Professionals

Mr. McDonnell is Of Counsel in the Litigation Practice Group. Mr. McDonnell’s trial practice has included the defense of legal malpractice suits, product liability actions and industrial accident cases. He also handles commercial litigation. Mr. McDonnell also acts as “neutral” arbitrator in private arbitration disputes and is a member of the Mandatory Arbitration Program in St. Clair County.

Mr. McDonnell is a past president of the St. Clair County (IL) Bar Association and has been active in the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), having served as an elected delegate to the ISBA Assembly and as Chair of the Committee on Professional Conduct. He authored more than twenty opinions on issues of professional ethics which were published in the Illinois Bar Journal. He currently serves as counsel for the Illinois Board of Admissions in contested applications for admission to the Illinois Bar; on the Amicus Committee of the ISBA, and on the Ethics 2000 Commission of the ISBA.

Mr. McDonnell has authored articles on various aspects of trial practice which have appeared in the Illinois Bar Journal, Illinois Defense Quarterly, and other publications. He is a regular contributor to “The Brief,” the newsletter of the Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association. He has lectured extensively before bar groups on subjects related to trial practice, medical health care liens, professional malpractice suits, and ethical considerations in the handling of litigation.

Publications

• "Healthcare Liens and Burrell v. Southern Truss: A Wrong Turn By the High Court." Illinois Bar Journal Vol. 85, No. 7. (July 1997)
• "Healthcare Liens: Petrillo and Other Pitfalls." Illinois Bar Journal. Vol. 81, No. 11. (November 1993)
• "Disclosure of Experts Under Rule 220: The Confusion Continues: Wakeford v. Rodehouse Restaurants of Missouri, Inc." Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel Quarterly. Vol. 3, No. 1. (First Quarter 1993)
• "Impeachment of One's Own Witness: An Overdue Change in Illinois Trial Practice." Illinois Bar Journal. Vol. 71, No.7. (March 1983)

Seminars

• Apr. 11, 1992: Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, "Insurance, Liens, Setoffs, and Subrogation Seminar," St. Louis, MO. Speaker: "Liens - Contractual and Non-Perfected."
• May 21, 1993: ISBA Mutual Insurance Company Legal Malpractice Seminar, Chicago, IL. Speaker: "Causation in a Legal Malpractice Case."
• March 24, 1994: St. Clair County Bar Association "Professional Responsibility Update Seminar," Belleville, IL. Speaker: "Update on Rules of Professional Conduct."
• May 20, 1994: ISBA Mutual, Legal Malpractice Seminar, Chicago, IL. Speaker: "Errors of Judgment: Defending against the ‘Second Guess."
• Apr. 19, 1995: Continuing Legal Education, Trial Practice Seminar, Bloomington, IL. Speaker: "Techniques to Minimize Damages for Pain and Disability."
• June 16, 1995: ISBA Mutual, Legal Malpractice Seminar, Chicago, IL. Speaker: "The Matter of Collectibility: What Did the Client Lose?"
• April 20, 1996: Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Practice Seminar, St. Louis, MO. Speaker: "Opening Statements: Defendant’s Perspective."
• Mar. 14, 1997: Civil Practice and Procedure Section, ISBA Seminar, Carbondale, IL. Speaker: "Handling of Medical Liens."
• Mar. 19, 1997: St. Clair County Bar Association Seminar, Belleville, IL. Speaker: "Ethical Considerations in the Handling of Cases."
• April, 2001: St. Clair County Bar Association, Belleville, IL, Moderator, Seminar on new Illinois Supreme Court Rule 213.
• April 5, 2002: ISBA Law Ed Seminar, "Trial Practice – Law Update and Practice Tips." Speaker: "Cross-Examination."