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John Sawin

As a trial lawyer, I have always been willing to "fight the good fight" for my clients when the cause and client's circumstances made it the right thing to do-- even when the odds were stacked against us. Following that simple principle has allowed me to spend the last 25 years assisting clients in resolving what I hope are the most significant legal problems they will ever have to face.

 

Among other things, that principle has given me the privilege of spending much of my time the last 11 years representing deaf and hearing impaired individuals around the U.S. in product liability lawsuits against the world's leading cochlear implant manufacturer, Cochlear Limited, and its U.S. subsidiary, Cochlear Americas. No law firms in the U.S. have filed as many product liability lawsuits against Cochlear Limited and Cochlear Americas concerning the now recalled Cochlear Nucleus CI512 cochlear implant as my firm and my colleague Scott Morgan's law firm have filed as a team. In addition, we are also now representing many individuals that have suffered injuries and damages as a result of Advanced Bionics HiRes Ultra and Ultra 3D cochlear implant failures.

 

I knew from an early age that I wanted to become a trial lawyer. I attended law school in Washington, D.C., at American University, where I earned my J.D. in 1994. Prior to that, I graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.S. in Economics in 1990. ​I was admitted to the Florida Supreme Court Bar in 1994, and the Illinois Supreme Court Bar in 1995. I have been a member of the trial bar for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois since 1998. When I am not spending my time outside of the courthouse with my wife and two daughters, I can often be found engaged in an altogether different type of conflict resolution process-- refereeing soccer.

Bar Memberships

I am admitted to practice law in the following jurisdictions:​

  • Illinois

  • Florida

  • U.S. Court of Appeals- 7th Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals- 6th Circuit

  • U.S. Dist. Court for N.D. Illinois

  • U.S. Dist. Court for C.D. Illinois

  • U.S. Dist. Court for S.D. Illinois

  • U.S. Dist. Court for E.D. Wisconsin

  • U.S. Dist. Court for S.D. Florida

  • U.S. Dist. Court for M.D. Florida

  • U.S. Dist. Court for Colorado

I am NOT a licensee of the State Bar of California.

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I have also been admitted to practice law in connection with specific lawsuits (pro hac vice) in the following jurisdictions:

  • U.S. Dist. Court Arizona

  • U.S. Dist. Court E.D. Kentucky

  • U.S. Dist. Court S.D. Alabama

  • U.S. Dist. Court W.D. Louisiana

  • U.S. Dist. Court M.D. Tennessee

  • U.S. Dist. Court N.D. Georgia

  • U.S. Dist. Court W.D. Oklahoma

  • U.S. Dist. Court E.D. Michigan

  • U.S. Dist. Court Maryland

  • U.S. Dist. Court N.D. California

  • U.S. Dist. Court S.D. Ohio

  • U.S. Dist. Court New Jersey

Education

J.D., American University, 1994

B.S., University of Iowa, 1990

Reported Cases

  • Castillo v. State Farm Florida Ins. Co., 971 So.2d 820 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007)

  • Aponte v. City of Chicago, 728 F. 3d 724 (7th Cir. 2013)

  • ​Guertin v. State of Michigan, 912 F.3d 907 (6th Cir. 2019) [Flint Water Crisis Civil Right Claims]

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