Antonio Romanucci (’85), a powerhouse civil rights attorney and University of Illinois Chicago School of Law alumnus, has been named Chicago Lawyer Magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year. Romanucci is a founding partner of the Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, a national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death arising from corporate negligence, civil rights violations, business interruption, medical malpractice, mass torts and class actions, as well as police misconduct. Most recently, Romanucci represented the family of George Floyd in their civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis and four of its police officers. The suit culminated in a record $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family.
Romanucci’s life work has been devoted to fighting for the underserved and voiceless in society, whether it is traumatic brain injury victims, the mentally ill or children. Throughout his career, he has represented victims in many high-profile mass tort cases such as the fight against e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL, Boeing for its faulty 737 MAX aircraft, the carcinogenic environmental pollution caused by Sterigenics and in the MGM Las Vegas Shooting.
Each year, Chicago Lawyer Magazine collects nominees for its Person of the Year feature from members of the legal community. The main criterion when considering nominees is whether the person made an impact on the legal community in the past year.
In an interview with Chicago Lawyer Magazine, Romanucci said the year was “as much surreal as it was incredible.” He still looks to push forward police reforms.
Chicago Lawyer is published by Law Bulletin Media, as is the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. The magazine has named a Person of the Year annually since 1991.
