Overview
Knowing the law is not enough for Jack; his strength as a litigator is in his curiosity about the underlying subject matter of a case. Jack gives himself an in-depth working knowledge of the subject matter with every case, even if that means pouring through medical text books, performing hands-on inspections of locomotives, analyzing detailed financial documents, or researching expert databases to give himself the edge when preparing evidence for trial. Jack understands that lawsuits do not exist in a vacuum and involve complicated underlying facts that, as an advocate, one must gain a mastery of to be able to convincingly argue to a jury.
As a member of the firm’s Construction Service Group, Jack partners with clients to resolve breach of contract issues, work towards risk mitigation, indemnity disputes, and insurance liability matters. He focuses his practice on construction litigation, contract and real estate disputes, business litigation, property loss and personal injury.
Prior to joining SmithAmundsen, Jack worked as a plaintiff’s attorney, which gives him valuable insight to the motivations, strategies, and goals of his opposition now. As a workers’ compensation attorney, Jack has handled several hundred cases through resolution via trial, favorable settlements, and on appeal.
Jack now advises employers on best practices to avoid and mitigate workers’ compensation claims. He teaches OSHA classes at the Construction Safety Institute, and regularly provides lectures for contractors associations.
Jack is the host of Litigation Nation, SmithAmundsen’s flagship weekly podcast that recaps the most interesting legal news and developments.
Experience
Membership & Involvement
- Member: Chicago Bar Association
Honors
- Selected to the Illinois Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" List: 2022
Resources & Insights
Alerts
Speaking Engagements
Published Works
Education on Demand
As more and more states create laws that presume an employee’s COVID-19 diagnosis is the result of their employment, employers need to be more diligent and focused on identifying and gathering key facts to shore up viable defenses.
Podcasts
An entire episode on the Supreme Court Roe V. Wade leak.
Ohio lawyer unable to practice for 6 months after swearing at a judge outside of court, A bipartisan supported bill requiring that federal judges' financial disclosure reports be made publicly available online passes congress, and the contractual Impossibility of Florida dissolving Disney’s special district.
Lack of record keeping is allowing foreign entities to buy American farm land without oversight, California COVID-19 ruling that could open the door for additional tort litigation cases, Artificially intelligent prosecutor software is being used in China.
Former nurse, RaDonda Vaught, found guilty in accidental injection death of 75-year-old patient, Justice tech company Paladin partners with Ukraine’s Legal Development Network to launch European pro bono portal to assist with war relief, FBI officials say North Korean hackers stole more than $600 million in cryptocurrency in single hack.
The city of Los Angeles reached a historic $3 billion settlement to address homelessness, Louisiana court rules Protest leader's can be sued for police injury regardless of whether they attended the protest or not, many big U.S. law firms are still working with their Russian clients despite stating the contrary.
DraftKings sports gambler sues MLB over sign-stealing scandal, Mercedes-Benz says it will accept legal responsibility for crashes caused by its self-driving car tech in its latest luxury models, D.C. sues Grubhub for allegedly using deceptive trade practices.
Biden administration takes aim at breaking up monopolies in the domestic meat and poultry industries, federal court in Iowa strikes down proposed 'Ag-gag" law ruling it unconstitutional, lack of record keeping is allowing foreign entities to buy American farm land without oversight, and a Chapman University Business Professor is suing a student for copyright infringement after course exam is found posted online.
Department of Justice hires an art sleuth targeting Russian oligarch assets, U.S. actor Jussie Smollett has been sentenced after a jury found he lied about being a hate crime victim. Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens receive guilty verdicts for contributing to the opioid crisis in two Ohio counties.
U.S. law firms & companies respond to imposed Russian sanctions over Ukraine, N.Y. lawsuit raises important questions on non-human personhood, White House Department of Justice ramps up its White Collar Prosecution of individuals that may have defrauded the government in terms of COVID-19 financial assistance.
Sandy Hook families settle with Remington, marking 1st time gun-maker held liable for mass shooting, George Zimmerman lawsuit against Trayvon Martin's parents dismissed, U.S. judge blocks Biden measure for calculating climate risks.
Texas AG sues Facebook for allegedly collecting facial-recognition data without consent, U.S. court revives Philadelphia news anchors lawsuit against Facebook over misappropriation of her right of publicity, and San Francisco D.A. says, SF police used rape victims’ DNA to try to ‘incriminate’ them.
Trial set in climate change lawsuit brought by Montana youths, Inside Johnson & Johnson's secret plan to cap litigation payouts to cancer victims with "Project Plato", and California accuses Tesla of alleged discrimination in their San Francisco Bay Area factory.
Former NFL coach is suing the National Football league over racial discrimination in their hiring processes, young attorneys are burning out and many of them are seeking to leave the practice altogether, Growing frequency of climate disasters is forcing the insurance industries to adapt.
Wisconsin medical providers go to the courts to prevent their at-will employees from being allowed to quit and work elsewhere, San Jose is introducing a new liability insurance requirement for gun owners, the first of its kind in the country, Facebook is shutting down its facial recognition system after years of litigation stemming from privacy laws passed in Illinois and other states.
Prosecutors file first felony charges tied to Tesla Autopilot crashes, Uber slapped with ADA lawsuit from three wheelchair-using New Orleans residents, attorneys brought up on ethics charges for their online behavior.
Artificially intelligent prosecutor software is being used in China, litigation financing through cryptocurrency, legal developments from the Surfside Condo collapse in south Florida. Join Litigation Nation host Jack Sanker every Tuesday for the most interesting litigation cases of the week.
New Jersey Law firm buys office space in the Metaverse, regulatory overhaul across the country, legal technology companies are being consolidated and acquired by larger companies, a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney takes on a civil case and wins a 25 million dollar verdict against Chicago Police Department, and the Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict in jeopardy after a juror admits he may not have been truthful on his questionnaire.
4th Amendment ruling in PA could rewrite what is considered acceptable probable cause, Colorado modifies previous runaway truck driver sentencing, Ghislaine Maxwell, Bankruptcy Lawyers, and New York State score a win against a pharmaceutical company for the opioid epidemic.
Market trends among law firms demonstrate a growing gap between the top firms and the best of the rest, Colorado criminal conviction sentence of 110 years spurs massive logistic-workers strike, and a California COVID-19 ruling that could open the door for additional tort litigation cases.
Join Litigation Nation Host Jack Sanker as he recaps the most interesting legal news of the week
Firm News
- 35 SmithAmundsen Attorneys Included on 2022 Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists35 SmithAmundsen Attorneys Included on 2022 Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
Congratulations to all of our attorneys named to the 2022 Illinois Super Lawyers and 2022 Illinois Rising Stars lists!
- New Pending Illinois Legislation Could Impact Potential COVID-19 Exposure ClaimsNew Pending Illinois Legislation Could Impact Potential COVID-19 Exposure Claims
Illinois legislators have introduced new legislation that, if passed, could drastically alter the liabilities faced by employers and businesses to potential COVID-19 exposure claims.
- Reducing and Defending COVID-19 Workers' Compensation ClaimsReducing and Defending COVID-19 Workers' Compensation Claims
View our on demand webcast from Jeff Risch and Jack Sanker as they take a deep dive into new trends regarding workers compensation and COVID-19.
- Steps to Take to Prepare for COVID-19 Claims NOWSteps to Take to Prepare for COVID-19 Claims NOW
Over the past few months, COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims and third-party lawsuits have been popping up around the country.
Education
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D., 2014
University of Pittsburgh, B.A., 2011
Admissions
- Illinois