medicine on every case and is probably one of, if not, the most zealous of advocates for our clients," the nominator said. This combination of legal insight and medical acumen allows him to recognize and respond to the opportunities and hurdles presented by his cases. 

During his career, McElligott has defended national clients in the areas of medical malpractice, transportation, catastrophic injury and pharmacy defense. "Clients appreciate his representation not only because it is zealous and dedicated, but also because he takes the time to truly understand the medical and legal concepts interwoven in each conversation," another of McElligott’s clients said. 

Clients similarly appreciate his frankness. He doesn't hesitate to tell them the truth, even when it's a hard truth.  "Matt is also not afraid to tell us what he actually thinks as opposed to telling us what we want to hear."

Opposing counsel share this same respect for McElligott. A nominator from the plaintiff’s bar, who has handled catastrophic injury cases with McElligott, notes that “despite the pressure involved in defending such cases, Matt always does so with tremendous competence and grace.” He also said “Matt’s civility is exemplary. Lawyers can take a lesson from Matt as it relates to his approach to vigorously advocating for his clients. He does so while striking the balance of being reasonable and fair while still representing his clients with the necessary zeal.”

McElligott also finds time to support his community. He has volunteered with his firm’s Pay It Forward initiative, a community involvement and improvement campaign. He also supports charitable organizations including United Cerebral Palsy Seguin of Greater Chicago and Team World Vision. 

He is an avid runner. In fact, his charity work for Team World Vision -- a philanthropic effort to ensure clean water for developing countries -- heavily involves running: McElligott has participated in several long-distance runs to raise funds for this organization.