Shareholder
P: 312-578-7548 | rchemers@pretzel-stouffer.com
Robert Chemers has been schooled in the firm’s tradition of displaying a high degree of professionalism in all aspects of his practice.
Robert Chemers has been schooled in the Firm’s tradition of displaying a high degree of professionalism in all aspects of his practice. Robert is committed to working successfully as a member of a team when representing a client or its insureds. As part of that team philosophy, Robert has stressed excellent reporting and frequent telephone interaction with other team members. Robert strives to provide high-quality legal services in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
With a focus in insurance law and litigation, Robert counsels clients on the duty to defend, the duty to indemnify and numerous esoteric and complex issues of insurance coverage, as well as all aspects of claim handling and defense of bad faith claims. He has handled one or more declaratory judgment actions for clients in 70 of the 102 counties in Illinois as well as around the Midwest. He has appeared on a pro hac vice basis outside Illinois in more than 50 courts.
Robert has been an attorney of record in more than 900 appeals, almost 500 of which resulted in published precedential opinions, including more than 50 in the Supreme Court of Illinois. He is often hired for his known appellate experience by clients to handle appeals from motions or trials handled by other law firms, including assisting with the post-trial motion recognizing that the post-trial motion is the complaint on appeal. Over the years, he has been involved in appeals which have shaped the law in Illinois on topics including civil procedure, jury instructions, tort reform, statutes of limitations, privilege, policy rescission and the recent unconstitutional amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure mandating 6-person juries for trials in civil cases.
Robert began his career with the firm immediately following graduation from law school, and Robert has been schooled in the firm’s tradition of displaying a high degree of professionalism in all aspects of his practice. Since 2015, he has been President of the firm and has frequently served on the Executive Committee.
Robert is a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel, and he has been honored as an Illinois Super Lawyer and one of the Best Lawyers in America for appeals or insurance coverage or both every year since those designations began. He writes and lectures frequently for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Education, DRI, IADC, American, Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations, and National Business Institute on topics including civil procedure, appeals, insurance coverage including duty to defend, UM/UIM issues, additional insureds, declaratory judgment actions, and bad faith.
Robert Chemers, a Firm shareholder and Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel, who has practiced exclusively with the Firm for almost 45 years, was interviewed for the Coverage Opinions publication. The interview is linked here.
March 2021 | Firm News
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
Pretzel & Stouffer shareholder, Robert Chemers, was recognized by Best Lawyers for his work in insurance law. He has been so recognized since 2006.
September 2019 | Firm News
Pretzel & Stouffer attorneys, Robert Chemers, Paula Villela, and Jonathan Federman, recently completed the update of Best’s Insurance Law Digest for Illinois. The digest is linked here: Best’s Insurance Law Digest
September 2019 | Firm News
Pretzel & Stouffer is proud to announce that the following lawyers were selected as Super Lawyers for 2019:
July 2019 | Firm News
Robert Chemers and Dave Larson won in the Appellate Court of Illinois, Fourth District, when the Court affirmed the summary judgment entered in Sangamon County for their insurer client. The Appellate Court affirmed the judgment that our insurer client did not have a duty to defend the insured architecture firm for no less than 23 pending ...
May 2024
Robert Chemers and Dave Larson obtained a judgment for their insurer client in federal court in Chicago against the insureds, a condominium association and its property manager, in connection with the failure of a unit owner to complete the sale of his condominium due to the alleged refusal to produce financial and other records
February 2024
Robert Chemers and David Larson won an affirmance in the Appellate Court, First District, of the summary judgment entered by the circuit court for their insurer client in a coverage dispute with a plaintiff insurer over whether the plaintiff insurer’s named insured was an additional insured on the policy issued by our insurer client to ...
November 2023
Robert Chemers and Rich Burgland won a summary judgment for a professional liability insurer that it had no duty to defend its insured personal injury attorney who along with his employee, who had been an officer of an existing business, allegedly surreptitiously obtained confidential information and trade secrets from the existing business which they used ...
March 2023
Robert Chemers and Matt Ligda obtained a dismissal with prejudice, after motion, extensive briefing and hearing, of a Supreme Court Rule 224 pre-suit petition where it was shown that petitioner failed to state a viable cause of action and the discovery sought was not necessary.
October 2022