Trisha Tesmer

Trisha Tesmer has already taken 16 cases to verdict as co-chair or second chair and drafted more than 20 appellate briefs. And she’s done all this before her 40th birthday.

The reason for Tesmer’s heavy workload? She’s earned a reputation as one of the top specialists in medical litigation in the Chicago area. Her clients know that when they work with Tesmer, they will receive the best representation possible.

Sandra Iorio, a partner with Chicago’s Anderson Rasor & Partners, worked with Tesmer for several years. During this time, she saw firsthand just how talented this young attorney is. Iorio points in particular to a 2010 case in which Tesmer entered just before trial to become a second chair.

“She mastered the numerous issues of Delaware and Illinois corporate law as well as more than 30,000 pages of documents that spanned more than 11 years of business dealings between two interrelated companies, and was extremely effective in court,” Iorio said.

Tesmer wrote a successful motion for a directed verdict, helping Tesmer’s client obtain a verdict in its favor on several of the counts. The client prevailed on the remaining counts at the end of the trial.

“Few lawyers are as successful in both the litigation and appellate arena, but Trish has proven herself in both,” Iorio said.

Luisa Trujillo points to the work Tesmer turned in while briefing a complex motion to dismiss in which a hospital filed a counter claim against Tesmer’s client, a defendant physician in a medical malpractice action for both contribution and indemnity.

“This is not a typical pleadings situation in Cook County,” Trujillo said. “Trisha’s handling of the issues led to a successful resolution of the case.”

Trujillo said that Tesmer is as versatile as she is successful. She has participated in a variety of cases, everything from medical malpractice and products liability to pharmaceutical litigation, trademark litigation and commercial disputes.

Tesmer can also claim extensive appellate experience, as evidenced by the more than 20 appellate briefs she has drafted in both state and federal court.

“Trisha has a breadth of knowledge and experience not seen in many trial lawyers of her generation,” Trujillo said.

Tesmer excelled, too, in the 2011 case Steele v. Provena Hospitals, in which Tesmer pursued an appeal following a plaintiff’s jury verdict. In doing so, Tesmer obtained a reversal and a new trial in what was a complex medical negligence action.

Tesmer accomplished this with a scholarly brief in which she presented the court with an understandable description of the contradictory testimony and an oral argument in which she was able to show the court that she had a solid grasp of the facts.

“That does not happen often in appeals from jury verdicts,” said Chicago attorney Michael Rathsack.

Outside the courtroom, Tesmer finds time to contribute to both her industry and her community. She has served on the CBA Judicial Evaluation Committee, taught as an Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing at DePaul University College of Law, and sits as an Executive Member on the Associate Board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, an institution devoted to helping those recovering from severe injuries.