Chesloe, James M.

Colin J. O’Malley is a tenacious trial lawyer who brings passion and dedication to his work.  Mr. O’Malley started at the firm as a law clerk while attending DePaul University College of Law.  His extensive successes in the court room led to him being made a partner of the firm in 2008. Despite working and taking a full course load while in law school, Mr. O’Malley earned a spot on DePaul’s Moot Court Honor Society, and served as an executive board member of the National Appellate Team.  He joined the firm as an Associate in 1999 and immediately had an impact on the firm with his exceptional trial skills.  Mr. O’Malley obtained a $440,000.00 verdict in only his second jury trial less than one year after graduating from Law School.  In his first three years as a trial lawyer, Mr. O’Malley obtained $8.9 million in verdicts for the firm’s injured clients.  Looking back at his early success, it is obvious why Mr. O’Malley is now called upon to represent some of the firms most seriously injured clients. In 2010, Mr. O'Malley was named one of the top 40 lawyers under the age of 40, a designation achieved by less than 1% of Illinois attorneys. In 2011, Mr. O'Malley went to trial three separate times, in three separate counties, obtaining verdicts totaling $9,296,000.00.

Mr. O’Malley is a member of The Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which consists of some of the most prestigious trial lawyers in the United States.  Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts.  Mr. O’Malley recently set the record for one of the highest verdicts in Stephenson County, Illinois.  Mr. O’Malley was Mr. Sorce’s trial partner when the two of them obtained the largest verdict in the firm’s history. 

His experience as a personal injury lawyer includes representing clients that have sustained traumatic brain injury, paralysis, multiple fractures, amputations and death.  He has successfully tried cases involving construction negligence, product liability, trucking accident fatalities, Federal Employer Liability Act cases, automobile accidents, toxic tort, and dog attacks. 

Mr. O’Malley is an active member of the American Association of Justice, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.  He is also a member of the Irish American Labor Council.  He is regularly called upon to judge moot court and trial advocacy competitions.  Mr. O’Malley grew up in Kansas City, and earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri.