PRACTICE AREAS

With two convenient offices to serve clients in Cook County and Will County, Whiteside & Goldberg handles cases in the area of personal injury law, including medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, premises liability, construction negligence, and workers’ compensation.

ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA

Although asbestos exposure has been an acknowledged occupational hazard for almost a century, frequently causing the cancer "mesothelioma", exposure to asbestos continues to be especially widescale among manufacturers, builders and other industries. Attornies Whiteside and Goldberg have a wealth of experience handling asbestos and mesothelioma law and has secured millions of dollars in settlements and awards for mesothelioma suffers. After meeting to establish the facts of each new case, we will follow a plan customized to accomodate your unique needs. Contact us to speak with an attorney who will review your case and provide further details.

WORK RELATED INJURIES

After an work-related injury, worker's compensation benefits are integral to your recovery. If benefits are blocked or if you do not believe you are receiving the proper care, Whiteside Law will defend your right to medical attention and compenstion. If you have been encouaged to return to work or if you believe the care provided to you is insufficient, contact an attorney at Whiteside & Goldberg, Ltd. to discuss the options available to you.

AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS

In today's courts, lawsuits resulting from Automobile Accidents are some of the most commonly filed cases. Injuries resulting from such an accident can be devistating for victims and those close to them. Adding to the difficulty, challenging a colossal insurance company to provide the benefits you are entitled to can feel overwhelming. Whiteside & Goldberg is ready to work on your behalf. Contact an attorney today to review the opportunities to receive benefits for such things as medical expenses, lost income, disability, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and wrongful death.

SLIP-AND-FALL ACCIDENTS

Slip and Fall accidents can be more than embarrassing; they can seriously impact a victim's quality of life. In many cases it is difficult to determine the specific hazards that lead to a slip or a fall, and no less difficult to establish responsibility for such hazards. Conditions such as incliment weather, uneven surfaces, or faulty construction might lead to such accidents. If you experience a slip-and-fall accident, Whiteside & Goldberg, Ltd. is able to establish your defense and pursue justice on your behalf.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

We depend on doctors to improve our lives. However when a medical professional strays from the standard of care it can have significant negative repurcussions including, but not limited to, fatality. When life is disturbed or cut short at the hand of a medical expert, Attornies Whiteside & Goldberg will help you to pursue proper legal action. To prove that you have experienced damages due to medical mistakes, contact us today.

WRONGFUL DEATH

The death of a family member is difficult to bear, and that difficulty is compounded when the death is the fault of another person or company. The loss of income, benefits, and companionship caused by the absence of your loved one may be recoverable damages. Fatalities caused by a drunk driver, a poorly built structure, medical failures, or dangerous/defective products should be discussed with Whiteside & Goldberg, Ltd. to determine if any legal pursuit is justfied.

NURSING HOMES

The difficult decision to place a loved one in a nursing home or elder care is made with the assumption that they will be kept safe and receive proper care. Abuse of any sort - medical, emotional, financial, and even unexplainable injury - is a deep betrayal of that trust. If you believe your loved one has experienced mistreatment, contact Whiteside & Goldberg, Ltd. to discuss a successful approach to receive proper care and compensation for your family member.

PROFILE

Jason M. Whiteside has represented clients in areas of personal injury since 2004. His pursuit for justice has resulted in recoveries totalling more than five million dollars for his clients. To discuss your legal needs, contact Mr. Whiteside at Whiteside Law in Chicago and Joliet.

JASON M. WHITESIDE

Jason M. Whiteside attained his undergraduate degree in 1999 from the University of St. Francis, where he received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree, majoring in Finance and receiving a minor degree in Economics. Mr. Whiteside attended The John Marshall Law School, where he received his Juris Doctorate in 2004. While attending The John Marshall Law School, Mr. Whiteside clerked for the Honorable George M. Marovich at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Whiteside simultaneously worked as a law clerk for Baker & McKenzie in the Employment Law Practice Group while clerking for the Honorable George M. Marovich.

After graduation from law school in 2004, Mr. Whiteside worked for the Law Offices of Peter F. Ferracuti, in Ottawa, Illinois, where he specialized in the representation of injured workers before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission as well as the representation of injured plaintiffs. In 2005, Mr. Whiteside worked for an insurance defense firm, Spiegel & Cahill, specializing in the defense of workers’ compensation cases and large construction negligence matters on behalf of construction companies.

In 2006, Mr. Whiteside returned to representing injured plaintiffs at Whiting Law Group, Ltd. Throughout the course of his career, Mr. Whiteside has obtained over $8 million in recoveries for his clients in both Wisconsin and Illinois. This was accomplished through trial, arbitration, mediation and settlements, as proof of his relentless pursuit of justice on behalf of his clients.

In 2008, Mr. Whiteside formed Whiteside Law, Ltd., continuing to represent victims and their families in all areas of personal injury law, including medical malpractice, products liability, auto, wrongful death, premises liability, construction negligence, and workers’ compensation. Mr. Whiteside has two convenient offices to meet clients in Cook County and Will County.

After 2 years of successfully representing victims of negligence at Whiteside Law, Mr. Whiteside and his former colleague at Whiting Law Group, Michael Goldberg, formed the partnership of Whiteside & Goldberg where they continue to practice jointly today.

MICHAEL J. GOLDBERG

Michael obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Illinois in 1998 with Departmental Distinction and was named to the Dean’s List for Academic Achievement. Michael then obtained his Law Degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2002. In law school, Michael was the recipient of the prestigious CALI Excellence for the Future Award for outstanding scholastic performance and for ranking number one in his class in Trial Advocacy. Michael is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Wisconsin.

A former Partner at Whiting Law Group, Michael has personally obtained over $20,000,000 in jury verdicts, arbitration awards, mediations, and settlements in cases involving motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice actions, wrongful death actions, premises liability, sexual assault, and construction accidents.

Whiteside & Goldberg is very proud to announce Michael’s accomplishments as such a young attorney. Michael’s accomplishments represent his and the firm’s relentless pursuit to holding those individuals and corporations to the highest level of responsibility as the result of their negligent and careless conduct, which has changed the life course of innocent victims and their families.

Whiteside & Goldberg is not alone in recognizing Michael’s accomplishments. Michael has been named as one of Illinois’ “Rising Stars” in the respected publication Super Lawyers 2009 and 2010. In order be bestowed the honor as a Rising Star, Michael ranked in the top 2.5% of all lawyers in Illinois who are 40 years old and younger in 2009. What is even more impressive is that at age 33, Michael was one of the youngest recipients of the honor in the history of the award. Further, Michael was recognized by Chicago Magazine and the Law Bulletin as one of Illinois’ “40 Under 40 Lawyers to Watch” in 2010.

“Michael practices law with honesty, integrity and professionalism. Plus, he’s an aggressive and passionate litigator who will take even the toughest case to trial. Michael is a rising star in this industry with a very successful future in front of him.” Thomas P. Mangan –Owner and Managing Partner of Schoen, Mangan & Smith, Ltd.

"Michael is a top litigator and a rising star in Chicago's legal community. He vigorously and tirelessly represents his clients. He's persuasive, diligent, and smart - precisely the type of lawyer I don't want to have to face in court."Lawrence Shulruff –Owner and Managing Partner of Sudekum Cassidy & Shulruff Chtd.

“I have yet to see an attorney of Michael’s age and experience level with so much talent, desire and compassion. Although he has already had tremendous success in representing personal injury victims, I strongly believe Michael will soon become one of the top personal injury attorneys in the field.”Timothy M. Whiting –Owner and Managing Partner of Whiting Law Group, Ltd

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Whiteside Law has a proven history of achieving maximum settlements for our clients. The following selection of cases illustrate the results we intend to deliver when we partner with each new client. To discuss your specific circumstances, contact us today.

MESOTHELIOMA

Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer that forms in the lungs of individuals who have been exposed to asbestos. Attorney Jason M. Whiteside has worked with a large Chicago law firm for years pursing justice for his clients that are afflicted with mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure. Some of those results include:

• Attorney Whiteside earned a $2 Million+ settlement for a 52 year old man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Our client was in the Navy in the late 1960’s and worked on the boilers and piping throughout his ship, which was coated in asbestos. Unfortunately, our client developed mesothelioma after an almost 40 year latency period and died shortly thereafter, leaving behind a wife and three children.
• An 82 year old man diagnosed with mesothelioma was granted a $1 Million+ settlement through the efforts of Attorney Jason M. Whiteside. Our client worked in several manufacturing industries throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s where he was exposed to asbestos. Unfortunately, our client was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the age of 81 and subsequently passed away in under one year.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

• While a Partner at his former firm, Michael J. Goldberg helped earn one of the highest annual medical malpractice recoveries in Winnebago County involving an infant for a 3-month-old child who died as a result of medical malpractice. The facts included a baby boy who suffered from Hirschsprung’s Disease, which went undetected and misdiagnosed for three months. Ultimately, the disease took a fatal toll on the 3-month child, leaving 2 loving parents and a big brother behind. In the face of a hotly contested medical malpractice, venued in one of the most doctor-friendly venues in Illinois, Mr. Goldberg helped prove that the Defendant physicians were liable for the infant’s death.

PERSONAL INJURY

• Michael J. Goldberg earned a $400,000 award at his prior firm for a man hit by a tow truck and killed while a pedestrian on the median strip on the roadway. The Plaintiff died when Defendant’s truck struck Plaintiff and ran over him while Plaintiff was crossing Manheim Road. Police officers investigating the scene concluded that Plaintiff committed suicide by throwing himself in front of the truck. Michael J. Goldberg argued that Defendant’s truck was too far over towards the median, which caused the fatal crash. Liability was hotly contested as it came down both sides’ reconstruction and biomechanical experts disagreeing about how the collision occurred.
• Jason M. Whitside worked to achieve a $250,000 settlement for a woman who was injured in an automobile accident and developed a tear in her shoulder that required surgical intervention. Our client was able to return to a normal lifestyle soon after her surgery.
• Michael J. Goldberg earned a $400,000 settlement at his prior firm for a man who rear-ended a truck on Interstate 80. Michael J. Goldberg argued that the defendant truck driver failed to accelerate from the shoulder to a speed that was consistent with highway traffic, which caused the plaintiff truck driver to rear-end the defendant. The defendant argued that he was traveling at a sufficient rate of speed and had the plaintiff applied his tractor brakes as opposed to his trailer brakes, he would have stopped or slowed his vehicle in time to avoid the collision. However, after impeaching the defendant driver during deposition testimony and with a relentless pursuit for justice for his client, Michael J. Goldberg was able to obtain a considerable settlement, especially in light of the challenging liability.Whiteside & Goldberg, Ltd. has also won numerous cases that were either settled or tried before a jury/arbitrator, which have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in recoveries for the firm's clients.

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

• In his persuit of justice, Jason M. Whiteside achieved an ongoing lifetime weekly payment for a 48 year old woman whose husband died in a tragic work-related accident. The employer refused to pay our client because she had been separated from her husband for several years prior to the accident. After taking her case to trial, Attorney Whiteside was able to secure an award of a weekly payment of $430.69 tax-free until our client passes away. Given her life expectancy of 40 years, our client will receive a total of over $800,000 in lifetime benefits.

WRONGFUL DEATH

• While a Partner at his prior law firm, Michael J. Goldberg was instrumental in earning one of the highest annual wrongful death recoveries in the State of Illinois for a 41 year-old man who was burned to death as a result of a chemical plant explosion. The plaintiff, a truck delivery person, entered the defendant’s chemical plant to make a routine delivery when the defendant’s chemicals spilled causing a vapor cloud which resulted in a tragic explosion burning 90% of the plaintiff’s body, tragically causing the plaintiff to pass away 3 days following the explosion. The Defendant argued that the plaintiff was warned not to go into the plant following the spill and that the plaintiff ignored the warning, resulting in the plaintiff’s death. Despite the Defendant’s allegations, Mr. Goldberg helped prove through chemical experts that the Defendant was liable for the plaintiff’s death.