Timothy J. Cavanagh, founder of Cavanagh Sorich Law Group in Chicago, Illinois, will be installed as the 72nd president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) on Friday, June 13, 2025, at its annual convention at the Sheraton Grand in Chicago, Illinois.
Cavanagh, 62, earned a bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1987. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar the same year and was admitted to the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar in 1989. In 2019, he was sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court Bar by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Since founding Cavanagh Law Group in 1997, now Cavanagh Sorich Law Group as of 2024, he has concentrated his practice on cases involving personal injury, medical malpractice and transportation liability. He has handled catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases in more than 20 states.
Cavanagh’s cases have exposed systemic issues within government. His work prompted changes to the Chicago Police Department’s vehicle pursuit policy after he secured a wrongful death verdict against the City of Chicago stemming from lapses in that policy. In another case against the City of Chicago, he revealed CPD’s internal “code of silence,” when a cover-up involving a detective with repeated alcohol-related offenses caused a crash that killed two young men.
Other cases have led to strengthened safety standards, especially for railroads. Cavanagh has advocated nationally for Positive Train Control (PTC), a high-tech safety system that alerts train operators to danger and can even override a train’s system to slow down or stop the train if personnel fail to act. He has litigated several high-profile railroad cases.
Cavanagh has been an active member of ITLA, serving on the Board of Managers for more than 25 years and on the Executive Committee for the last decade. He co-authored the chapter titled “Patient Fault: Contributory Negligence & Mitigation of Damages” in the organization’s Medical Malpractice Trial Notebook.
Cavanagh also holds leadership roles in several philanthropic organizations. He serves on the boards of John Carroll University, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago and is a director of the Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation.
Named the Best Lawyers 2022 Personal Injury Litigation — Plaintiffs “Lawyer of the Year” in Chicago, Cavanagh was also selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2015 in the field of personal injury litigation – plaintiffs. He has been named a Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer every year since 2019 and has been selected as an Illinois Leading Lawyer by the Leading Lawyers Network every year since 2003. Thomson Reuters has named Cavanagh a Super Lawyer every year since 2005.
“I'm honored to serve as President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association; an organization that I've been part of for 30 years. In my view, it's the preeminent trial lawyer organization in the country,” said Cavanagh.
Cavanagh lives in Chicago with his wife Stacey, a partner at Cavanagh Sorich Law Group, and their six children.
