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Robert R. Duncan, Esq.

Founder of Duncan Law Group

Attorney Robert R. Duncan is the founder and principal of Duncan Law Group in Chicago, Illinois. His practice concentrates on representing plaintiffs who have suffered from catastrophic personal injurymedical malpractice, and wrongful death throughout the State of Illinois and the Midwest. He also handles class action litigation across the country, representing plaintiffs in insurance and consumer fraud related matters. He has tried cases to verdict in both State and Federal Courts, obtaining millions of dollars on behalf of his clients.

top-rated and highly-respected Chicago personal injury attorney, Attorney Duncan has been representing clients for over 15 years in both federal and state courts. Robert Duncan has gained respect in the legal community among his peers by receiving multiple awards. Attorney Duncan is regularly invited to speak at seminars for other attorneys and lecture at law schools throughout the State of Illinois on assorted legal topics such as civil practice and procedure.

Publications

  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2005.
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2006.
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2007.
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2010.
  • Illinois Cause of Action: Tort Actions, Chapter 4: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, 2010
  • Illinois Cause of Action: Tort Actions, Chapter 25: Spoliation of Evidence, 2010
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2011.
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2012.
  • “Overcoming Juror Bias in Civil Litigation,” Handling Motor Vehicle Crashes From Occurrence to Trial: Plaintiff & Defense, IICLE 2012
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2013.
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2014.
  • Illinois Cause of Action: Tort Actions, Chapter 4: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, 2014
  • Illinois Cause of Action: Tort Actions, Chapter 25: Spoliation of Evidence, 2014.
  • Pleadings: The Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois Civil Practice and Procedure Handbook, 2015.
  • UM, UIM & Homeowners; Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Update & Review Seminar, October 22, 2016 (Chicago, IL)
  • Motions for Change of Venue and Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Motion Practice from Pre-Trial Through Post-Trial, November 11, 2016 (Chicago, IL)
  • Illinois Cause of Action: Tort Actions, Chapter 4: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, 2019 (Rev. 2022)
  • Illinois Cause of Action: Tort Actions, Chapter 26: Spoliation of Evidence, 2019 (Rev. 2022)

Seminars / Speaking Engagements

  • University of Illinois College of Law, Alumni-Student Career Conference; January 21, 2005.
  • Pleadings: A Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois State Bar Association Civil Practice and Procedure Seminar, April 28, 2005 (Chicago, IL); May 6, 2005 (Bloomington, IL).
  • Medical Malpractice: From a Plaintiff Attorney’s Perspective, Advanced Torts, University of Illinois College of Law, May 1, 2005.
  • University of Illinois College of Law, Alumni-Student Career Conference; January 28, 2006.
  • Depositions, Illinois Pretrial Procedure, DePaul University College of Law, March 2006.
  • Pleadings: A Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois State Bar Association Civil Practice and Procedure Seminar, April 28, 2006 (Chicago, IL); May 12, 2006 (Bloomington, IL); May 6, 2006 (Chicago, IL); November 17, 2006 (Collinsville, IL).
  • Scoring Judge, Chicago Regional American Association For Justice (Formerly ATLA) Student Trial Advocacy Competition, March 2-3, 2007, Chicago, IL.
  • Pleadings: A Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois State Bar Association Civil Practice and Procedure Seminar, Annual Meeting, June 22, 2007 (Fontana, WI);
  • University of Illinois College of Law, Alumni-Student Career Conference; January 26, 2008;
  • The John Marshall Law School, Guest Lecturer, Trial Advocacy, (Topic: Depositions), March 26, 2008;
  • DePaul College of Law, Guest Lecturer, Illinois Pretrial Practice, (Topic: Written Discovery), April 1, 2008;
  • Illinois State Bar Association, “Back to Basics: Tort Law, (Topic: Written Discovery/Oral Discovery), January 29, 2010;
  • American Association for Justice Mock Trial Project, Judge, February 27, 2010, Chicago, IL
  • Pleadings: A Roadmap Through Trial, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Practice and Procedure Seminar, May 21, 2010 (Moline, IL)
  • Pleadings & Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Procedure Update 2011, April 14, 2011 (Chicago, IL) May 20, 2011 (Collinsville, IL)
  • “Overcoming Juror Bias in Civil Litigation,” Handling Motor Vehicle Crashes From Occurrence to Trial: Plaintiff & Defense, IICLE February 3, 2012
  • Pleadings & Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Procedure Update 2012, May 6, 2012 (Bloomington, IL)
  • Pleadings & Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Procedure Update 2013, April 26, 2013 (Chicago, IL) May 3, 2013 (Moline, IL)
  • Small Firm Practice Seminar, Guest Lecturer, University of Illinois College of Law (Chicago Program), March 7, 2013
  • Pleadings & Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Procedure Update 2014, May 2, 2014 (Springfield, IL)
  • Small Firm Practice Seminar, Guest Lecturer, University of Illinois College of Law (Chicago Program), March 19, 2014
  • Pleadings & Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Procedure Update 2015, April 17, 2015 (Moline, IL)
  • Pleadings & Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Civil Procedure Update 2015, May 8, 2015 (Chicago, IL)
  • Pleadings: Shaping the Case; Illinois State Bar Association, Video Speaker Series, January 11, 2016 (Chicago, IL)
  • UM, UIM & Homeowners; Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Update & Review Seminar, October 22, 2016 (Chicago, IL)
  • Motions for Change of Venue and Forum Non-Conveniens, Illinois State Bar Association, Motion Practice from Pre-Trial Through Post-Trial, November 11, 2016 (Chicago, IL)
  • Negotiating With Insurance Companies During COVID-19, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Ethics and Professionalism, October 15, 2020
  • Sanctions & Bad Faith, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Update and Review, April 8, 2022
  • Infectious Disease, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Medical Malpractice Seminar, December 1, 2023

Community

  • Village of Glen Ellyn
    • Member, Ad Hoc Library Committee, 2010
  • Glen Ellyn Civic Betterment Party
    • Nominating Committee, 2020-present
  • Illinois State Crime Commission
    • Board of Directors, 2006-2016
    • President, 2010 – 2016
  • Police Athletic League of Illinois
    • Board of Directors, 2006-present
      • Recipient, 2008 Bishop Sheil Award, for commitment to youth volunteer activities.
      • Co-Chairman, 2009 Clothes for Kids Coat Drive. Distributed over 6400 coats to children throughout Chicagoland.
      • Co-Chairman, Veteran’s Program, Roosevelt University.
  • Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, 2003 – present
    • Court Appointed Guardian Ad Litem
  • McCormick Boys & Girls Club, 2004-2005
    • College Bound Program
  • Young Professionals of Chicago, 2004 – 2005
    • Board of Directors, 2004 – 2005
    • Professional Development Committee, 2004 – 2005
  • Medinah Country Club
    • Membership Committee, 2019-2021
    • Golf Committee, 2021-present
    • Handicap Committee, 2022-present
    • Medinah Classic Chair, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Glen House Food Pantry (fka Glen Ellyn Food Pantry)
    • Board of Directors, 2024-Present

Personal

  • Born: September 30, 1977
    Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Education

  • University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., 2002
  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B.A., Political Science, 1999 Concentration: Political Theory & Constitutional Law

Licensed

  • Admitted to Illinois State Bar, 2002
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2002
  • Admitted to the Federal Court of Claims, 2007
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, 2008
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2009
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, (Trial Bar), July 13, 2010
  • Admitted to the United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, April 1, 2011
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska, 2012
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, 2017
  • Admitted to the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, September 13, 2017
  • Admitted to the United States Tax Court, September 15, 2020
  • Admitted to the United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, October 26, 2021
  • Admitted to the United States Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, February 23, 2022
  • Admitted to the United States Court of Appeal, Eighth Circuit, February 17, 2023

Professional Recognition

  • Leading Lawyers: Peer Selected 2022
  • Top Verdict: Top 50 Settlements in Class Action Lawsuits (2020)
  • Super Lawyers: Illinois Rising Stars (2010 - 2014)
  • Super Lawyers to the Top 100 List for the State of Illinois: 2016, 2018, 2020 - to present
  • Super Lawyers (2010 - to present)
  • Top 40 Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers Association, (2012 - 2014)
  • Top Lawyers, American Registry, 2012
  • Leading Lawyers (2018 - to present)

Memberships

  • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (2002 – present)
  • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Managers, 2016-present
  • Illinois State Bar Association (2002 – present)
  • Associate Member, Civil Practice and Procedure Section Council (2004 - 2005)
  • Member, Young Lawyers Division Section Council (2006 - 2008)
  • American Association For Justice, Formerly ATLA (2002 – present)
  • Member, New Lawyers Division (NLD) Board of Governors (2004 - 2007)
  • University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Board, Board of Directors (2011-2012)
  • Chair, Alumni Services Committee, University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Board, 2011-2012
  • University of Illinois College of Law Dean’s Advisory Board (2014 - present)
  • University of Illinois College of Law Dean’s Advisory Board - President (2023 - present)
  • The National Trial Lawyers Association (2012 - present)
  • Fellow, American Bar Foundation (2019 - present)