As the Overwhelming Majority of Federal Defendants Plead Guilty Rather Than Face a Jury, Leonard's 14th Consecutive Selection Reflects a Trial-First Practice in Chicago's Federal Courts
CHICAGO, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leonard Trial Lawyers, LLC, a trial firm in Chicago, announces that two of its attorneys have been selected to the 2026 Illinois Super Lawyers lists published by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters rating service. Founding partner Michael I. Leonard was named to the Super Lawyers list for the 14th consecutive year, and associate Matthew Chivari was named to the Rising Stars list for the second consecutive year.
To learn more about the firm's trial practice and its approach to federal and state criminal defense, please visit https://leonardtriallawyers.com/.
Sustained Peer Recognition in Federal and Illinois State Courts
"For over 30 years, our team at Leonard Trial Lawyers has helped people and professionals with tough legal cases," said Michael I. Leonard, founding partner of Leonard Trial Lawyers. "We work hard to defend our clients and resolve their issues. This leads to our success, often making the news."
Leonard's selection to Super Lawyers each year from 2013 through 2026 recognizes sustained achievement in white-collar crime, criminal defense, and employment and labor law. The Super Lawyers selection process is peer-influenced and research-driven, evaluating candidates across 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional accomplishment and identifying roughly the top 5% of attorneys in each state annually.
Leonard is believed to be the only currently practicing lawyer to have obtained seven or more separate not-guilty jury verdicts in federal criminal trials in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in prosecutions brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. He has also obtained dismissals or pretrial diversions in numerous other federal cases, and he recently obtained a not-guilty jury verdict in a murder prosecution brought by the Cook County state's attorney's office.
A Second Consecutive Chicago Rising Stars Selection
Matthew Chivari was named to the 2026 Illinois Rising Stars list in personal injury, criminal defense, and medical malpractice, following his first selection in 2025. Eligibility for Rising Stars is limited to attorneys who are 40 or younger or who have practiced 10 years or fewer, and the list is restricted to approximately 2.5% of attorneys in the state, making it more selective than the general Super Lawyers list. Chivari has been licensed in Illinois since 2021 and is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law.
The recognition of both an established partner and an early-career attorney reflects how the firm develops its lawyers. Leonard serves as an adjunct professor of trial practice at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and mentors the firm's attorneys directly on cross-examination and trial preparation.
Trial Experience Across Nearly 20 States
Federal criminal cases rarely reach a jury. The overwhelming majority of federal defendants resolve their cases by guilty plea, which leaves relatively few attorneys with repeated experience trying federal cases to verdict. Leonard has tried or litigated hundreds of criminal and civil matters in federal and state courts in Illinois and in states including Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Idaho, Oregon and Nevada. His civil trial victories span employment, whistleblower, retaliation, non-compete, ERISA, securities fraud, and commercial disputes. In his appellate practice, he has argued before the 7th and 6th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, various Illinois appellate courts, the California Court of Appeals, and the Idaho Supreme Court.
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SOURCE Leonard Trial Lawyers
