ATTORNEYS

Michael Kokal

- Partner

Before law school, Mike worked as an electrical engineer at Ralston Purina in St. Louis, Missouri. After receiving his law degree, Mike served as a judicial clerk to Federal District Judge Richard Mills in Springfield, Illinois. Following that clerkship, he worked in private practice in Springfield primarily in the areas of medical malpractice, products liability, and commercial litigation. He joined Heyl Royster in the Springfield office in 2000 and moved to the firm's Edwardsville office in 2003. He became a partner with the firm in 2004. In the Spring of 2011, Mike returned to the firm's Springfield office.

Mike concentrates his practice in the defense of professional liability matters, commercial litigation, products liability cases (including Truck/Motor Carrier litigation), and environmental/toxic torts. He was lead trial counsel and successfully defended a Fortune 500 company in a one week federal court products liability trial in 2008. Mike was lead counsel defending another Fortune 500 company in the largest multiple site CERCLA litigation in southern Illinois and he continues to be involved in the defense of a refinery alleged by several hundred residents to have collectively contaminated air and ground water causing personal injury and property damage. Mike has also had several other defense verdicts in the professional liability area in the last year.

Significant Cases

  • Minnesota Lawyers Mut. Ins. Co. v. Larson 2007 WL 2688443 (S.D. Ill. 2007) Obtained summary judgment in declaratory action interpreting "claims made" insurance policy.
  • Gallina v. W 354 Ill. App. 3d 515 (4th Dist. 2004) Interpreted scope of cross examination in medical malpractice case.
  • Warren v. B 325 Ill. App. 3d 599 (4th Dist. 2001) Interpreted statute of limitation issue in a medical malpractice case.
  • Stricklin v. B 293 Ill. App. 3d 886 (4th Dist 1997) Interpreted scope of peer review documents under the Illinois Medical Studies Act.

Publications

  • Co-author, "What Every Claims Professional Needs to Know About Conflicts of Interest, Good Faith Duty to Settle and Time Limit Demands," Heyl Royster (2007)
  • Missouri Wrongful Death Statute, Missouri Law Review (1992)

Public Speaking

  • “Social Security Liens In Tort Litigation”
    Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education 2012
  • “What Every Claims Professional Needs to Know About Conflicts of Interest, Good Faith Duty to Settle and Time Limit Demands”
    Heyl Royster 2007
  • “Recent Developments in Case Law”
    Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Chicago and Springfield presentations 2001

Professional Recognition

  • Selected as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois. Only five percent of lawyers in the state are named as Leading Lawyers.
  • Managing Editor, Missouri Law Review

Professional Associations

  • Sangamon County Bar Association
  • Madison County Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • The Missouri Bar
  • American Bar Associations

Court Admissions

  • State Courts of Illinois and Missouri
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • United States District Court, Central and Eastern Districts of Missouri
  • United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court

Education

  • Juris Doctor (Order of the Coif), University of Missouri School of Law, 1992
  • Master of Liberal Arts-History, Washington University, 1989
  • Bachelor of Science-Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, 1987 

Community Involvement

  • Past Captain, Missouri Air National Guard
  • Past/Present Notre Dame Alumni Association of Central Illinois
  • Past board member of Springfield Big Brothers/Big Sisters
  • Past board member of Springfield International Visitors Commission 

Year Joined Firm

  • 2000

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