Thomas G. Cronin

Partner

  • Office Contact Info
  • Biography

    Tom Cronin is a Partner in GRSM's Chicago office and has tried and mediated cases to favorable resolutions throughout Illinois. His practice focuses on professional liability, commercial litigation, product liability, construction and construction defect, design professionals, commercial and residential real estate transactions and litigation, class action litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, and employment law.

    In 2018, Tom was selected as one of the “40 Under Forty” Illinois attorneys to watch by the Law Bulletin Media, publishers of Chicago Lawyer magazine and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. There were over 1,200 attorneys in Illinois who were nominated by their peers to be considered for the honor.

    Some highlights of Tom's work include:

    • Obtained a Not Guilty result on behalf of a Chicago property management company and its Board of Directors in a lawsuit filed by a condominium resident following a bench trial in Cook County, Illinois;

    • Obtained a defense verdict following trial in Cook County, Illinois, on behalf of a property owner and two property management companies in a lawsuit alleging negligence, violation of the implied warranty of habitability, and violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act where the plaintiff claimed injury and damages as a result of exposure to mold;

    • Obtained a favorable verdict as lead attorney on behalf of a large product manufacturing company in a premises liability case following a two-week trial in Lake County, Illinois, where the plaintiff asked the jury for an award of nearly $2 million;

    • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a deck manufacturing company in a construction injury case in Cook County, Illinois, where two workers were catastrophically injured as a result of a multi-story deck collapse and where the remaining defendants eventually settled for more than $6 million;

    • Successfully defended a motion control product design and manufacture client in a high profile lawsuit in Cook County, Illinois where the decedent was killed as the result of an alleged golf cart malfunction and where the settlement demand was in excess of $18 million;

    • Obtained summary judgment, including payment of significant damages and an award of attorney fees, on behalf of a professional baseball player in a residential real estate lawsuit in Cook County, Illinois;

    • Obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of a residential property management company in a class action lawsuit brought under the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (“RLTO”) that involved over 1,000 units and liability in excess of $5 million;

    • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a Chicago property management company in a breach of contract lawsuit filed by a former tenant in Cook County, Illinois;

    • Obtained a Not Guilty finding on behalf of a large law firm in a wrongful termination claim brought by its former employee before the Chicago Commission on Human Relations;

    • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a national retail beverage chain and several of its employees in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in Cook County, Illinois;

    • Obtained a Not Guilty verdict following a one-week trial in Kane County, Illinois, in a dental malpractice lawsuit;

    • Facilitated the contract negotiation and sale of a 10 acre commercial property warehouse in DuPage County, Illinois;

    • Represented a client physician and cancer treatment center in a lawsuit in Cook County, Illinois where the plaintiff suffered an above-knee amputation of her leg following alleged over-radiation treatment; and

    • Successfully defended an over the road trucking and transportation client in a lawsuit in Cook County, Illinois where the plaintiff was severely injured as a result of multiple steel I-beams toppling on top of him as he was securing a load.

    Tom's trial experience pre-dates his admission to the Illinois Bar, as he obtained several Guilty verdicts in the Cook County Felony Trial Division while working for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in law school pursuant to a Supreme Court Rule 711 license.

    Aside from his litigation and transactional experience, Tom has authored articles relating to construction and real estate law. He has also presented on standards of law and trends with respect to design professional liability, real estate, and construction. A complete list of Tom's publications and presentations can be found on the next tab.

    Admissions

    • Illinois
    • Supreme Court of the State of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin

    Memberships

    • Chicago Bar Association
    • Illinois State Bar Association
    • DRI
    • ELECTRI Council
    • CLM
  • Practice Areas
  • Publications & Presentations

    Presentations

    • Presenter, Recent Trends in Construction Law, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York and Hartford, May 2019
    • Presenter, The Defamation and Libel Perils of Publishing a Print or Online Newspaper, 2019 National Newspaper Association Annual Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    • Presenter, Beyond the Reptile: Emerging Strategies of the Plaintiff Bar in Catastrophic Injury Claims, 2018 CLM & Business Insurance Construction Conference, Chicago, IL, September 2018
    • Presenter, 2018 Hot Topics in Construction Claims, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York and Hartford, May 2018
    • Presenter, Architects and Engineers Claims Risk: Impact of Changing Technology and Inexperience, National Society of Professional Engineers, May 2018
    • Presenter, Design Professionals: Controlling Your Construction Related Risks, The Hanover Insurance Group - Professional Liability Division, March 2017
    • Presenter, Best Practices in Ethical Claims Handling for Real Estate and Property Management Liability, Itasca, IL, August 2016
    • Presenter, Effective Risk Transfer Strategies in Design and Construction Cases, Chicago, IL, July 2016
    • Presenter, Engineering Law and Risk Management Seminar: Understanding How Design Contracts Can Reduce or Increase Risk, Chicago, IL, June 2016
    • Presenter, National Trends in Construction Defect Litigation, New York, May 2016
    • Presenter, Hot Topics in Real Estate and Architects and Engineers E&O, PLUS Midwest Chapter, University of Chicago, May 2014
    • Presenter, Standard of Care for Architects and Engineers in Illinois, December 2013
    • Presenter, Risk Limitations for Design Professionals in Illinois, Lloyd’s of London and Hiscox USA, Chicago, IL, November 2013
    • Presenter, Current Applications of the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance Affecting Landlords and Property Managers, Chicago, IL, May 2011

    Publications

    • What the Frack Is Happening in Illinois? The Concerns with Fracking and the Potential Legal Claims on the Horizon, Pratt's Energy Law Report, October 2014
    • Rent at Your Own Risk, CBA Record, April/May 2012
    • Illinois Limits Design Professional Liability to Terms of the Contract, GRSM Construction Law Update, March 2011
    • Lien on Me: The Parameters of the Illinois Mechanics Lien Act and the Risks Involved for Contractors, Subcontractors, and Owners, CBA Record, June/July 2009
  • Education

    Education

    J.D., cum laude, Loyola University Chicago

    B.A., cum laude, Miami University (OH)

    • University Summer Scholar, Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship

    Clerkships

    Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Criminal Appeals Division

    Externships

    Honorable Ronald A. Guzman, District Court Judge, United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois

    Honors

    Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Real Estate Law (2023-2025)

    "40 Under Forty" Illinois Attorneys to Watch - Class of 2018 (Chicago Daily Law Bulletin & Chicago Lawyer)

    Rising Stars® distinction in the fields of General Litigation, Construction Litigation: Business, and Real Estate: Business (2010-2018, Law & Politics)

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