Raiber, Crystal Kelly

Thomas A. Demetrio is a trial lawyer with an emphasis on medical negligence, airplane crashes, product liability and commercial litigation on behalf of plaintiffs. He is Past President of the Chicago Bar Association and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

He is a fellow of:

      The American College of Trial Lawyers, (top 1% of trial lawyers in U.S.),

      The International Academy of Trial Lawyers, (top 500 trial lawyers worldwide) and

      The Inner Circle of Advocates, (top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in U.S.).

Tom has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since its inception in 1987 and was named by Best Lawyers as the Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year for 2011. The National Law Journal has named him as one of the Nation's Top Ten Trial Lawyers and subsequently listed him as one of the top ten trial lawyers in Illinois. Since 2003, Tom has been voted by his peers in the top ten of the top 5% of all lawyers in Illinois, and has been named in the top five of the state's 80,000 lawyers since 2007.

Lawdragon has named Tom one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America since its inaugural publication, describing him as the "powerhouse" of aviation and medical negligence law. Lawdragon has said of Tom, "In the windy city, he's the name for everything from medical malpractice claims to aviation disasters. When tragedy strikes, the families of plane crash victims have no greater ally. Tom is Chicago's top trial lawyer and stands alone atop the Chicago trial bar."

He has done extensive teaching and lecturing worldwide in the field of trial techniques and has authored numerous continuing legal education articles in the field of civil litigation.

In 2010, Tom was presented with two awards from the Illinois Jury Verdict Reporter / Law Bulletin Publishing Company for Trial Lawyer Excellence: one for the largest wrongful death settlement ever in Illinois ($25.25 million) and one for acquiring five or more verdicts in excess of $5 million since 1990.

Tom has negotiated over $1 billion in settlements and has acquired over $130 million in jury verdicts which includes the largest personal injury verdict ever upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court.  He has never lost an appeal.