Partner

Dennis Cotter is a senior partner in SmithAmundsen’s Litigation Practice Group and member of the firm's Executive Committee. Over the past 24 years, he has represented clients as lead trial counsel in cases involving professional liability, commercial litigation, construction, health care, product liability, municipal liability, breach of contract, class action, real estate, insurance, extra-contractual issues, general liability and more. He is an accomplished trial attorney and his cases routinely include the representation of business and commercial entities in matters involving multi-million dollar exposures. Dennis is also a frequent lecturer on a wide array of litigation-related legal topics and emerging legal trends.

A founding partner of SmithAmundsen, he also established and developed the firm’s Construction Practice Group. Thus, in addition to his general litigation practice, currently Dennis serves as the Chair of that Group. In that role, Dennis has served as Chair of the national USLAW Construction Practice Group (2007), and authored both the USLAW Illinois Construction Law Compendium and the DRI Illinois Construction Desk Reference (2009).

Dennis takes pride in the fact that SmithAmundsen can fully serve the business and litigation needs of its clients by working closely with other practice groups in the firm including labor and employment, creditors’ rights, financial services, family law, corporate, health care, insurances services, and more.

In addition to an aggressive trial practice, Dennis is also a trained arbitrator for Illinois Mandatory Arbitration Programs, is trained as a Certified Mediator through Northern Illinois University, and has mediated cases in the 17th Judicial Circuit Major Civil Mediation program and in Cook County, Illinois.

Dennis was named to the Illinois Super Lawyers* list for 2005-2010, a peer review designation published by Law & Politics magazine and was listed in the Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition in 2009 for his work in construction and surety litigation. He also received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell for his legal ability and ethics and was named a Leading Lawyer in Construction Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

*The selection of attorneys to the Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyer lists does not guarantee a positive client outcome in any specific legal matter or engagement nor constitute a representation by the firm of SmithAmundsen about the caliber of legal work performed by any other attorney not selected as part of these lists.

Co-presenter, "Are You Ready for Ready?" SmithAmundsen Construction Practice Group Lunch Series Seminar, December 11, 2008.

Presenter, "Destroying and Defending the Construction Witness with the Use of Technology in the Courtroom," DRI Construction Law Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, September 11, 2008.

Presenter, “Controlling Your Destiny… A Few Lessons on the Value of a Written Construction Contract and Jobsite Safety Liability,” client seminar, August 5, 2008.

Co-author, “Tips for Defending Against a Premises Liability Claim in Illinois Construction Cases,” The Critical Path, September 2007.

Speaker, "Limiting Contractor Liability Before & After Litigation," St. Louis AGC Construction Safety Fest, St. Louis, MO, June 2006.

Panelist, "Litigation Best Practices for Construction Companies," USLAW Spring National Conference, Austin, TX, March 2006.

Speaker, SA Construction Safety Institute, SmithAmundsen Chicago offices, March 2006.

Speaker, "Contractor Worksite Safety," William Ryan Homes/Assurance Agency Seminar, February 2006.

Lecturer, "Sword & Shield: Avoiding & Limiting Exposure in Worksite Injury Claims," AGC Safety & Health Committee National Conference, January 2005.

Lecturer, "Avoidance and Reduction of Risk on Construction Sites," Chicago and Illinois Construction Safety Council Training, Northern Illinois University Hoffman Estates Campus, Spring 2005.

Speaker, OSHA/AMEC Joint Construction Safety Conference, SmithAmundsen offices, January 27, 2005.

Panelist/Speaker (with Honorable Kathy Flanagan, Patrick Salvi), "Young Lawyers Training Session, Illinois Construction Litigation," Chicago Bar Association, 2005.

Speaker, "Contributory Negligence, Contribution, and Joint and Several Liability in Illinois," Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Fall Seminar, September 2004.

Lecturer, "Illinois Contractor Liability from the Safety Professional’s Perspective," 16th Annual Chicagoland Safety Conference, ASSE and OSHA, September 2004.

Coordinator/Speaker, Assurance Agency Client Seminar and Training Workshops, Reduction and Avoidance of Risk for Illinois Contractors, March 2004.

Author, Chapter 8, "Construction Damages and Remedies," Illinois Construction Law (Aspen Publishing), 2003.

Coordinator/Speaker, "Construction Defects and Insurance Coverage in Illinois," full-day Lorman Education Seminar, March 2003.

Moderator, Construction Mold Seminar, SmithAmundsen client seminar, February 2003.

Speaker, "Joint and Several Liability: The Impact of Employer’s Fault After Unzicker v. Kraft," Chicago Claim Managers’ Association Seminar, February 2003.

Speaker, "Liability Theories After the Structural Work Act Repeal - Section 414 of the Restatement," IDC and Insurance School of Chicago Joint Seminar, November 2002.