Thomas Koch is a Partner in Pugh, Jones and Johnson’s Litigation Practice Group.  Prior to joining the Firm, he was a Partner with Johnson & Bell, Ltd., and Of-Counsel to Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, in Chicago.

Mr. Koch has extensive experience in the product liability and professional negligence area, particularly in defending manufacturers, hospitals, physicians and companies in death and serious injury cases.  His expertise also includes reasonable settlements at mediations in catastrophic damages cases.

Mr. Koch has been named a 2012 Leading Lawyer by the Leading Lawyers Network.  He is also featured in the January 2013 edition of Chicago Medicine Magazine as a leading Medical Malpractice defense attorney.  In addition, Mr. Koch was named a Leading Civil Defense Lawyer Justice Provider in Chicago Lawyer magazine.

Experience

• Lead trial counsel defending manufacturers, hospitals, physicians and companies in death and serious injury cases tried and mediated in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Winnebago Counties in Illinois, the Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of Iowa.

• Consulting Counsel to a national medical staffing company for ICU, Critical Care, OB nurses and locum tenens physicians.

• Representation of doctors, hospitals, medical corporations, and nurses in medical malpractice actions in Chicago and Northern Illinois state and federal jurisdictions.

• Representation of a national dialysis service provider in death and serious injury cases.

• Representation of pharmaceutical manufacturers in pharmaceutical products liability actions.

• Representation of physicians in disciplinary matters before the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Registration.

• Representation of a blood and plasma provider in multi-district litigation involving hemophiliacs with Hepatitis C.

• Representation of automotive, railroad and truck parts manufacturers in products liability actions in state and federal courts. 

  Representative Trials and Mediations:

• Defense verdicts in cases involving sepsis causing adult brain damage and spastic quadriplegia; shoulder dystocia; MI/death of a 40-year-old fireman; fatal intracranial bleeding; pediatric cardiac anomaly and death; birth injury; testicular torsion after emergency care; postoperative ICU nursing care/paraplegia; and premature labor/death.

• Reasonable settlements at mediations in catastrophic damages cases involving arteriovenous malformation/death of an executive; total kidney failure during pregnancy requiring transplant; pediatric lung, intestine, and pancreas transplant after emergency room care; sepsis death after emergency room discharge of popular teacher; pulmonary embolism/death of young female executive; severe sciatic nerve injury post hip transplant; pediatric meningitis; post-hospitalization suicide.

Memberships

American Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
Defense Research Institute
Illinois Trial Lawyers Society

Publications

Contributing author on risk management issues to The Chicago Medical Society Newsletter and lecturer to numerous groups, students and residents regarding risk management and malpractice issues.