About John Kalantzis

Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, John grew up working in his family's restaurant and then stayed local attending both Northwestern University (B.A.) and Notre Dame Law School (J.D.). As a first generation Greek American, John witnessed the difficulties that immigrants can experience while adapting to a new culture. He also experienced the importance of community in helping people to assimilate and understand how to become part of that new culture. He is fluent in Greek and has been active in the community through his volunteer work for his church and other Greek American community organizations.

John serves as a board member for the National Hellenic Museum, the only public history museum dedicated to preserving the story of Greek Americans while sharing Greek history, art and culture. John has also been involved with local educational groups as a way of giving back and advocating for the role education provides in enriching and improving one's life.

John is involved in numerous professional organizations, including the American Bar Association and American Association for Justice (AAJ). He is a member of the Assembly for the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) where he also serves on the Tort Law Section Council and on the Bar Elections Supervision Committee. John is also on the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) and on the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Hellenic Bar Association.

John focuses on aviation law and has a wealth of trial experience in motor vehicle collisions, premises liability, and wrongful death. He is also skilled in alternative dispute resolution. Currently, John is part of the team representing the families of the victims of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in their lawsuits for wrongful death against Boeing.

John has also represented family members of victims of car crashes in wrongful death cases as well as those who have suffered serious and life altering injuries. His experience in these areas has exposed him to the suffering of victims of negligence and spurred him to fight on behalf of injured plaintiffs and their families. John treats every client with the same care he would offer his own family and battles the profit-driven corporations and insurance companies to ensure that his clients receive the compensation they deserve.

Proven verdicts and settlements at Clifford Law Offices

These results are credited to Clifford Law Offices. A result appears under an attorney's own name only when a published source names them as counsel on the case.

Robert Clifford co-led the families of 68 people killed when American Eagle Flight 4184 iced over and crashed near Roselawn, Indiana, to a record $110 million settlement and an apology in open court.

Federal/state litigation, Chicago, IL (crash near Roselawn, IN) · 1997Wrongful DeathRead the full story →
$66 millionVerdictTop 20 in Illinois · #14

A Cook County jury found plastic surgeon Dr. Ayoub Sayeg liable for the death of Idalia Corcoles, a 39-year-old mother of four who bled to death after liposuction and a tummy tuck, in a case that produced a $66.262 million judgment.

Cook County Circuit Court, Chicago, IL · 2024Medical MalpracticeRead the full story →
$60 millionSettlementTop 20 in Illinois · #16

Clifford Law Offices secured a $60 million settlement for Sarah Grasser, 31, left paraplegic when another driver swerved to avoid a deep pothole in an I-55 work zone and struck her car, rolling it into a ditch.

Cook County Circuit Court, Chicago, IL (crash on I-55, Will County) · 2026Car AccidentsRead the full story →
$50 millionVerdictTop 20 of 2019 · #17

A Cook County jury returned a $101 million verdict against West Suburban Medical Center after staff ignored fetal monitoring for six hours during labor, though a pre-verdict high-low agreement limited the family's recovery to $50 million.

Cook County Circuit Court (Daley Center), Chicago, IL · 2019Medical MalpracticeRead the full story →
$50 millionVerdict

On June 29, 2026, a Cook County jury returned a $50 million verdict against First Ascent Climbing and Fitness for the sexual abuse of an 8-year-old boy by an older camper at its Peoria summer camp in 2022. The award was $49 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages. The jury found the company negligent and guilty of willful and wanton misconduct. The company has said it is weighing an appeal.

Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago · 2026Sexual AbuseRead the full story →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Practice areas

Education

Notre Dame Law School
Juris Doctor, 2004
Northwestern University
Undergraduate, 2000

Other attorneys at Clifford Law Offices

View firm →

Proven verdicts and settlements from other Chicago firms

Corboy & Demetrio
Corboy & Demetrio
$80 Million Default Judgment Against Iran for Iraq Roadside Bomb That Killed a Soldier and Injured His Platoon Leader
Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.
Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.
$363 million · Sterigenics Verdict: $363 Million for a Willowbrook Cancer Survivor
Power Rogers LLP
Power Rogers LLP
$100 million · Willis Family Wrongful Death Settlement: $100 Million After Six Children Killed in I-94 Truck Crash
Romanucci & Blandin
Romanucci & Blandin
$98.65 Million Verdict for Family of Botham Jean, Shot in His Own Apartment by Off-Duty Dallas Officer
Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates
Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates
$64 Million Verdict for Ironworker Left Quadriplegic After 15-Foot Fall at Panduit Warehouse

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.