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Overview

Matthew J. Egan is an equity partner at Pretzel & Stouffer in Chicago. His practice is concentrated on the defense of legal malpractice, professional liability, employment practices, and complex civil litigation in state and federal courts and administrative agencies throughout Illinois. He also counsel clients on best practices to avoid legal malpractice and employment practices claims.

Matt received his law degree from Loyola University of Chicago and his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois. He also attended the University of Stirling, Scotland, for a year through the study abroad scholar program at the University of Illinois.

He is licensed to practice law in Illinois and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.       

Matt has extensive experience with legal malpractice and attorney disciplinary matters, as he served for more than 20 years as a member of the Inquiry Board and the Hearing Board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) of the Illinois Supreme Court and subsequently, as a Special Counsel to the ARDC.  

Matt has tried more than 30 cases to verdict and has handled more than 50 appeals before state and federal courts of review in Illinois. His experience includes the successful defense of attorneys in litigation in the circuit courts throughout the State of Illinois and in numerous disciplinary proceedings before the ARDC. He has also successfully represented employers in numerous legal proceedings before the EEOC, OSHA, the NLRB, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

Matt was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2004 and has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer each year since 2005. In 2017, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Matt to serve on the Court’s Committee on Jury Instructions – Civil, where he continues to serve.

In 2010, Matt was one of the initial recipients of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s Trial Lawyer Excellence recognition.

Matt is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) and the Chicago Bar Association, where he has served on the Judicial Evaluation Committee. He also sponsors a scholarship for high-achieving Illinois high school students to attend his alma mater, the University of Illinois. His Martindale-Hubbell rating is AV.

 

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D.
  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B.A. in English
  • University of Stirling (Scotland)

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois – Trial Bar
  • United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana

Related Practices

Professional Experience

Professional Affiliations

  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • DRI
  • Professional Liability Underwriting Society
  • Chicago Bar Association

News

New Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions – Employment Discrimination & Retaliation Cases

The Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions for civil cases now include instructions for employment discrimination and retaliation claims brought under the Illinois Human Rights Act. These instructions have been posted on the Illinois Supreme Court’s website as Chapter 255.00 of the IPI Civil Instructions.   Pretzel & Stouffer shareholder Matthew J. Egan is the vice chair ...

May 2023 | Firm News

Supreme Court Appointment – Matthew J. Egan

Matthew J. Egan has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as Vice Chair of the Court’s Committee on Civil Jury Instructions for a two-year term from January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2023. Matt has served as a member of the committee since January 2019. He also served for several years as ...

December 2021 | Firm News

Pretzel & Stouffer shareholders Robert Chemers, Matthew Egan, Edward Ruff, and Richard Waris named as Super Lawyers in Illinois for 2020

  Robert Chemers – Insurance Coverage and Appellate Matt Egan – Civil Litigation, Professional Liability, and Employment Law Ed Ruff – Class Action Mass Torts,  Products Liability, Medical Malpractice, and Business Litigation Richard Waris – Business Litigation and Professional Liability We congratulate Robert, Matt, Ed, and Dick for again being recognized for their outstanding legal ...

March 2020 | Firm News

Results

Illinois Supreme Court Appointment of Matthew J. Egan

The firm is pleased to announce that on November 20, 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court issued an order reappointing Matthew J. Egan as a member of the Supreme Court’s Committee on Jury Instructions in Civil Cases and as Vice-Chair of the Committee. Matt has served as a member of the Committee since January 2018 and ...

November 2023

FEDERAL COURT VICTORY IN DISCRIMINATION CASE

Partners Matthew J. Egan and Kayla A. Condeni recently prevailed in a Title VII employment discrimination case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on behalf of the firm’s client, a healthcare employee union, that had employed the plaintiff in a sensitive governmental affairs position. After first granting Matt and Kayla’s ...

March 2023

Legal Malpractice Victory – Dismissal of Claim Against Attorney in Federal Court

Matthew J. Egan and Brendan J. Nelligan successfully defended their client, an attorney for union-sponsored benefit funds, in the United States District Court in Chicago against a claim that the attorney tortiously interfered with the plaintiff’s contract with another company when the attorney notified the other company of the funds’ claim that the plaintiff had ...

April 2022

Professional Liability Defense Victory: Dismissal of Claims Against Insurance Broker After Insurer Denied COVID-19 Business Loss Claim

Matthew J. Egan and Quinn P. Donnelly were successful in the Circuit Court of Cook County in obtaining the dismissal with prejudice of a business owner’s claim that the firm’s client, an insurance broker, negligently failed to procure insurance coverage for the substantial losses the business sustained after it was forced to close in March 2020 in accordance ...

October 2021

Legal Malpractice Victory: Dismissal of All Claims Against Attorney and Law Firm

Kayla A. Condeni and Matthew J. Egan were successful in the Circuit Court of Cook County in obtaining the dismissal with prejudice of all claims against an attorney and a law firm arising from their representation of the plaintiffs in a medical malpractice case that was settled shortly before trial commenced. The plaintiffs asserted claims ...

October 2021