Larry S. Kowalczyk, Shareholder

Larry Kowalczyk concentrates his practice in the areas of municipal, construction, product liability and commercial litigation. He has experience defending civil rights cases including class action law suits brought against governmental entities. In addition, he has defended a wide variety of product liability matters including large drug recalls, ephedra cases and clinical trials of drug testing prior to FDA approval. His construction cases have included commercial matters, as well as defending contractors, including a regional power company, in construction injury cases. He has tried more than thirty civil jury trials with a very high success rate and has earned an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Kowalczyk’s medical product liability experience includes defending both manufacturers and distributors in matters involving large drug recalls, nutraceutical matters, and clinical trials of drug testing prior to FDA approval.  He successfully represented a national distributor of an epinephrine injector which allegedly malfunctioned resulting in a death.   He also successfully defended a testing lab and its medical staff in a claim that the Phase III testing they were conducting did not adequately warn participants in the drug trials of the risks of the product being tested. A clinical trial participant alleged the drug being tested caused an allergic reaction resulting in eosinophilic pneumonia.   He successfully defended a large distributor of a product containing ephedrine in a stroke case which was consolidated in the Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey for a mass mediation of over one hundred individual cases. 

While in law school, Mr. Kowalczyk was a member of the Niagara International Law Moot Court Team and Judicial Conference Editor for the Loyola Law Journal.

Mr. Kowalczyk is admitted in Illinois, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the US District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, and the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, and the Chicago Bar Association, where he has served for several years and is currently a Co-Chair of the hearings panel of the CBA's Judicial Evaluation Committee.

Mr. Kowalczyk has written several articles on various construction litigation topics, including "Restatement 414 Update-- Federal Court Holds No "Control" by General Contractor," (Construction Law Quarterly, Summer 2006), "Court Helps Another General Contractor," (Construction Law Quarterly, Winter 2004), "Safety Program of General Contractor Does Not Impose Duty," (Construction Law Quarterly, Summer 2004), "Restatement 414: The Focus Shifts," (Construction Law Quarterly, Spring 2004), "No Duty to Injured Worker Where No Control over Subcontractor’s Work" (Construction Law Quarterly, Fall 2003), and "Waived Right to Arbitrate," (Construction Law Quarterly, Winter 2002). He has spoken at several seminars regarding trial practice and new trends in civil litigation, including the "Jobsite Injuries" presentation at the "Construction Claims in Illinois" seminar presented in Spring 2004, and "Healthcare Lien Act Update" presentation at the Illinois Defense Counsel Seminar in 2004.

Memberships

• Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
• Illinois State Bar Association
• Chicago Bar Association (Judicial Evaluation Committee, Chair, 2009-2010; Co-Chair, Hearings Division, 2006-2009; Hearings and Investigations Division, 1999-2005)
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• Chicago Building Congress

Representative Matters

http://www.querrey.com/news-newsletters-3.html

Professional Activities

• Judicial Conference Editor, Loyola Law Journal
• Niagara International Law Moot Court Team

Publications

Restatement 414 Update: Federal Court Holds No "Control" by General Contractor

News

• Seventh Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment on Two Title VII Lawsuits
• Q&H Shareholder Appointed Chair of CBA Judicial Evaluation Committee
• Querrey & Harrow Recovers Millions More for Illinois Taxpayers
• Client Chemical Company Wins Contribution Claim
• Excessive Force Claim Defeated
• Municipality Defeats TRO and Injunction Claims