John D. Cooney of Cooney & Conway obtained more than $20 billion in awards for mesothelioma victims and other clients in complex personal injury cases in a career as a trial lawyer that lasted more than 35 years.But Cooney, who died Thursday at 68, did not let the dollar amounts get in the way of what was really important to him.In a June 2014 interview with the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, he explained why he had supported then-U.S. Sen. Joe Biden’s run for the presidency in 2008 and had contributed to other campaigns …