Bob Delaney Retires from Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, Effective June 1, 2023
On June 1, 1935, England introduced its compulsory driving test with video instructions prepared by Ford to prepare new drivers. In the video, drivers were warned not to take a right-hand turn on the wrong side of the road. Doing so would be “asking for trouble” and drivers were told that the examiner “doesn’t like it.”
On the same day 88 years later, Bob Delaney retires from Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, having demonstrated a solid ability to stay on course throughout his career. Bob’s professional resume is anything but bland, with his career beginning in journalism and then transitioning to law in 1992, when he began studying at Chicago-Kent law school. Bob’s first job out of law school was defending plaintiffs in personal injury cases at a small suburban law firm, proceeding to a jury trial four months after getting licensed, and getting a well-deserved WIN after a laborious one-week trial with and very difficult opposing counsel. In 2002, Bob moved on to the Illinois AG’s office for workers’ compensation defense and was eventually named Deputy Bureau Chief.
In 2012, Bob joined Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry. One of Bob’s most memorable cases at NBKL involved a Salvation Army seasonal donation collector who claimed that gusting winds blew the TSA kettle over and injured her shoulder (you can’t make this stuff up). With good witnesses, evidence about the weight of the kettles, and a weather expert, the claim was denied, and Bob secured another victory.
Bob leaves a legacy of thoughtfulness in his defenses, attention to detail and creativity in defending claims. He is gifted in interpreting credits in trial awards and analyzing the intent behind a decision. If there was an Illinois workers’ compensation Aristotle contest (you never know), I would nominate Bob Delaney.
Showing a speeding driver weaving in and out of traffic recklessly, the narrators of the 1935 Ford video remind drivers “not to drive like this chap.” In the fast-paced and deadline-driven world of being a workers’ compensation attorney, Bob echoes the sentiment of the Ford narrators and reminds us all to pause and think methodically about defending our claims.
Bob, we wish you all the best in your retirement endeavors. May you never have a day off!