Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Donald J. Ramsell was born on November 28, 1958. He is married to his wife Veronica, and has two daughters, Jennifer and Anne. He is a resident of St. Charles, Illinois. His interests include golf, Corvettes, the Cubs, travel, and winning cases.

Donald J. Ramsell is the only Illinois DUI defense attorney to appear and argue on an Illinois DUI case before the United States Supreme Court in its entire 213 years of existence.


In 2008, Donald Ramsell began hearings ordered by the Illinois Supreme Court regarding the validity and reliability of the police field sobriety test known as 'horizontal gaze nystagmus'. This issue is being carefully followed by prosecutors, judges, and DUI Defense Attorneys across the country.


In 2007, Ramsell was nominated and recognized as a Sustaining Member of the National College for DUI Defense.


In 2006, Ramsell successfully fought and obtained orders compelling the ISP Breath Testing Section to begin downloading and turning over the internal memory of the breath testing machines, which has revealed numerous errors in breath testing equipment being used across Illinois.


In 2005, Chicago Magazine named Donald Ramsell an "Illinois Super Lawyer". He has been so identified again in 2006 2007 and 2009.


Also in 2005, Donald Ramsell became the first Illinois attorney ever to become Board Certified in the area of DUI Defense under the American Bar Association's standards, through the National College for DUI Defense.


In 2004, the Chicago Sun Times identified Mr. Ramsell as one of the top 5 DUI Defense Attorneys in the State of Illinois.


In 1999, after a two year investigation, Ramsell discovered that the Department of Public Health had failed to perform critical testing on breath testing equipment, causing test results to be suppressed across the state. Later that same year, the IDPH was forced to turn over control of the entire program to the State Police.


In 1998, Ramsell successfully proved that the Intoxilyzer 5000 (Series 6400 and 6600) breath testing instrument software had been rigged to produce false negative air blank results, causing all breath tests using that model to become inadmissible in the State of Illinois.


In 1988, Ramsell discovered that the statewide breath testing program was falsifying testing documents, again causing thousands of tests to become suspect.

In 1986, Donald J. Ramsell discovered that the statewide breath testing program was using questionable procedures in certifying breathalyzers, causing thousands of tests to become disputed, and forcing immediate changes in the program.

Laura Childs has practiced law for 14 years. She is our senior Workers' Compensation attorney, focusing her practice on Workers' Compensation claims and appeals as well as plaintiffs' Personal Injury cases.

Ms. Childs aggressively negotiates with insurance companies and litigates Workers' Compensation and Personal Injury claims to help clients recover financial compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering resulting from accidents. A signification portion of her practice is devoted to helping clients with work-related injuries when benefits are denied or disputes arise about the nature and extent of injuries.

Stewart C. Orzoff is the founder and senior member of the Orzoff Law Offices. He has been a licensed practicing attorney in the State of Illinois for the past 43 years. He represents both injured workers who have claims under the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act and individuals who have personal injury claims.

Mr. Orzoff is an experienced litigator and counselor. His expertise, particularly in the field of workers' compensation, is widely recognized by his peers as over 50% of his cases are referred to him by other attorneys who are not familiar with the intricacies of successfully representing a client in a workers' compensation claim. Among his attorney peers he is considered to be a lawyer's lawyer. Over the years he has trained many young men and women who worked for him as law clerks and have gone on to become successful lawyers and judges.

Throughout his legal career Mr. Orzoff has successfully represented injured workers from the entire spectrum of the work force. He has represented office workers, laborers, factory workers, tradesmen, airline employees, truck drivers, package & delivery drivers, public transportation employees, government employees, management personnel and many other types of employees from all aspects of industry in the State of Illinois. He has vast trial experience at the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission and in the Circuit Courts of Cook County and the surrounding counties as well as the Illinois Appellate Court. He is well known for his ability to successfully settle difficult cases due to his organizational skills and extremely high level of case preparation.

Mr. Orzoff takes pride in the personal service that he offers to all clients. At the initial meeting, he offers the client a complete explanation of their legal rights and he proposes a case plan which is designed to eventually bring the case to a successful conclusion.

Mr. Orzoff was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1943 and has lived in the Chicagoland area all of his life. He graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the DePaul University College of Law in February of 1966. In May of 1966 the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois licensed him to practice as an Attorney and Counselor of Law before all of the courts in the state. At that time he was also licensed to practice before the United States District Courts for both the Northern and Southern Districts of the State of Illinois.

He began his legal career as a trial attorney for a large national insurance company and, at that time, he also began to plant the seeds for what is now the well-recognized Orzoff Law Offices. The impressive growth of his firm can be attributed to a network of referrals from satisfied clients and other attorneys.

He is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Illinois Workers' Compensation Lawyers Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. In 1999 he was admitted to practice as an Attorney and Counselor of Law before the Supreme Court of the United States of America.


Areas of Practice:

75% Workers' Compensation
25% Personal Injury
Litigation Percentage:
100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Certification/Specialties:
Mandatory Arbitration Program - Certified Arbitrator, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois


Bar Admissions:
Illinois, 1966
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1966
U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois, 1966
U.S. Supreme Court, 1999
Education:
DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, 1966
J.D.


Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois
B.A.
Major: Pre-Law


Representative Cases:
James Chrisos v. Hockersmith Transportation Services Co., 326 Ill.App.3d 1141 (Appellate Court of Illinois 2001)
Frank Leschkies, as Administrator of the Estate of Siegfried Leschkies, Deceased, v. Playboy Club of Lake Geneva, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, 465 F.Supp.80 (United States District Court, N.D. Illinois, Eastern Division 1979)
Professional Associations and Memberships:
Gastro-Intestinal Research Foundation - University of Chicago Hospital, 2002 - Present
Board of Directors


Illinois State Bar Association



Illinois Workers' Compensation Lawyers Association



American Trial Lawyers Association



Languages:
Spanish
Fraternities/Sororities:
Nu Beta Epsilon