Storrs W. Downey
Capital Member
Storrs has been representing businesses and insurance carriers for over 35 years on all forms of litigation, ranging from construction to employment matters in Illinois and Indiana. He has successfully tried various jury trials to verdict and in excess of 100 administrative hearings. Storrs is an active speaker before national, regional and state organizations on a wide variety of litigation topics.
Storrs is AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is recognized as a Leading Lawyer and as a Super Lawyer.
DID YOU KNOW: My first name, Storrs, is a family name and my ancestors, the Storrs brothers, founded a small college in Storrs, CT. which is now known as the University of Connecticut with over 30,000 active students. Despite this legacy I wasn’t asked to attend college there.
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Education:
- J.D., Drake University, High Honors, Des Moines, Iowa
- B.A., Ripon College, High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Ripon, Wisconsin
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Professional Memberships & Associations:
- Chicago Bar Association
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
- Defense Research Institute
- Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana
- Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Management & Professional Liability Alliance (MPLA)
- Professional Liability Defense Federation (PLDF)
- Risk & Insurance Management Society, Inc.
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Seminars & Presentations:
GENERAL LIABILITY
- Specialty Lines Training, June 2025
- Kotecki Doctrine and Its Progeny, October 2024
- Judgment 7 Resolutions, May 2024
- Premises Liability Training, March 2024
- Illinois/Indiana Spills Thrill & Bills, March 2024
- Evaluating Case Exposures/Settlement Value, November 2023
- Assessing Damages & Analyzing Case Exposure/Settlement Value, June 2023
- Assessing Liability in Evans v. Walmart & Other COVID-19 Wrongful Death Suits, April 2020
- Curbing Litigation Expenses, Illinois Defense Counsel Spring Symposium
- Defense Of Trucking Law Claims In Illinois And Indiana
- Discretionary Immunity Under Indiana Tort Claims Act and Illinois Tort Immunity Act
- Expert Retention & Usage, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance
- Recommended Handling Of Employer Liability 1(B) Claims
- Reducing Litigation Costs And Investigating Subrogation Claims
- Spills, Thrills And Bills: The True Story Behind Illinois & Indiana Premises Liability Law
- The Mediation Process, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance
- Top 20 Myths & Realities On Illinois/Indiana Premises Liability Law
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT
- Labor and Employment Law 101, May 2025
- Illinois Employer Liability in Personal Injury Cases: Kotecki Doctrine and Insurance Coverage for Such Claims, October 2024
- The Spooky Depth of Employment Litigation: Busting Preconceptions and Myths, October 2022
- The Interplay of the ADA, FMLA & Workers’ Compensation, Perrin Conference, October 2022
- Emerging Issues and Recent Developments in Employment Law, June 2022
- The New Fault Lines for Labor and Employment Claims in the Post-Trump Era, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, October 2021
- Responding to Internal Employee Complaints: Conducting Workplace Investigations, June 2021
- Top 10 Employer Mistakes, October 2020
- Reopening Your Business Amid COVID-19, July 2020
- Discipline and Discharge – Necessary Documentation, National Business Institute Mini Law School for HR Professionals Seminar, May 2020
- Workplace Behavior and Privacy – Current Developments, National Business Institute Mini Law School for HR Professionals Seminar, May 2020
- COVID-19 – What Employers Need to Know, April 2020
- 10 Tricky Employment Termination Questions Answered
- ADA – From Accommodation to Discrimination, National Business Institute Indiana Employment Law Seminar
- Approaching LGBT Issues In Today’s Workplace, American Conference Institute’s 25th National Forum
- Avoiding Claims of Race, Religion or National Origin Discrimination in the Current Political Climate, American Conference Institute’s 26th National Conference
- Disciplining Or Terminating Workers’ Compensation And Non-Occupationally Disabled Claimants: Your Rights and Obligations Under The Law
- Employee Handbooks, National Business Institute Human Resource Law Seminar
- Employee Handbooks and Policies in the 21st Century, National Business Institute Human Resource Law Seminar
- Employment Landmines in Workers’ Compensation, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance
- Ethics in Employment Law, National Business Institute Indiana Employment Law Seminar
- Hiring Do’s And Don’ts (With Video Examples)
- Hiring and Recruiting, National Business Institute Human Resource Law Seminar
- Identifying, Investigating & Reducing Sexual Harassment In The Workplace, Illinois Manufacturers Association
- Is Your Employee Handbook Up to Date?: Essential Components and Sample Policies for Today’s Workplace, National Business Institute Human Resource Law Seminar
- Labor and Employment: Sex, Drugs, Religion and the Impact of POTUS
- Marijuana In The Workplace
- Overview of Equal Employment Law, National Business Institute Indiana Employment Law Seminar
- Possible Termination Of Injured Worker: Employer’s Rights & Obligations
- Recent Developments in Employment Law, National Business Institute Human Resource Law Seminar
- Recent Developments with DOL, NLRB & New Laws, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
- Religious & Disability Discrimination & Accommodations In Today’s Ever-Evolving Workplace National Association of Security Companies’ Contract Security Industry Leaders’ Roundtable
- Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Confronting & Addressing this Growing Problem, The Institute’s CPCU Society
- The Ever Expanding Scope Of The ADA, Employment Practices Liability Insurance ExecuSummit
- Trends & Pitfalls For Employees In The Employment Setting, Self-Insured Employers Organization
- Workplace Behavior and Privacy – Current Developments, National Business Institute, Human Resource Law Seminar
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION/SUBROGATION
- Illinois & Indiana Workers’ Compensation Subrogation Claims & Liens, June 2025
- Illinois Workers’ Compensation Liens, Subrogation Claims & Third-Party Suits, October 2024
- IL, IN and WI Workers’ Compensation Liens & Subrogation Recovery: There’s More Than Meets the Eye!, February 2024
- Multi-State: Catastrophic Claims, Current WC Issues, Subrogation & Third-Party Suits, Omaha Educational Seminar, September 2023
- Ethics, National Business Institute, June 2021
- When to Sue in Conjunction With Workers’ Compensation, National Business Institute, June 2021
- Balancing Aggressive Pursuit Of Lien Recovery With Associated Litigation Expense, 5th Annual National Workers’ Compensation Subrogation Strategies ExecuSummit
- Comparison of Key Issues: Illinois vs. Indiana, Workers’ Compensation Seminar
- Non-Workers’ Compensation Issues That Every Workers’ Compensation Practitioner Needs To Know, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance
- Indiana Workers’ Compensation Advanced Seminar
- Indiana: Using An Employee’s Actions As A Defense, Terminating TTD Benefits And Evaluation Of PPI
CONSTRUCTION
- Construction Personal Injury Seminar, May 2023
- Construction Accident Litigation
- Construction Litigation in Illinois and Indiana
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Articles & Publications:
- Back To Basics In The Workplace: A Refresher on Conducting Investigations, CLM Magazine, July 2021
- Comprehensive Overview of Illinois and Indiana Premises Liability Law, April 2021
- You’re Canceled! Tips for Employers to Help Falling Victim to Cancel Culture in the Current Climate, Professional Liability Defense Quarterly, Winter 2020
- SCOTUS: Title VII Protects LGBTQ Employees, Alert, July 2020
- Mandatory COVID-19 Posting Requirements, Alert, June 2020
- Reopening Business: 5 Potential Employer Pitfalls, Alert, June 2020
- First COVID-19 Wrongful Death Suit Filed In Cook County, Alert, April 2020
- Important Updates to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Alert, March 2020
- COVID-19 Illinois & Indiana Stay-at-Home Orders, Alert, March 2020
- DOL Final Rule on Joint Employer Status Under FLSA, Alert, January 2020
- Addressing the Ever-Expanding Issue of Biometrics and Privacy in the Workplace, Lawyer Monthly magazine, August 2019
- Increased Misclassification Litigation Stresses Importance Of Proper Worker Classification, Professional Liability Defense Quarterly, Summer 2016
- Religious Accommodations In The Workplace: Practical Lessons, In-House Defense Quarterly Magazine, Summer 2016
- Call Me Claimant? Understanding Transgender Employee Discrimination Claims and Legal Development, Claims Management Magazine, October 2015
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News & Insights:
- WGN Radio’s Legal Face-Off, “Illinois Representative Buckner on NIL Legislation, Lenkner on Alexa Class Action and Downey on the Latest Employment News, and much more,” June 2021
- WGN Radio’s Legal Face-Off, “Smith on Florida Felons’ Eligibility to Vote, Ayers and Hopkins on Chicago’s Puppy Mill Ordinance, Downey on COVID-19 Employment Issues,” July 2020
- WGN Radio with Ji Suk Yi, “Will the $2 Trillion Stimulus Package Passed By the Senate Be Enough to Save the Economy? Plus Tech News You Can Use & Your Coronavirus Federal and State Unemployment Questions Answered,” March 2020
- WGN Radio with Ji Suk Yi, “All Eyes on the Stock Market & Unemployment Benefits in IL During the Coronavirus Outbreak: How to Apply and Who is Eligible,” March 2020
- Lawyer Monthly, “Addressing the Ever-Expanding Issue of Biometrics and Privacy in the Workplace,” August 2019