Schuyler, Roche & Crisham, P.C. Large enough to to the job right, small enough to listen
 

Thomas M. Crisham
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Few trial lawyers in the U.S. over the last several decades can approach the credentials and peer respect of Tom Crisham. A recipient of the Medal of Excellence from Loyola Alumni Association, named a Top 20 Defense Lawyer by Chicago Lawyer Magazine, and routinely named a Leading Lawyer of Illinois by Leading Lawyers Network, a Top 100 Super Lawyer in Illinois, and a Best Lawyer in America in Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation only touches the tip of the iceberg. Yet, while the awards and accolades are a well-deserved acknowledgment of a tremendous legal career to date, it is the art and science of the practice of law that continues to fuel his passion - as advocate, counselor, litigator and teacher.

A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, two of the industry's most esteemed professional bodies, Tom's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including professional liability, insurance coverage, product liability, and toxic torts. He is an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has served as President and Chairman of the Board of the Defense Research and Trial Lawyers Institute (DRI), a national association for civil trial lawyers.

Tom is also a prolific author and lecturer, with numerous textbooks, seminars and published papers (more than 75) to his credit on a wide range of legal topics, including litigation tactics, product liability, insurance coverage and professional liability issues. Among his noted works: Your Witness - Lessons on Cross-Examination and Life from Great Chicago Trial Lawyers (contributing author); Pleadings, Motions and Third-Party Practice in Products Liability Cases (co-author); Construction Defects Claims (paper and lecture, Property Loss Research Bureau); Protecting Against Liability (lecture, Illinois CPA Society); Defending Claims Against Accountants (lecture and paper, DRI Symposium on Litigation); The Relationship Between Insurance Companies and Their Appointed Counsel (lecture, Annual Meeting of Loss Executives Association); Case Law Governing Final Arguments (lecture and paper, Section on Civil Practice & Procedure, ISBA Annual Meeting); and Tort Reform: Miracle Cure or Poison Pill? (lecture, The Conference of Casualty Insurance Companies).

George Bernard Shaw once said, "He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches." Shaw clearly never met Tom Crisham. In addition to the practice of law, Tom is also a popular and highly sought-after professor and lecturer in academic circles, having served on adjunct faculties of Northwestern University School of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and The John Marshall Law School.

Throughout his accomplished legal career, Tom has never lost touch with his roots. Having grown up on the south side of Chicago, Tom worked his way through college and law school while employed as a journeyman structural ironworker and, coincidentally, helped to build the Daley Center, Chicago's downtown courthouse. Along with his professional and personal accomplishments, Tom is equally proud of his civic accomplishments, including acting as Director for the Wendy Will Case Cancer Fund, Boys Hope Scholars Foundation of Illinois and Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago. He was also a member of the Scarlet & Gold Advisory Board of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

Without a doubt, if asked their opinion of Tom Crisham, judges, opponents, co-workers, scholars, employees and friends alike will ultimately describe him as a fierce advocate, highly intelligent, highly respected, unquestionably fair, and the consummate gentleman.

Publications
"Your Witness - Lessons on Cross Examination and Life from Great Chicago Trial Lawyers", Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2008, Contributing Author

"Architect and Engineer Liability: Claims Against Design Professionals", Aspen Publishers, Third Edition, May, 2006, Contributing Author

"Architect and Engineer Liability: Claims Against Design Professionals", John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Second Edition, June, 1995, Contributing Author

"Protecting and Defending Insurance Claims", John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1989, Contributing Author

"Architect and Engineer Liability: Claims Against Design Professionals", John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Spring, 1987, Contributing Author

"Human Life: Our Legacy and Our Challenge", McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1975, Contributing Author

"Abortion and Social Justice", Sheed & Ward, New York, 1973, Contributing Author; republished 1981 by Sun Life Publishers, Thaxton, VA