Jennifer Riccolo DeBower focuses her practice on professional liability litigation with an emphasis on medical malpractice defense. She also practices in the areas of legal malpractice defense and commercial litigation.

Ms. Riccolo DeBower is involved in all aspects of trial practice including responding to discovery, attending scene inspections and interpreting medical records. She is experienced in drafting complaints, answers to interrogatories, responses to motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, appeals and motions in limine. In addition, Ms. Riccolo DeBower has handled pre-trial work-ups for multiple negligence and medical malpractice trials, and has acted as first chair in many discovery depositions, including those of parties, physicians and experts.

She has a strong legal research background, particularly in the areas of medical malpractice, product liability, agency and Illinois tort immunity matters.

Ms. Riccolo DeBower’s representative cases include having assisted in the development of a paramedic malpractice case involving traumatic brain injury and more than 50 depositions for trial. Ms. Riccolo DeBower worked closely with a variety of experts including neurosurgeon, paramedic, vocational rehabilitation consultant and economic consultant. The case was settled in judge’s chambers within policy limits. Ms. Riccolo DeBower joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in October 2004. She is an active member of the firm’s Women Attorneys Network group.

During law school, Ms. Riccolo DeBower was a law clerk with the Chicago law firm of Power Rogers & Smith, P.C. a personal injury firm specializing in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases due to medical malpractice and product defects.

As a member of the Corboy Trial Team, Ms. Riccolo DeBower participated in the Georgetown University Law Center Sixth Annual White Collar Mock Trial Invitational in Washington, D.C., in the fall of 2002, and the ATLA Mock Trial Competition in Chicago, Illinois, in the spring of 2003. She was awarded the Philip H. Corboy Fellowship for her participation in these events.

Ms. Riccolo DeBower holds a certificate in trial advocacy from Loyola and was Secretary of the Student Bar Association.

In 2009 and again in 2010, Illinois Super Lawyers magazine named Ms. Riccolo DeBower to its Rising Stars list. Recipients of this award have practiced law for less than 10 years or are 40 years old or younger.

Ms. Riccolo DeBower speaks conversational Italian. Ms. Riccolo DeBower is a deposition training instructor for Hinshaw University, the firm’s nationwide attorney training and education program. Ms. Riccolo DeBower is a member of the Associate Board of Ambassadors for the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society. She is a volunteer teacher with Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago.