Paul D. Richter, managing partner of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C., is an experienced trial attorney who has spent the last decade litigating cases throughout the country on behalf of victims of negligence, collecting over $50 million dollars on behalf of his clients. His practice is limited to representing seriously injured people and families who have lost loved ones as the result of the negligence of others. Mr. Richter has successfully resolved lawsuits arising from airplane crashes, semi tractor trailer truck accidents, medical malpractice, auto accidents, watercraft accidents, premises and workplace safety negligence, and product liability.
Paul Richter was an integral member of the Rapoport Law Office trial team which obtained a $9.858 million dollar jury verdict in Cook County Illinois on behalf of a medical student who was seriously injured while receiving an osteopathic treatment of her neck from a fellow medical student. This 2008 verdict was noted as the highest for complex regional pain syndrome reported in any Illinois venue. Other notable results which Mr. Richter obtained on behalf of Rapoport Law Office's clients include: $2.3 million dollar settlement on behalf of a construction superintendent who was injured at a construction site, $1.8 million judgment on behalf of a client for the loss of her 83 year-old husband who was killed in an automobile crash, setting a county record high, and a jury award of $1.5 million in damages in a contested wrongful death case involving a man being hit by the tail rotor of a helicopter.
As a member of the Rapoport Law Office aviation litigation trial team Paul Richter has successfully prosecuted wrongful death and personal injury cases for pilots and passengers injured or killed in both commercial and general aviation airplane crashes and aircraft disasters. Possessing significant experience in aviation matters, Mr. Richter has played a vital role in the prosecuting actions against American Airlines, EgyptAir, Swissair, USAir, American Eagle, United Express, Boeing, Lycoming, Air Evac, Inc., American Air Network, Inc. and other members of the aviation industry. He has also successfully prosecuted the United States for negligence by air traffic controllers and in one case, for the negligence of an Army Chinook helicopter pilot. A private pilot, Mr. Richter served as an extern at the Great Lakes Regional Office of the Federal Aviation Administration where he assisted FAA agency attorneys in prosecuting pilot regulatory enforcement cases.
Paul D. Richter has been selected as a Rising Star among Illinois attorneys by Super Lawyers Magazine. This honor, given to select attorneys in each state as rated by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics, includes the top Illinois attorneys under the age of forty.
Publications
- "Wrongful Death and Survival Actions in Illinois: Trial and Evidentiary Considerations in Wrongful Death Actions. (chapter 6)"
Published by IICLE - Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2007 edition - “Cockpit Image Recorders: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” Issues in Aviation Law and Policy, published by CCH Incorporated, May 2005.
- “Punitive Damages After State Farm v. Campbell: The First Year,” American Bar Association Aviation Litigation Section Meeting, N.Y, New York, 2004
- “Attention All International Airlines and Flight Crews: Choosing Inaction Over Action No Longer Flies,” Issues in Aviation Law and Policy, published by CCH Incorporated, March 2004.
Education
- J.D., DePaul University School of Law, 1996
- B.A., University of Illinois, 1992
Bar Admissions
- Illinois, 1996
Court Admissions
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1996
- United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, 1996
- United States District Court of the Southern District of Illinois, 1996
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 1998
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2004
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Chicago Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association
- Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
- Helicopter Association International