Practice Areas

Education

  • DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, J.D., 1977
  • Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, B.S., 1973
  • National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Boulder, Colorado, 1980

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Illinois, 1978
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2008
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1978
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 1994
  • Pro Hac Vice in Indiana, Arizona, Ohio, Colorado
Philip Harnett Corboy Jr.
Partner
33 N. Dearborn Street
21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
FHC@CorboyDemetrio.com    vCard

Philip Harnett Corboy, Jr. was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1978 and worked in a small white-collar criminal defense firm before joining the criminal division of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office that same year. At the time of his resignation from that public office in 1985, he was a "first-chair" prosecutor - responsible for trying such felonies as murder, rape, armed robbery and kidnapping - in one of the major courtrooms at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building at 26th and California in Chicago. He joined Corboy & Demetrio as an associate that same year and became a partner in 1991.

His practice centers on representing plaintiffs in aviation and construction litigation, medical and professional negligence, product and premises liability, claims brought under the Federal Employers' Liability Act, and vehicular accident law. He has settled or tried to verdict more than 50 cases in which plaintiffs have recovered $1 million or more. These include an $18 million settlement for a Mexican national who was killed by a piece of falling glass from Chicago's CNA Tower; an $11 million settlement on behalf of a Chicago dental student burned in an automobile fire; and an $8.5 million settlement for the family of an assistant fire chief killed when a fire erupted at a Neiman Marcus store. He recently secured, along with his colleague Kenneth Lumb, a record-setting settlement of $7 million for a 78 year-old woman who was injured when she was struck by a malfunctioning automatic door as she entered a Target store.

At trial, he secured a $16.7 million verdict on behalf of a brain-damaged pedestrian involved in a collision with an automobile, a $7.67 million verdict on behalf of an injured construction worker and a $5.35 million verdict for a limousine driver who lost his leg in an automobile incident at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. He was also successful in trying a lawsuit involving a 66 year-old man who was injured in an auto collision in central Illinois. The jury in Kane County, Illinois, returned a $4.5 million verdict.

He has tried cases in a number of states throughout the country and served as lead counsel in litigation on behalf of Cook County, Illinois, against the country's major tobacco companies to recoup public monies paid out for treatment of tobacco-related illnesses.

He is the immediate past President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and is a member of the American Association for Justice, where he served as an Illinois State delegate and on its National Board of Governors. A long-standing member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, he is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association, where he served on its Board of Managers. In 2002, he was inducted into the invitation-only American College of Trial Lawyers, the country's pre-eminent organization of trial lawyers that limits its membership to those trial lawyers who are outstanding and considered the best in their state. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America," an invitation-only, peer-selected publication, has been named one of the top 5% of all Illinois attorneys by the Leading Lawyers Network and has been designated an Illinois Super Lawyer. Mr. Corboy was recently appointed by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin to a screening committee to assist the Senator in selecting Federal District Court Judges, U.S. Attorneys, and U.S. Marshals for the Northern District of Illinois. He was also recently appointed to the Equal Justice Illinois Campaign Blue-Ribbon Committee where he will work to increase state funding of civil legal aid so that  all Illinois residents, regardless of income, have access to the justice system. 

Mr. Corboy is a frequent panelist and lecturer to local, state and national bar associations and is quoted extensively in news stories on matters relating to law and government. He has been interviewed and quoted in every print and broadcast media outlet in Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area, as well as making appearances and offering commentary on legal issues nationally on the Today Show, The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel, Good Morning America, Court-TV, MSNBC and Fox News' The Edge with Paula Zahn. He has also been quoted on legal topics in Time Magazine, Lawyer's Weekly U.S.A., Of Counsel, Chicago Magazine, Inside Litigation, Crain's Chicago Business, The ABA Journal, General Surgery News, and others.

He devotes much of his time to charitable and not-for-profit endeavors. He is President of the Board of Directors of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, Illinois’ largest legal aid program for low income people. He served on the Board of Illinois Variety Club's International Children's Charity for a number of years and was Vice-President of The Chicago Lighthouse, one of the country's oldest organizations for people who are blind or visually impaired. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the President's Club of DePaul University and a member of the Dean's Council of DePaul's law school.

View expanded bio

Profiles

News

Publications

Honors

  • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, President, 2008 - 2009
  • Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, Board of Directors, President, 2008-2009
  • U.S. Senator Dick Durbin Screening Committee for Federal Judges, U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals for the Northern District of Illinois, 2009 - Present
  • American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow, by invitation
  • AV rating, Martindale-Hubbell - Highest level awarded for professional excellence
  • Cook County Circuit Court Committee to Recommend Local Rules for Mandatory Arbitration, Appointment
  • DePaul University College of Law, Capital Development Committee
  • DePaul University, College of Law, Dean's Council
  • Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, President Board of Directors, 2008
  • Equal Justice Illinois Campaign Blue-Ribbon Committee, 2009 - Present
  • Illinois Super Lawyers - Top 5% of all Illinois attorneys
  • Leading Lawyers Network Member - Top 5% of all Illinois attorneys
  • Leading Lawyers Network, Advisory Board
  • Oxford’s “Who’s Who”
  • “The Best Lawyers in America” - Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiff
  • The Society of Trial Lawyers, Fellow

Professional Affiliations

  • American Association for Justice (AAJ) formerly known as Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), Illinois Delegate, 2001-2003; Board of Governors, 2003-2005
  • American Bar Association (ABA)
  • American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL)
  • Chicago Bar Association (CBA), Board of Managers, 1994-1996; Judicial Evaluation Committee, 1980-present, Vice-Chairman, 1984-1987, Chairman, 1987-1990, General Chairman, 1989-1990; House Committee, Chairman, 1990-1991; Long Range Planning Committee, Chairman, 1999-2000; Settlement Program, Mediator, 1988-1989
  • Cook County Circuit Court Committee to Recommend Local Rules for Court-Annexed Mandatory Arbitration, 1988
  • Equal Justice Illinois Campaign Blue-Ribbon Committee Member
  • Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
  • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), President, 2008; President-Elect, 2007; First Vice-President, 2006; Second Vice-President, 2005; Leonard Ring Memorial Award, Nominating Committee, 2004; Executive Committee, 2002-2003, 2005-present; Nominating Committee, 2000; Legislative Committee, 1997-present; Board of Managers, 1997-present
  • The Society of Trial Lawyers Association
  • U.S. Senator Dick Durbin Northern District Screening Committee for Federal District Court Judges, U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals, Member
  • "Best Lawyers in America," Member
  • Illinois Super Lawyer - Named one of the top 100 Lawyers in Illinois
  • Leading Lawyers Network Member - Top 5% of Illinois Attorneys
  • Leading Lawyers Network Advisory Board, 2007-present
  • Martindale-Hubble Law Directory, AV Rated - Highest Rating Possible
  • Oxford's "Who's Who," 1992-present

Community Involvement

  • Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, President, Board of Directors, 2008; Member, 1997-present
  • DePaul University College of Law, Capital Development Committee, 1992-present
  • DePaul University College of Law, Dean's Council, 1996-present
  • The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, Board of Directors, 2000-2005; Vice-Chairman of the Board, 2002-2005
  • Democratic National Committee, Permanent Committee on Credentials, 1992
  • DePaul University, Board of Trustees, Presidents' Club, 1987-1997
  • Variety Club Children's Charity, Tent No. 26, Vice President, 1987-1994

Seminars & Speeches

  • "Closing Arguments, Plaintiff's Perspective," Litigation Skills III Conference, Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2008
  • "Winning Strategies in Disability Trial Cases, " Western Trial Lawyers Association, 2007
  • "What Makes the ‘Neurologically Damaged Baby Case’ so Different?," Crittenden Medical Conference, Boston, 2007
  • "Bariatric Surgery: What the Plaintiff's Lawyers Think, the Defense Lawyers, and Most Importantly the Jurors!," San Francisco, 2006
  • "Hi-Tech Low Cost - Don't Be Afraid to Bring It In-House," Western Trial Lawyers Association, Maui, 2006
  • "The Bottom Line - What the Jury Thinks," Crittenden Medical Conference, Arizona, 2006
  • "Medical Liability Point-Counterpoint: Malpractice as I See It," American Urological Association, 2005
  • "Recognizing & Preventing the $10 Million Verdict," Crittenden Medical Conference, 2005
  • "Update on Intrastate Forum Non Conveniens," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2004
  • "Winning Strategies for Disability Jury Trials," American Conference Institute, 2003
  • "Severity of Verdict - Where Is It Going & How Do We Stop It?," Crittenden Medical Conference, Nevada, 2003
  • "Civil Liability for Injuries During a Sporting Event," Chicago Bar Association, 2001
  • "Plaintiff Attorneys v. Defense Attorneys," Crittenden Medical Conference, Washington, DC, 2001
  • "Economic Damages," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2000
  • "Daubert & Kumho: A Review and Their Practical Application," Western Trial Lawyers Association, 2000
  • "AIDS/HIV Patient Records," Medical Educational Services, Inc, 1998
  • "Forum Non Conveniens," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1998
  • "Motions-in-Limine," Illinois State Bar Association, 1998
  • Judge, Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition, John Marshall Law School and American Bar Association  1998
  • "Collecting, Analyzing and Preserving the Evidence," DuPage County Bar Association, 1997
  • "A Christian Perspective on Litigation in America," Business Executives for Economic Justice, 1996
  •  "Enhancing Your Practice Through Public Speaking," Chicago Bar Association, 1996
  • "The Art of Persuasion," De Paul University College of Law, 1996
  • "Taking the Defendant's Deposition," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1994
  • "Product Liability," Chicago Bar Association , 1993
  • "Personal Injury Litigation," Career Day Program, DePaul University, 1993
  • "Evidence," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1993
  • "Personal Injury Litigation," Career Day Program, DePaul University, 1992
  • "Summation in a Civil Case," Chicago Bar Association , 1992
  • "Emerging Issues in Automobile Product Liability Litigation," American Bar Association, 1992
  • Judge, National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Program, John Marshall Moot Court and American Bar Association, 1992
  • "Personal Injury Litigation," Career Day Program, DePaul University, 1991
  • "Proving Injury", Chicago Bar Association , 1991
  • Judicial Evaluation," Chicago Cable Access Television, 1990
  • "Litigation Trends in the 1990's," Continuing Legal Education Satellite Network, Video Presentation, 1990
  • Judge, Northwestern University School of Law Moot Court Competition, 1990
  • "Tort Litigation," Chicago Bar Association , 1990
  • "Demonstrative Evidence," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1989
  • "Airline Accidents," NALI, 1989
  • "Increasing Damages through Closing Arguments," Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, 1989
  • "Proof of Damages," Chicago Bar Association, 1989
  • Judge, National Law School Trial Advocacy Competition, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1989
  • "Trial by Jury," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1988
  • "Update," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1988
  • Instructor, Chicago Bar Association Trial Practice Course, 1988
  • "Torts and Insurance," American Bar Association,  Annual Convention, New York City, 1986
  • Kent College of Law, Student Intern Program, 1984 - 1985
  • John Marshall Law School, Intensive Trial Advocacy Program, 1984