Lissa L. Hamer, Shareholder

Lissa Hamer concentrates her practice in civil litigation.  She has tried more than 50 cases to verdict and has successfully defended cases with serious injuries such as death, dismemberment, and paralysis.  She also has experience in premises liability, false arrest/intentional infliction, and medical malpractice.  Since 2003, Ms. Hamer has tried 7 lawsuits in DuPage and Kane Counties.  Four of those trials resulted in not guilty verdicts; two others resulted in verdicts which were less than the offer to settle prior to trial.

Ms. Hamer also has extensive arbitration experience, having participated in more than 75 personal injury arbitrations.  She has been a repeat guest lecturer at Northern Illinois University's College of Law on the topic of negotiations and settlements, and currently serves as Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee for the Kane County Bar Association.  Ms. Hamer will host an ADR Seminar for the Bar Association in October, 2008.  In the uninsured/underinsured arena, Ms. Hamer has been selected as an arbitrator on numerous occasions.

Ms. Hamer is a licensed medical technologist and toxicologist with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and Clinical Laboratory Sciences.  Prior to law school, she worked at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston as assistant supervisor of toxicology dept. diagnosing and developing treatment protocols for drug overdoses and therapeutic drug monitoring.

Memberships

• Du Page County Bar Association
• Kane County Bar Association (Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee)
• Women's Bar Association of Illinois

Representative Matters

Ms. Hamer has represented regional and national retailers in premises liability matters including negligent maintenance claims, false arrest/intentional infliction, defamation, and failure to protect from hostile third parties, among others.  Ms. Hamer has experience evaluating claims for minor soft tissue injuries as well as complex injuries such as dismemberment and paralysis, which may include societal factors, quality of life, and ability to work.

Professional Activities

• Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, 1984-1987
• American Society of Clinical Pathologists, 1981-1988