Rita L. Gitchell

Partner

Rita is a partner and trial attorney focusing her practice on the defense of healthcare professionals and institutions. She serves as a consultant in bioethical matters, from frozen embryos to end of life decisions and sexual abuse cases. She has defended cases involving wrongful death, ER treatment, surgery, brain damage, implants, oral facial reconstruction, nerve damage, nursing care, nursing homes, therapists, home health care, and lawyers. Rita is a certified mediator with the Mediation Institute of America. She is also certified in conflict resolution techniques by the Academy of Family Mediators. She is a court appointed civil and domestic mediator and arbitrator. Rita is also a former speech language pathologist who worked with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Rita was named a Leading Lawyer in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 in alternative dispute resolution (employment and personal injury) and medical malpractice defense law by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company. She was also named to the Illinois Super Lawyers* list for 2006 and 2007, a peer review designation published by Law & Politics magazine; named LawCrossings Lawstar of the week; included in the 2007 edition of The Metropolitan Who’s Who in Law; and recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois. Rita has served as a volunteer board member for her neighborhood youth swim team and as a volunteer for various local parish activities.

*The selection of attorneys to the Super Lawyers list 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.
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