STELLATO & SCHWARTZ, LTD.

What STELLATO & SCHWARTZ, LTD. does

Schwartz Gilligan, Ltd. is a privately held civil defense law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with a second office in Naperville, Illinois. Founded in 1989 (previously operating as Stellato & Schwartz), the firm provides full-service civil litigation defense, appellate advocacy, insurance coverage representation, and risk management consulting. It serves a client base consisting primarily of insurance carriers and their insureds (including Old Republic, GEICO, Allstate, USAA, AutoClub Group, Fireman's Fund, and Liberty Mutual), municipal and public entity clients, construction industry firms, car rental companies (including Avis and Budget), and condominium associations. The firm's footprint is concentrated in Illinois and the broader Midwest, with trial work extended into federal court districts throughout the region.

The firm operates as a traditional professional services practice with 14 attorneys — 2 named partners/shareholders, 6 partners, 3 associates, plus paralegals and legal assistants. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery rests entirely on attorney expertise, trial experience (over 300 trials handled by the firm; 80+ jury verdicts attributed to lead trial partner John W. Gilligan III), and appellate work (260+ appeals handled by majority shareholder/managing partner Esther Joy Schwartz, including arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court). Revenue is generated through negotiated professional service fees billed to corporate clients, insurance carriers, and municipal entities, with pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on reputation, trial record, and long-standing carrier panel relationships rather than consumer-facing marketing. Distribution occurs exclusively through direct client engagement at the firm's two Illinois offices.

The firm is independently owned with majority ownership and managing partner authority vested in Esther Joy Schwartz since January 2014 (Managing Partner since June 2016). Under her leadership, the firm has been positioned as the largest female-owned law firm in Chicago since January 2018. There are no institutional investors, no external parent company, and no disclosed equity backing; the firm operates as a private limited company with internal partnership ownership.

Name

STELLATO & SCHWARTZ, LTD.

Legal name

Schwartz Gilligan, Ltd.

Website

https://stellatoschwartz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schwartz Gilligan, Ltd. is a Chicago-based civil defense law firm serving insurance carriers, municipalities, construction firms, and car rental companies with trial, appellate, and insurance coverage representation across Illinois and the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Defense Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Due Diligence & Investigative Research (BPAHALAI), Risk, Compliance & Internal Controls Consulting (BPAHACAJ)

Keywords

• Civil defense litigation
• Insurance coverage defense
• Appellate practice
• Catastrophic injury defense
• Transportation liability defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Professional legal services billed to corporate clients, insurance companies, and municipalities for civil defense representation, litigation, and appellate work. Revenue is generated through legal fees for ongoing case representation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Schwartz Gilligan, Ltd. is a full-service civil defense law firm providing legal representation from pre-suit through trial and appeals for corporate and institutional clients. The firm concentrates on insurance coverage, transportation liability, construction defects, premises liability, catastrophic injury defense, bad faith/extracontractual defense, subrogation, and risk management consulting, serving insurance carriers, municipalities, construction firms, car rental companies, and condominium associations. The firm operates two Illinois offices (Chicago and Naperville) and has handled over 300 trials in Illinois and federal courts.

Product overview

Schwartz Gilligan is a full-service civil defense law firm that provides legal representation across multiple practice areas. The firm operates as a unified legal services platform with expertise spanning appellate practice, insurance coverage litigation, transportation and premises liability defense, construction defects, catastrophic injury defense, subrogation, and risk management consulting. The firm has two offices in the Chicagoland area (Naperville and Chicago) and has handled over 300 trials in Illinois and federal courts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Defense Litigation Services Full-service civil defense legal representation covering litigation from pre-suit through trial and appeals, for insurance companies, municipal entities, construction firms, and car rental companies.
• Appellate Practice Appellate advocacy and briefing before state and federal appellate courts, including arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, for insurance carriers and corporate clients.
• Insurance Coverage Litigation Coverage litigation including declaratory judgment actions and policy interpretation for personal and commercial insurance carriers, including drafting insurance policies and regulatory consulting before the Department of Insurance.
• Transportation Liability Defense Defense of automobile, trucking, and transportation-related liability claims, including UM/UIM matters for insurance carriers and transportation companies.
• Construction Defect Litigation Legal representation in construction defect claims and related bodily injury cases for construction industry owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and architects.
• Premises Liability Defense Defense of premises liability claims including negligent security and fall cases for property owners, businesses, and institutional clients.
• Catastrophic Injury Defense Defense of serious injury cases involving amputation, brain damage, paraplegia, and wrongful death for insurance carriers and corporate defendants.
• Bad Faith/Extracontractual Defense Defense of extra-contractual claims and bad faith allegations against insurers for insurance carriers facing coverage litigation.
• Subrogation Recovery Insurance subrogation services including first-party subrogation and property loss recovery for insurance carriers seeking recovery of paid claims.
• Risk Management Consulting Consulting services for municipal clients and risk management for car rental companies, including the drafting of major changes to rental and lease agreements and Medicare secondary payer consulting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 trials handled in almost every county in Illinois and numerous federal court districts
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Hispanic Lawyers Association of IllinoisminorOthersThe firm sponsors events for this diverse bar association and reimburses attorneys for membership dues. Part of the firm's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Women's Bar Association of IllinoisminorOthersThe firm sponsors events for this diverse bar association and reimburses attorneys for membership dues. Part of the firm's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of ChicagominorOthersThe firm sponsors events for this diverse bar association and reimburses attorneys for membership dues. Part of the firm's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Chicago Bar AssociationminorOthersMultiple attorneys are members of the Chicago Bar Association. Raymond I. Rector maintains active membership. The firm supports attorney membership in professional bar organizations.
• Illinois State Bar AssociationminorOthersJoshua J. Muench maintains membership in the Illinois State Bar Association.
• American Bar AssociationminorOthersJoseph A. Baratta maintains membership in the American Bar Association.
• Kane County Bar AssociationminorOthersSalvatore A. Vivirito maintains membership in the Kane County Bar Association.
• Illinois Trial Lawyers AssociationminorOthersJohn W. Gilligan III has served as speaker at ITLA seminars on products liability and damages in cases involving the elderly.
• Appellate Lawyers AssociationminorOthersEsther Joy Schwartz is a member of the Appellate Lawyers Association.
• Defense Research InstituteminorOthersEsther Joy Schwartz is a member of the Defense Research Institute.
• Claims and Litigation Management AllianceminorOthersEsther Joy Schwartz is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.
• Defense Research InstituteminorOthersDerek M. Barker maintains membership in the Defense Research Institute.
• Illinois Bar AssociationminorOthersDerek M. Barker maintains membership in the Illinois Bar Association.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HeplerBroom LLC: Midwest-based defense firm with deep insurance defense, catastrophic injury, and coverage litigation practice, operating across Illinois and neighboring states with comparable insurance carrier clients.
• SmithAmundsen LLC: Chicago-based full-service defense firm with strong insurance defense, transportation liability, construction defect, and coverage practice serving many of the same national insurers as Schwartz Gilligan.
• Wiedemann & Wozniak, P.C. National insurance defense firm with a Chicago presence handling transportation, premises, construction, and coverage litigation for major commercial and personal lines carriers.
• Pretzel & Stouffer, Chartered: Chicago-based civil defense and insurance coverage firm with a long-standing appellate practice, overlapping with Schwartz Gilligan in coverage litigation and appellate advocacy for insurers.
• Litchfield Cavo LLP: National insurance defense firm with a strong Chicago office providing civil defense, transportation liability, premises liability, and coverage litigation services to similar enterprise insurance clients.
• Cassiday Schade LLP: Chicago-based civil defense firm handling insurance defense, transportation, premises liability, construction defect, and coverage litigation, competing for the same carrier and municipal clients.
• Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC: Chicago-based defense firm with strong insurance coverage, bad faith, transportation, and municipal liability practices serving similar carrier and corporate clients.
• Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP: Chicago-based defense firm focused on insurance coverage, bad faith, transportation, premises liability, and construction defect litigation, competing head-to-head for the same carrier panel work.
• Hauser Izzo, LLC: Illinois-based insurance defense firm concentrating in transportation, premises liability, construction defect, and first-party property matters, serving similar carrier clients in the Midwest.

Regional players

• Rynning & Cross, LLP: Chicago-based civil defense firm with practice areas in insurance defense, transportation, premises liability, and construction litigation, overlapping with Schwartz Gilligan's Illinois-centric footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stellato-&-schwartz-ltd.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STELLATO & SCHWARTZ, LTD.