About Kate Kirwan Searls

Kate Kirwan Searls earned her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in English Literature from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where she served as an Associate Barrister of the Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Honors Board and earned an Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois. The National Trial Lawyers named Kate to its Top 40 Under 40 Directory for Civil Plaintiff Lawyers in 2020 and 2021. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution, and has served as a John Marshall Trial Advocacy Coach.

Proven verdicts and settlements at GWC Injury Lawyers

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

$40 millionSettlement

James Daniels, a Local 1 ironworker, fell about 23 feet from a form wall on the $978 million Fermilab PIP-II particle accelerator project in May 2023, suffering catastrophic injuries including a traumatic brain injury, rib fractures, and nerve damage; GWC Injury Lawyers recovered a $40 million settlement in 2026.

Cook County Circuit Court, Illinois · 2026Workplace InjuryRead the full story →
$23.5 millionSettlement

David O'Donnell, 27, died after an improperly anchored scaffold at the University of Chicago Cancer Pavilion construction site swung away from the building during a 44 mph wind gust and dropped him 140 feet; GWC attorney Louis Cairo secured a $23.5 million settlement for his family in June 2025.

Circuit Court of Cook County, Hyde Park, Chicago · 2025Wrongful DeathRead the full story →
$13.4 millionSettlement

GWC Injury Lawyers secured a $13.424 million settlement for the families of two people killed and dozens injured when an improperly anchored 'Mega Tent' collapsed at Wood Dale's Prairie Fest on August 2, 2015.

Wood Dale, Illinois (DuPage County) · 2025Wrongful DeathRead the full story →
$1.9 millionSettlement

Ironworker Michael Zigich, 50, fractured his right leg and ankle and tore a rotator cuff when a scaffold section collapsed under him at a Fort Sheridan construction site in June 2009. He sued the steel contractor, the general contractor and a joint venture in Cook County. The defendants disputed the scaffold's condition and who was responsible for its use, and the case settled on July 15, 2015, before trial.

Cook County Circuit Court, Chicago, Illinois (No. 2010-L-007265) · 2015Workplace InjuryRead the full story →

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

Practice areas

Education

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
J.D.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Undergraduate

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of Illinois

Other attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers

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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
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Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.
$363 million · Sterigenics Verdict: $363 Million for a Willowbrook Cancer Survivor
Clifford Law Offices
Clifford Law Offices
$110 million · American Eagle Flight 4184: $110 Million Crash Settlement and a Courtroom Apology
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

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