Six attorneys with Simmons law firm recognized as top lawyers in the state

Six attorneys with the Simmons Hanly Conroy law firm were recognized as top performing lawyers in the state, earning a place on the 2015 Illinois Super Lawyers list and Illinois Rising Stars list.

Those named to the Super Lawyers list include Chairman John Simmons and shareholders Perry Bowder, Derek Brandt and Randy Cohn.

Firm attorneys John Foley and Jo Anna Pollock were also named to the 2015 Illinois Rising Stars list, which includes no more than 2.5 percent of all Illinois lawyers. To be chosen, attorneys must be 40 years old or younger or must have been in practice for 10 years or less.

Simmons made the list in the Personal Injury – Products: Plaintiff practice category for the fourth consecutive year.

Brandt made the list in the Class Action/Mass Torts, Business Litigation and Environmental Litigation practice categories. This is his fourth year on the list.

He is a member of the firm’s complex litigation department’s management committee and leads the firm’s commercial litigation practice.

Browder made the list in the Personal Injury – Products: Plaintiff practice area for the fifth consecutive year.

He oversees the firm’s asbestos litigation department and has focused primarily on mesothelioma lawsuits.

Cohn also made the list in the Personal Injury – Plaintiff: products practice area. He was previously on the Illinois Rising Stars list for three years.

His responsibilities includes overseeing a team of attorneys and investigators for Navy-related asbestos cases.

Foley was selected as a Rising Star in the area of Plaintiff Personal Injury: products for the third consecutive year.

He represents plaintiffs alleging injury from drugs and medical devices.

Pollock was named a Rising Star for the fourth consecutive year in the practice areas of Environmental Litigation and Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff.

She was also the 2014 chair of the Intellectual Property Group for the American Association of Justice.

Simmons founded the firm in 1999 with eight employees, focusing on asbestos litigation. It has since grown to more than 200 employees, including more than 70 attorneys, and has offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis and Alton.