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Overview
Daniel Swanson (he/him) focuses his practice on workers’ compensation law and trial advocacy, drawing from over three decades of experience in the field. He has successfully litigated over 300 cases before various judicial bodies, including the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Circuit Courts of multiple Illinois counties, and the United States Federal Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Daniel adeptly handles all aspects of litigation, formulating strategies, representing clients in court, and negotiating settlements. His proactive risk management and dispute resolution skills have led to successful outcomes in workers’ compensation cases before the Illinois Appellate Court.
Before rejoining the firm, Daniel worked as a senior associate attorney at a Chicago-based law firm after spending nearly two decades as the chief workers’ compensation trial attorney at a multi-line insurance group, handling complex legal matters.
His commitment to the legal community is evident through his role as an arbitrator for the Circuit Court of Cook County, of which he has held for over three decades in conjunction with his other roles throughout the years.
Outside of the legal realm, Daniel is an avid runner, having ran 69 marathons in his lifetime, including 34 in Chicago, 3 in both Boston and New York and the Millenial Rome Marathon. His most memorable event was running with the bulls at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain. Day-to-day, he enjoys spending time with his children and border collie.
Representative Matters
- The Illinois Appellate Court reversed the decisions of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and Circuit Court of Vermillion County in an Illinois-Indiana jurisdiction dispute. An Illinois Union apprentice electrician was hired to work on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Indiana and suffered a torn rotator cuff, which was repaired surgically. However, the Appellate Court held that no jurisdiction existed in Illinois because the “last act necessary” to form the employment contract was the decision by the employer to hire the Illinois-referred Union member in Indiana after passing a pre-employment physical safety test and drug screen.
- A retail store manager sustained a compensable rotator cuff injury, which required surgical repair, as a result of a purse snatch robbery while she was on her way to deposit money from the store to the bank in the shopping mall. The Illinois Appellate Court affirmed the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission denial of a second rotator cuff repair in a battle between the opinions of the medical experts regarding the necessity of the second rotator cuff surgery. Additionally, the Appellate Court affirmed the finding that the Petitioner was not engaged in a vocational program and Therefore not entitled to maintenance benefits as she admitted on cross-examination that she was working in a daycare at a church, collecting temporary total disability benefits and Social Security Disability benefits at the same time for more than a year. The Respondent’s credit from the overpayment of temporary total disability benefits essentially extinguished any future permanency award for the operated shoulder.