James A. Hansen

Jim is a partner at Schmiedeskamp Robertson Neu & Mitchell LLP and chair of its litigation practice group. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Jim focuses his practice on litigation, primarily trial work involving the defense of hospitals, physicians and nurses in lawsuits involving allegations of medical negligence throughout the states of Illinois and Missouri. He also represents physicians and nurses in administrative licensing cases and hearings. He serves as general counsel for a large multi-state physician group dealing with all related healthcare matters. He has handled litigation matters and jury trials for both publicly and privately held manufacturing companies, agribusinesses, construction contractors, and insurance carriers in state and federal courts throughout the United States.  He has taken numerous cases to jury verdict in Illinois and Missouri as well as handling a large amount of bench trials, mediations and arbitrations throughout the region and across the country.

Representative cases:

• Defense of hospital and its physicians in alleged failure to diagnose cancer case. Trial lasted 8 days. Defense verdict for clients in under 90 minutes.
• Defense of a surgeon in alleged failure to obtain consent and failure to properly investigate pathological findings of cancer. Defense verdict.
• Defense of a primary care physician in a case of alleged failure to properly diagnose, treat and refer a lis franc fracture in a 45 year-old male diabetic that led to a below knee amputation. Defense verdict after 8 days of trial. 
• Represented estate in a three-week trial defending will and trust contest filed by the sole heir of the decedent on an $8 million estate. Jury found the will codicil and trust amendment valid thus limiting the inheritance to $300,000.
• Represented nationally known amusement park owner in defense of claim for breach of contract on roller coaster development. Defense verdict for client.
• Represented buyer in breach of contract for multi-million dollar real estate sale and resulting tax penalty on loss of Section 1031 exchange. Verdict in favor of client which was upheld on appeal.
• Represented trucking company on claim against implement company and its driver for damages sustained in trucking accident. Verdict in favor of the client and against defendant on its counterclaim. 
• Represented an agribusiness in the handling of a multi-state FDA product recall and accompanying litigation in the states of Illinois, Pennsylvania and Mississippi.

In addition to his practice, Jim has served as chairperson of the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee since 2021 and has been selected to serve in that role through 2025. Jim was first appointed to the Supreme Court Rules Committee in 2015. He was actively involved in the Illinois State Bar Association having served on the assembly as the representative for the 8th judicial circuit. He previously served on the Insurance Law Section Council (past chairman), the Standing Committee on Mentoring (past chairman) and as a speaker at numerous CLE programs. He has published articles in the Illinois Bar Journal and in the ISBA Trial Briefs. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer and Leading Lawyer by his peers in the State of Illinois.