Susan L. Novosad

Partner

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Meet Susan—Skilled Attorney and Committed Advocate

Susan L. Novosad, Partner, is well known in the Chicago legal community for the compassion she brings to her work as a tireless advocate for victims of personal injury and wrongful death matters, including medical malpractice and nursing home abuse and neglect. Susan also has a reputation for unmatched negotiating skills and her ability to help opposing parties resolve disputes in ways that deliver justice for her clients.

For Susan, the practice of law has always been a family affair. After an earlier career as an elementary school teacher for gifted students, Susan accepted her brother Steve Levin’s invitation to come work with him and learn about the practice of law. Soon after, Susan began attending John Marshall Law School at night. While pregnant with her first child in 1986, she passed the bar and was sworn in on the day the Bears won the Superbowl. Her three children are now grown, and she has been married to her husband Steve Novosad for 35 years.

Susan’s commitment to her clients is evident in the relationships that last well beyond the scope of her cases—sometimes for decades. Her first medical malpractice trial involved a brachial plexus birth injury to an infant, which caused nerve damage in her spinal cord, neck and arm. The trial concluded when the girl was just three years old, but Susan recently received the young woman’s college graduation announcement. The family has stayed in touch with Susan all these years, and believe that the successful outcome of the trial improved the quality of their daughter’s life.

I got into personal injury law and found it very gratifying. It felt similar to helping children like I had as a teacher -- vulernable people needed help and I could provide that.

A fundamental aspect of Susan’s practice is her accessibility to her clients. She believes that her clients are entitled to fair compensation for the harm they have suffered, and has met with Illinois legislators to oppose laws placing limits on recoveries of medical malpractice victims.

Recently, Susan was chosen for inclusion in Chicago Magazine’s Illinois: The Top 100 list, along with the Illinois: The Top 50 Women list. These honors highlight the attorneys who topped the Illinois Super Lawyers nomination, research and review processes. Susan was named to the Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell®. Susan was honored among the WBAI’s 2015 Top Women Lawyers in Leadership. This award recognizes outstanding women lawyers in Illinois who serve in a leadership role, who have excelled in their legal field and have gone beyond traditional mentoring to create new pathways for other women. She was also named as a Leading Lawyer for 2012-17 by her peers.

Some of Susan’s most notable achievements include:

$6.7M

birth injury verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit

$4.1M

jury verdict on behalf of an 85-year-old woman injured in a nursing home when her medications were mismanaged

$3.5M

settlement in a birth injury lawsuit

$2.4M

verdict in a personal injury lawsuit against the City of Chicago. Follow the link to read coverage of this accident verdict

$1.5M

settlement on behalf of an elderly resident of a long-term care facility who suffered burns after being placed in a scalding bath

$1M

settlement (the largest nursing home negligence settlement in Lake County, IL, history) for the family of a deceased former nursing home resident who died after suffering injuries in a fall at a nursing home

Education

J.D., The John Marshall Law School, 1986

cum laude

B.A., University of Illinois, 1978

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

Illinois, 1986
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1986
Supreme Court of the United States, 1986

Professional & Bar Association Memberships

Past and Present memberships and positions

Women’s Bar Association of Illinois
American Association for Justice
Nursing Home Litigation Group
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
Illinois State Bar Association

Awards & Honors

Chicago Lawyer Magazine: Women Leaders: Top Lawyers in Illinois, June/July 2024 issue
The Best Lawyers in America®: Personal Injury Litigation: Plaintiffs, 2021-2024
Illinois Super Lawyers®: Personal Injury, 2005, 2012-2024
Illinois Super Lawyers®: Illinois Top 50 Women, 2013-2018
Illinois Super Lawyers®: Top 100 in Illinois, 2013-2016, 2018
Leading Lawyers: Leading Lawyer, 2012-2023
Leading Lawyers: Top 10 Lawyer: Leading Women, 2021-2022
Leading Lawyers: Top Lawyer: Leading Women, 2021
Leading Lawyers: Top 10 Women: Personal Injury, 2015
Jury Verdict Reporter: Trial Excellence Award: Highest Illinois Nursing Home Care Act Verdict, 2019
Crain’s Custom Media: Chicago’s Notable Women Lawyers, 2018
Women’s Bar Association of Illinois: Top Women Lawyers in Leadership, 2015
Martindale-Hubbell®: Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers, 2012-2014
Chicago Lawyer Magazine: Illinois Top 100 Attorneys, 2013
Chicago Lawyer Magazine: Illinois Top 50 Women Attorneys, 2013

Professional Publications & Presentations

The John Marshall Law School Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. “Preparing for Trial,” Chicago, IL. April 19, 2012.
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association’s Everything You Need to Know About Motor Vehicle Accident Cases Seminar. “Party Depositions” Oak Brook, IL. March 23, 2012.
JCC Chicago – Anita M. Stone Community Center. “Advocating for Yourself and Your Loved Ones in Long-Term Care Facilities.” Flossmoor,IL. May 11, 2010.
Oasis Senior Center, Northbrook Court. “What You Should Know About Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect.” Northbrook, IL. February 18,2010.
Appeared on WCPT 820 AM’s UN-COMMON LAW Radio Show with Kurt Moller on March 22, 2009.
IICLE Nursing Home Negligence Conference.“Prosecuting and Defending Physical and Sexual Abuse.” Springfield, Illinois. January 11, 2007.

Client Testimonials

I have just settled my case, I was very happy with this firm. They took my case very seriously and treated me like a individual with respect. I was stuck by a car and was down for almost a year. Susan Novasad & Gabe Aparti was amazing. Susan knows how to get the money you deserve and owed. Loved this law firm. Believe it or not I hate lawyers and working with Levin and Perconti law firm is like working with Family. Thank you for all you did.

Susan Novosad was excellent. She kept me in the loop throughout the whole process. Kept me updated with the progress. We are extremely thankful to her and her team.

Susan Novosad [is a] very gifted attorney. [She] represented me following a traumatic incident in 2011 that resulted in serious physical and emotional injuries. The defendant was no lightweight and resisted many attempts to settle the case, resulting in a rare jury trial. Throughout the entire process, my family and Susan and team to be consummate professionals. They were patient, kind, and attentive. From a legal perspective, they were insanely prepared and seasoned. We were humbled by how seriously they took the case, and by how much effort they poured into the many pre-trial affairs and courtroom proceedings. I recommend them and their firm without any hesitation to anyone seeking honest, steadfast representation.