Practice Areas
- Aviation Litigation
- Construction Negligence
- Medical Negligence
- Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
- Premises Liability
- Product Liability
- Professional Sports Liability
- Railroad Negligence & FELA
- Vehicular Negligence
Education
- IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, J.D., 2004
- University of Portland, Portland, Oregon, M.A., 1999
- University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, B.A., 1997
Bar & Court Admissions
- Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court of Nebraska
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
William T. Gibbs is a trial attorney at the Chicago personal injury and medical malpractice law firm of Corboy & Demetrio and concentrates his practice on cases arising from participation in sports, automobile collisions, construction negligence, medical negligence, premises liability, product liability, aviation litigation, and railroad negligence.
Bill has obtained record-setting and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients. He, along with his partners, secured a $29.6 million verdict on behalf of a woman who was seriously injured in the derailment of a Metra train. The verdict is the largest in Illinois for an individual injured in a mass transit crash. In a Federal District Court case, he obtained a $6.6 million verdict for a family injured in an automobile collision. It was the largest verdict ever in that Court. He also secured a $1.5 million settlement for a health club member who sustained injuries to his wrist when pushed to the ground by another member. And in a case in which he represented a future Hall-of-Fame Major League Baseball player, the matter was "resolved amicably" with the team physicians.
He is a member of numerous legal organizations including the American Association for Justice, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the Notre Dame Law Association. In 2008, Bill authored an article, "A Quick Guide to the Illinois Dead Man’s Act," which was published in the Illinois Bar Journal, a publication of the Illinois State Bar Association. Bill is a frequent panelist and lecturer to local and state bar associations.
In October, 2009, Bill was named by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company, which publishes the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer magazine, to its list of "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch," and for the last four years, he has been designated an Illinois Super Lawyer, Rising Star.
Active in many community organizations, Bill is a member of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Advisory Board. Through the Mercy Home for Boys, he provides pro bono legal assistance to individuals who are unable to afford private counsel.
Bill was a high school computer science teacher and varsity football, basketball, and baseball coach prior to his legal career. While at the University of Notre Dame, he was a defensive back on the varsity football team.
Profiles
"40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch," Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2009
News
- Corboy & Demetrio Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit against NHL in Death of Derek Boogaard
- Corboy & Demetrio Recognized in 2013 Top Ranked Law Firms in Fortune Magazine
- William T. Gibbs Selected to The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 under 40
- Fourteen Corboy & Demetrio Lawyers Selected 2013 Illinois Super Lawyers & Rising Stars
- Attorney William T. Gibbs Speaks about NFL Litigation Issues at Sports Law Symposium
- William T. Gibbs Speaks at Annual Conference of Brain Assoc. of Illinois
- Corboy & Demetrio Files Lawsuit against NFL in Suicide of Late Chicago Bear Dave Duerson
- Duerson Family Statement
- Eleven Corboy & Demetrio Lawyers Named to 2012 Super Lawyers List
- Corboy & Demetrio Lawyers Secure $44 Million for Victims in Metra Train Derailment
- $29.6 Million Record-Setting Verdict for Passenger in Metra Train Crash
- Corboy & Demetrio Files Civil Lawsuit in Death of Justyna Palka, Pedestrian Killed by Bus
- Corboy & Demetrio's Record of Success Representing Brain Damaged Personal Injury Victims
- Corboy & Demetrio Files Civil Lawsuit in Death of Pedestrian Killed by Bus
- Metra to Pay $11 Million in 2005 Train Crash Derailment
- Corboy & Demetrio - The Leader in Aviation Litigation
- Corboy & Demetrio - The Leaders in Medical Malpractice
- Record-Setting $6.6 Million Verdict in Nebraska Crash
- 11 Corboy & Demetrio Lawyers Named to 2011 Super Lawyers List
- $1.38 Million Kane County Auto Accident Settlement
- Attorney Gibbs Guest Lecturer at John Marshall Law School
- $1.45 Million Settlement for Injured Metra Train Passenger
- Corboy & Demetrio - Leaders in Bridge and Structural Collapse and Defect Litigation
- Attorney Gibbs Elected to Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Advisory Board
- Jury Verdict Secured by Corboy & Demetrio Affirmed by Illinois Appellate Court
- William Gibbs Selected in "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch"
- Thomas Demetrio and William Gibbs Featured in Article "Becoming a Trial Lawyer"
- Corboy & Demetrio Chicago Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Lawyers Named to Illinois Super Lawyers
- Corboy & Demetrio Named One of Chicago's Top Law Firms
- Record-Setting Settlement by William Gibbs for Three Year-Old Injured at Outdoor Twirling Tunnel
- William Gibbs' article, "A Quick Guide to the Illinois Dead Man's Act," Published
- Tom Demetrio Files Lawsuit Against Hyatt Corporation for Death of Internationally Renowned Hollywood Director Moustapha Akkad by Suicide Bomber in Jordan
- $1.25 Million Settlement Secured by Michael Demetrio and William Gibbs for Family of Realtor Killed by Drunk Driver
Publications
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: Painkillers at Play in Lawsuit Aimed at NHL
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: Father Sues Hospital After Son's 2011 Death
- Illinois Bar Journal: A Quick Guide to the Illinois Dead Man's Act
Honors
- The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 under 40, 2013
- "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch," Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2009
- Illinois Super Lawyer, Rising Star, 2009, 2010, 2011
- CALI, Excellence for the Future Award, Philosophy, 2004
- CALI, Excellence for the Future Award, Legal Writing, 2002
Professional Affiliations
- American Association for Justice (AAJ) formerly known as American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA)
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA)
- Chicago Bar Association (CBA), Civil Practice Committee, Tort Litigation Committee
- Notre Dame Law Association
- Fenwick Bar Association, Treasurer, 2005-2008
Community Involvement
- Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Advisory Board Member
- St. Clement Dads
- St. Clement Legal Aid Clinic
- Our Lady of Mercy Legal Clinic
- Mercy Home for Boys
Seminars & Speeches
- “Confidentiality of Special Medical Records and Electronic Medical Records,” Medical Records Law Seminar, 2010, 2011
- "Motion Practice," Update & Review Seminar, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 2008
- "Illinois Evidence: The CSI Effect," Criminal and Civil Evidence Issues Seminar, 2008
- Judge, National Collegiate Trial Advocacy Competition, Indiana, 2005, 2006
- Judge, American Trial Lawyers Association Student Trial Advocacy Competition, 2005