Background
Even before law school, Michael E. Holden knew he wanted a career where he could help those who had suffered a grave injustice. As a Partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, Michael has the opportunity on a daily basis to fulfill his dream career and make real, meaningful change for his clients and the community at large.
Michael has significant experience in the litigation of personal injury cases, including medical malpractice, product liability, nursing home negligence, premises liability, construction injury, and auto accident cases.
Throughout his tenure at Romanucci & Blandin, Michael has successfully obtained dozens of verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients – many in excess of $1 million – through trial, mediation, arbitration, and negotiation, including a $50 million settlement for the wife of a worker who died following a workplace injury in the Chicago area in 2016; $40 million awarded by a jury for a child paralyzed due to a spinal cord stroke that occurred during heart surgery; a $35 million settlement for following a three-week trial for a birth injury resulting in cerebral palsy; a $30 million settlement for a family after their son was left permanently disabled and brain injured as a result of 25 experimental surgeries; a $22.3 million verdict for the family of a young boy who lost his leg due to medical malpractice; a record-breaking $12.35 million settlement on behalf of the family of a client whose doctors failed to diagnose her breast cancer in a timely manner, which ultimately led to her death at 37 years old; and an $8 million medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a middle-aged union laborer who sustained permanent spinal cord damage and partial paralysis as a result of a delayed diagnosis and treatment of a spinal cord injury known as a spinal epidural abscess (SEA).
Michael has been widely recognized for his insight, experience and leadership as an attorney, and has been named one of The Best Lawyers in America©, a Rising Star by Super Lawyers® for 11 straight years in Illinois and an Emerging Lawyer every year since 2016 by Leading Lawyers. Michael has been published and has presented on topics related to personal injury litigation with the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Chicago Bar Association, Stafford Continuing Legal Education, and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
As a law school student, Michael had the opportunity to law clerk at Romanucci & Blandin. That experience underscored his belief in the impact that attorneys can make to help people access the full power of the courts and be compensated fairly for their injuries. Michael graduated from law school in 2008 and was hired full-time as an Associate at Romanucci & Blandin where he has had the opportunity on a daily basis to fulfill his dream career. In 2015, he was named a Senior Associate. Michael was named Partner in 2021.
Michael grew up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and now resides in a near northwest suburb of Chicago. When not practicing law, Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 children, is an avid fan of the Packers, Brewers, Badgers, and Blackhawks, and enjoys coaching youth sports, golfing, home-brewing, skiing, and biking.
Experience
Practice Areas
Education & Certifications
- J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2008
- B.S., Political Science, University of Wisconsin, 2004
- Ohio State University - 2000-2002 (studied toward B.S. in Political Science)
- Mediator, Center for Conflict Resolution
- Certification in Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program at Chicago-Kent College of Law
Awards & Recognition
- Named one of The Best Lawyers in America©, 2023-Present
- Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2011-Present
- Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2016-Present
Legal Activities & Leadership
- Membership Co-Chair, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), 2011-present
- American Association for Justice (AAJ), Member
- Chicago Bar Association (CBA), Member
- Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Member
- Public Justice, Member
Notable Cases
$50,000,000 settlement – workplace injury
A record-breaking $50 million settlement was awarded to the wife of a worker who died following a tragic workplace injury in the Chicago area in 2016. The case was extremely complex as the multiple Defendants were represented by several different law firms.
$40,000,000 verdict - medical malpractice
A jury awarded a child damages for paralysis resulting from a spinal cord stroke that occurred during heart surgery. At the time of his surgery, the child was three months old, and he is now paralyzed for life. The trial team established that the pediatric heart surgeon and perfusion team did not adequately protect the baby’s spinal cord after a lower extremity blood pressure line was reported as not working properly.
$35,000,000 settlement – birth injury
A family was awarded a $35 million settlement reached with NorthShore University HealthSystem and Dr. Fabio Ortega for a girl whose cerebral palsy occurred after medical malpractice and negligence by the doctor overseeing her delivery.
$22,300,000 verdict – medical malpractice
A Cook County jury awarded the parents of a ten-year-old boy with a $22.3 million verdict in a medical negligence case arising out of the care and treatment on May 29, 1999, at Advocate Christ Medical Center/Hope Children's Hospital, in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn. The negligence resulted in the loss of the boy's left leg and other disabilities.
$12,350,000 settlement – medical malpractice
A record-breaking settlement was secured on behalf of the family of a client whose doctors failed to diagnose her breast cancer in a timely manner, which ultimately led to her death at 37 years old. The client, a young mother, was a high-risk breast cancer patient with a family history and a sister with breast cancer. The patient had lumps in her left breast and armpit that were ignored for two years. The health system and specialists misread ultrasounds and mammograms, failed to order timely biopsies and failed to communicate with each other, resulting in late-stage breast cancer when it was finally diagnosed in 2014. She died in 2016. The settlement is the largest in Illinois for an untimely diagnosis of breast cancer case.
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- Illinois, 2008
- Northern District of Illinois, 2009
- Wisconsin, 2014
- Central District of Illinois, 2014
- Third Circuit Court of Appeals, 2014
Newsroom
In the News
Press Releases
Blog Posts
Videos
October 24, 2023Dave Savini and the CBS Chicago investigative team continues their coverage of this negligence and environmental tragedy in this small town.
Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, Racial bias in healthcare and how to overcome it with advocacy, litigation and other means, Your Bridge to Justice, Chicago, IL, October 2023
