COPLAN + CRANE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Attorney You Can Trust
- Member of the Women 's Section of the American Association for Justice
Awards:
Originally from Parkland, Florida, Alexis graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2018 after studying psychology and statistics at Boston University. Prior to joining Coplan + Crane in March 2022, Alexis worked as an associate attorney for two other firms that focused on plaintiff's medical malpractice and personal injury cases.
Today, Alexis' greatest strengths lie in the area of medical malpractice, a field she is passionate about. "My mom was a former ER nurse, and then went back to school and became a plaintiff's med mal attorney," she says. "Later, she opened her own medical expert witness business. So, I've grown up around medicine and law basically my entire life. I have a really strong passion for it."
Alexis has also endured the consequences of medical negligence personally. "I experienced medical malpractice myself when I was a young girl. So, I understand the horrible grief and sorrow our clients are going through", she says. "I know there's nothing we can do to put them in the place they were before, but we can help to make their lives a little easier, or their family's lives a little easier. That's really why I do what I do."
Alexis is a member of the women's section of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Her future goals involve getting more active with women's groups and helping to inspire the next generation of women lawyers. "As a female attorney, it's important for me to be a role model in this industry. I haven't had really great female role models in this industry, and I feel like there are a lot of women like me who've had similar experiences. Hopefully, I can be someone's role model and show them that you can get into this field if you are a woman."
Job Titles:
- Associate Attorney You Can Trust
Awards:
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in Political Science and International Peace Studies, Andrew attended Loyola University School of Law, where he graduated in 2012. Before starting with Coplan + Crane in December of 2021, Andrew spent nine years honing his skills at a personal injury law firm in Chicago.
In addition to the support of the firm's staff, Andrew appreciates the shared passion of those he works with. "The reason why we come to work every day is to help our clients. We are in a unique position to genuinely help people and be the voice for those who may not have a voice, who feel disenfranchised, like they have no power. As attorneys we can make a difference, pursue justice, and hold bad actors accountable for their actions," he says.
Andrew's duties to this point have largely involved taking depositions, a task he truly enjoys. However, his passion lies in litigation, which is another reason he finds Coplan + Crane to be such a good fit. "Everyone here is genuinely interested in taking cases to trial. There are a lot of firms and attorneys in this city who don't want to go to trial. Going to trial is hard work; it takes up a lot of time, and you often have to put your life aside for however long you're on trial. That's 100% not the case here, because, at the end of the day, that's the best way to get results for our clients," he says.
Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Andrew has lived in Chicago since graduating from law school. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, cooking, and spending time with his wife and new daughter.
Education
Loyola University of Chicago, School of Law, 2012
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2006
Awards
Rising Star, Illinois Super Lawyers 2016-present
Emerging Lawyers, Leading Lawyers 2019-present
Job Titles:
- Partner
- an Oak Park Personal Injury Lawyer You Can Trust
- Principal in the Law Firm of Coplan & Crane
Awards:
Oak Park personal injury lawyer Benjamin A. Crane is a principal in the law firm of Coplan & Crane where he exclusively represents individuals and families victimized by wrongful conduct in the Chicago area and throughout Illinois and the Midwest. Ben concentrates his practice in plaintiff's personal injury law including cases arising under the FELA, from medical malpractice, workplace injuries, transportation (automobile, truck, and railroad) negligence, premises liability, and wrongful death litigation.
Ben is a very active member of the legal community. He belongs to the Chicago Bar Association, where he served as chair of the Tort Litigation Committee in 2005-2006. Ben is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago, Public Justice, and the American Association for Justice, where he has served on the New Lawyers Division Board of Governors. In 2006-07, Ben served as the co-chair of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Products Liability Committee, and recently, began serving as a charter member of AAJ's Bus Litigation Group.
Awards:
Blake exclusively represents individuals and families victimized by wrongful conduct. He concentrates his practice in plaintiff's personal injury law, including cases arising from construction negligence, medical negligence, workplace injuries, transportation (car, truck, and railroad) negligence, premises liability, and the wrongful death of his clients. Blake's primary goal is to ensure that his clients receive the compensation they deserve for the injuries caused by others' negligent conduct.
Blake attended John Marshall Law School at night while he worked as a paralegal at a Bridgeport law firm. Blake was named a Herzog Scholar in 2008 for achieving the number one rank in his class. Blake joined Coplan & Crane in 2011 as a paralegal and was named an associate attorney after obtaining his law degree from the John Marshall Law School in 2012. He was made a partner in the firm in 2020.
In 2017, Blake was named one of the Forty Under 40 attorneys in Chicago by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, which identifies 40 of the most talented young attorneys practicing in Illinois.
An Illinois native, Bob Baizer was born and raised in Highland Park, where he still lives today. He obtained his law degree from Northwestern Law School and subsequently worked at the Lake County Illinois State's Attorney's Office. In 1978, he established his own personal injury firm.
Bob has garnered notable recognition for his legal accomplishments, including the Attorney Achievement Award for winning five verdicts exceeding $5 million. Although, in fact, he has wonfive verdicts in excess of $10 million. Among his significant legal victories are a $29.8 million birth trauma case, a $25 million case for the demise of a young mother, an $18.6 million birth trauma case, a $17 million auto case, and an $11 million wrongful death case involving a teenager and a truck.
Bob has devoted approximately 25 years to serving on the board of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and approximately 20 years on the board of the American Association for Justice. He played a crucial role as a founding member of the Lake County Wrongful Conviction Committee.
Bob was recently appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Evidence.
Bob is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in Illinois. He is an esteemed member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Lake County Bar Association.Bob's primary areas of practice revolve around personal injury and medical malpractice cases.
With his extensive experience and passion for justice, he is dedicated to representing clients and seeking rightful compensation for their injuries and damages.Bob is happily married and a proud parent of two children. During his leisure time, he enjoys traveling, playing golf, and spending quality time with his four grandchildren.
Clayton Jay Crane joined Coplan & Crane after nearly 20 years as a trial judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County. During his time on the bench, Judge Crane presided over more than 1,000 jury and bench trials.
Judge Crane received a B.A. in Economics from Fairfield University in 1968 and then joined the United States Marines. His tour with the Marines ended in 1975, at which time he was a Platoon Sergeant in a military police unit. Judge Crane graduated from Hamline University Law School in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1975. He was then sworn in as an Assistant State's Attorney for Cook County, Illinois. In 1979, he was a founding partner of Berkley & Crane, practicing in general law. He served 12 years as the Village Attorney of Streamwood, Illinois, and was also the Streamwood Village prosecutor for 15 years.
In 1996, Judge Crane was elected Circuit Court Judge. He spent his first year as a Judge in Traffic Court, then was transferred to the Criminal Division at 26 th & California, where he remained until he retired. He presided over many high-profile trials, and was highly regarded by his peers on the bench as well as the attorneys who appeared in his courtroom.
Judge Crane resides in Elgin, Illinois. He is a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist, which is also the school all three of his children attended, and where three of his grandchildren now attend.
Awards:
Ervin Nevitt started at Coplan & Crane in 2012 as a paralegal and became an associate after graduating from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2014. He was made a partner in the firm in 2020. Ervin has been involved with a variety of personal injury cases, including mass tort litigation, product liability litigation, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death claims, medical malpractice, trucking accidents, and Federal Employers Liability Act ("FELA") cases.
Ervin is currently working on multiple mass-tort cases against the manufacturers of faulty medical devices. These cases involve thousands of plaintiffs in multiple district courts throughout the country. His organization, communication, and commitment help secure just compensation for the injuries our clients have suffered.
Ervin graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in May of 2014. While a law student, he worked as a paralegal for a personal injury and criminal defense firm prior to joining Coplan & Crane.
He was selected as an Emerging Lawyer in Illinois in 2021.
Ervin lives in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. When he is not working, Ervin enjoys playing golf and traveling.
Education
Juris Doctor, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2014
Bachelor of Science, Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University, 2008
Bachelor of Science, Sociology, Western Illinois University, 2008
Job Titles:
- an Experienced Oak Park Personal Injury Lawyer
- Principal in the Law Firm of Coplan & Crane
- Retired
Awards:
Oak Park personal injury lawyer Gregory F. Coplan is a principal in the law firm of Coplan & Crane, a respected, experienced Chicago-area law firm. While he has practiced in all fields of personal injury litigation since 1992, Greg focuses on medical malpractice cases and other complex civil litigation, including railroad accidents and truck and bus accidents.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) in 1988, Greg attended Northern Illinois University College of Law and was awarded his law degree in 1992.
Since receiving his license to practice law, Greg Coplan has successfully prosecuted cases on behalf of injured clients and their families throughout Illinois and other states across the country. In recognition of his accomplishments and success for his clients, Greg was honored by being invited to join the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a national group of trial lawyers who have achieved million, multi-million, and billion dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of their clients. Attorney Coplan understands case results matter.
In addition, Greg has been a frequent lecturer to bar association groups, has served as a faculty member for AAJ's three-day Trial Advocacy Colleges: Depositions, and was an invited panelist on a cable television program underwritten by the Illinois State Bar Association, "Mediation in Medical Malpractice Cases." From 1999 to the present, he has also authored chapters included in the Medical Malpractice Trial Notebook, published by the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
Awards:
Kevin G. Burke joined Coplan & Crane after 35 years as a successful attorney in Chicago, where he became known as a highly effective medical malpractice lawyer.
After earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Marquette University in 1976, he pursued his J.D. at Chicago Kent College of Law, graduating in the top 10% of his class.
He began his legal career as Law Clerk to the Justice Francis Lorenz, then became an associate at Peterson, Ross, Schloerb & Seidel, where he represented insurers. He then moved to Cassiday, Schade & Gloor in 1982, defending doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases and companies in product liability claims. He was made a partner in the firm in 1987.
In his last case with that firm in 1990, Kevin found himself facing Philip Corboy, who at that time had been the prominent personal injury attorney in Chicago for 25 years. While awaiting the verdict, Phil came to talk to Kevin and invited him to join his firm, Corboy & Demetrio. Kevin accepted, leaving his position as a partner in a large corporate firm to become an associate in a small personal injury firm. It was a risky move for a rising attorney with young children, but he welcomed the opportunity.
At Corboy & Demetrio, Kevin split his time between personal injury cases and medical malpractice. But within a few years, his caseload was 100% medical malpractice - because of his results. By 1996, he became a partner in that firm.
In 2002, Kevin left to become a founding partner of Burke Wise Morrissey & Kaveny, continuing to fight for victims of medical negligence. After 15 years, he stepped away from the firm.
Throughout his career, Kevin has recovered more than $600 million on behalf of injured clients. His 8 years of experience representing doctors and hospitals gave him a unique insight into legal strategy. But his success also has a lot to do with his approach toward complex medical malpractice cases. He tries to reconstruct the thought process of the medical professional, carefully considering each decision made along the way and determining whether or not it met the accepted standard of care. It's an approach that juries have found very persuasive.
Selected as one of the Top Ten Illinois Attorneys in Personal Injury each year from 2003-2016, Kevin has also lectured extensively on legal issues and written articles for legal publications. He has also taught at Notre Dame Law School.
Kevin was honored in the 25 th Edition of Best Lawyers as "Lawyer of the Year" in Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs in Chicago for 2019. Only a single attorney per practice area and location is given this designation each year. In 2021, Kevin was selected as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois, and became a member of the organization's advisory board.
Kevin lives in Western Springs. He has five children and two grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Baptist Institute
A renowned Chicago attorney with over fifty years of litigation experience, Marvin Brustin joined Coplan + Crane as an Of Counsel Attorney in August 2023. A lifelong Chicagoan, Marvin specializes in high-stakes severe injury and wrongful death litigation. Marvin earned his law degree from DePaul University and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1961.
Marvin began his practicing career as a defense attorney, before pivoting to the plaintiffs' bar, driven by his passion for securing just compensation for those injured or killed at no fault of their own. He has secured tens of millions of dollars in plaintiffs' settlements and verdicts, recently securing an $18.5 million verdict for a medical malpractice claim against Northwestern Memorial Hospital in 2018.
Marvin's career has garnered significant recognition, including the DePaul University Via Sapientiae Award for his accomplishments as both an attorney and legal scholar.
Marvin also dedicates his time to a variety of volunteer work, including serving on the Arab American Business Association's Advisory Board, DePaul University's Financial Advisory Board, and as the Honorary Nepal Consulate's Midwestern Counsel General, issuing tourist visas for all of the Midwest.
Marvin has a passion for the outdoors, specifically hiking and climbing. He has previously scaled heights in the Himalayas and Hawaii and has run many marathons, including three Chicago marathons in under four hours. Marvin currently resides in Chicago with his wife, and the couple share three children and seven grandchildren. The Brustin family operates a small farm where they produce organic food that's donated to shelters and food pantries across the greater Chicago area. The family farm is one arm of his charitable foundation that donates money and resources to a wide variety of Chicago and international charitable causes.
Marvin is a prior member of the board of directors of the Chicago Baptist Institute and is now on their advisory board. He is also a former chairperson of the Chicago Transit Authority Advisory Board, elected by the members, including three union Presidents, the President of the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, and the Treasurer of a major Chicago airline.
Marvin was the elected attorney for the Chicago Consular Corps for over ten years until the mandator time limit.
Job Titles:
- Associate Attorney You Can Trust
Awards:
Stephen Blecha started working as an associate attorney at Coplan & Crane in August 2012. He was made a partner in the firm in 2020. Stephen also clerked for the firm from the summer of 2011 to the summer of 2012. As a trial attorney, Stephen prosecutes a variety of personal injury cases, including trucking accidents, motor vehicle accidents, bad faith insurance cases, medical malpractice cases, and Federal Employers Liability Act ("FELA") cases.
Stephen is also the firm's in-house appellate attorney. He has submitted briefs in numerous appeals before the Illinois Appellate Courts and the Illinois Supreme Court. He is also a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers' Associations' Amicus Committee and submitted briefs on behalf of the association in 2016 and 2017.
In 2012, Stephen received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. As a law student, he was the Topics Editor for the University of Illinois Law Review, he served as a Teacher's Assistant for Business Associations I and Business Associations II and received the CALI award for the highest grade in Elder Law. Stephen published two articles while in law school, Chipping Away at the Illinois Brick Wall: The Use of Calder Jurisdiction in Indirect Purchaser Litigation, 2012 ILL. L. REV. 879 (2012), and Zone of Uncertainty: New Developments in Damages for Wrongful Birth, 21 IDC QUARTERLY, Fourth Quarter 2011, at 29.
Before graduating from law school, Stephen gained valuable experience while working as a law clerk and 711 licensed trial counsel. From the fall of 2010 to the spring of 2011, Stephen worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Holly F. Clemons of the Circuit Court of Champaign County in Urbana, Illinois.
In 2009, Stephen traveled to Duchity, Haiti, where he worked as a surgical assistant. During this experience, he worked directly one-on-one with dentists and oral surgeons who extricated teeth from Haitians, some of whom walked for miles to get to the camp. Stephen gained valuable insight to indigent countries, where the lack of accessibility to quality healthcare is a significant problem.
Stephen graduated from the University of Iowa in May 2008, where he majored in history and minored in English. As an undergraduate, Stephen worked as a research assistant for Dr. Marshall Poe, and was the producer of his still-running podcast entitled, "NewBooksinHistory.com."
Stephen is an alumnus of Benet Academy in his hometown of Naperville, Illinois, and currently lives in Chicago. He is an avid golf and guitar player, and notes he is a big music and movie buff. Stephen's favorite movie of all time is "Unforgiven," which was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
Awards:
Ted Jennings has nearly 30 years of experience litigating complex cases. He knows how to address the unique challenges facing clients whose lives have been permanently changed by medical mistakes.
The medical industry is trusted and powerful. When someone is injured by medical care that is supposed to help them, they need an advocate to answer their questions. Ted understands the challenging medical and legal issues that arise when medical care results in harm, and he has spent years honing his ability to explain these complicated concepts to his clients, to judges, and to juries.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical care, you may find that you need answers and an advocate just as much as you need compensation for your injuries. Ted's legal practice, supported by the team at Coplan + Crane, focuses on seeking those answers and making sure our clients know they will not face the powerful medical industry alone.
Ted is a designated "Super Lawyer" in Illinois and has been elected by his peers as a "Leading Lawyer" in personal injury and medical malpractice. He is a member of the Society of Trial Lawyers and American Board of Trial Advocates- elite, invitation-only organizations of top trial lawyers in the Chicago area and throughout the nation.
Among his professional activities, Ted is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.