Jessica N. Hamilton is a trial attorney licensed in Indiana and Illinois. Jess’s current practice is focused on civil litigation for her corporate clients, insurers, excess carriers, and third-party administrators in complex litigation matters, including medical malpractice, professional liability, trucking and transportation negligence, products liability, premise liability, catastrophic loss, and wrongful death. Having represented both plaintiffs and defendants throughout her career, Jess has an extensive understanding of litigation, which enables her to defend her cases aggressively and tactfully on her clients’ behalf. Jess is an experienced litigator, having defended and served as lead counsel in complex litigation throughout the country. Jess has achieved numerous victories for her clients, serving as both trial and appellate counsel for her clients in state and federal court.
Prior to joining Kopka Pinkus Dolin, Jess worked for a premiere national trial firm representing excess insurance clients and was the lead trial associate on matters around the country involving medical malpractice, transportation, product liability, and wrongful death. She was always involved in the investigation of the incidents through trial. In addition, she gained experience with a Top 200 law firm in Chicago, where she obtained substantive, high-level exposure to insurance defense litigation.
During law school, Jess was a member of the Student Bar Association, serving as her class Vice President and Treasurer, Honor Counsel, chairman of the Academic Excellence Committee, and was a recipient of the Pro Bono Commitment to Community award.
- DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Indiana Motor Truck Association (IMTA)
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Jess defended a prominent home improvement center in a lawsuit that arose as a result of a motorcycle accident. The plaintiff suffered a severe brain injury and the demand exceeded $9 million. Ultimately, the jury delivered a defense verdict.
- In a premises liability matter, Jess defended a prominent home improvement center in a lawsuit resulting from a trip and fall. The plaintiffs asked the jury for $400,000 plus loss of consortium. The jury found in favor of the defense.
- Jess often worked on matters that attracted regional and national media attention. She authored a dispositive brief in a multi-million-dollar wrongful death matter pending in the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that was granted in favor of her client. The case was featured in the Chicago Tribune as Jessica argued on behalf of her client that a foreign business could not be subjected to jurisdiction in Illinois based on an online hotel reservation made through a third-party travel website.
- Additionally, Jess was successful in mediating a nephrectomy medical malpractice lawsuit with a demand in excess of $50 million, which resulted in the plaintiff settling prior to trial in an amount substantially lower than the demand.