Steven B. Novy

Of Counsel

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Steven Novy is an attorney with over 40 years of experience representing both large and small businesses and individuals as self-insureds and as insureds on behalf of insurance companies. His practice includes transportation, tort, and insurance litigation with a focus on casualty defense, construction injury, and cargo claims.

Steve is a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois as well as Wisconsin. He is also a member of the federal trial bars in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Steve has shared his wealth of knowledge of on-scene investigation tactics, driver and witness preparation for litigation, and general knowledge of claims management issues through his lectures and published works. He is an annual guest lecturer at the University of Denver, Strum School of Law, and serves as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, as well as for the Mandatory Court Annexed Arbitration Program for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit.

Steve served as the Co-Chair of the Annual Chicago Seminar for the Transportation Lawyers Association from 1994-2008. He was previously the President of the Transportation Lawyers' Association (TLA), after having served as the 2nd Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer. Most recently, in 2021, Steve was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the TLA.

Practice Areas

• Appellate and Legal Issues
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Litigation
• General Negligence
• Insurance Coverage
• Premises Liability
• Transportation

Bar Admissions

• State of Illinois (1973)
• State of Wisconsin (1984)
• Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana

Education

• University of Notre Dame, J.D., 1973
• University of Illinois, 1970
• International Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Counsel Trial Academy, 1978

Current/Past Affiliations and Offices Held

• American Trucking Association Litigation Center
• Association for Transportation Law, Logistics and Policy
• Canadian Transport Lawyers Association (CTLA)
• Conference of Freight Counsel (CFC)
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• Illinois Defense Counsel
• Illinois State Bar Association
• Lake County Bar Association
• Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA)
• Trial Lawyers Club of Chicago
• Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA)
• Wisconsin State Bar Association

Honors and Awards

• Top Attorneys in Illinois - 2023
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating - 2021
• America's Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators - 2020-2021
• Transportation Lawyers Association Lifetime Achievement Award
• Transportation Lawyers Association Distinguished Service Award
• Illinois Leading Lawyer
• Illinois Super Lawyers - 2005-2007, 2009-2012, 2014-Present
• American Heart Association Meritorious Service Award

Published Works

• Editor, The Transportation Lawyer, Volume 16, July 2014 – April 2015.
• "Spotting the Issues and Navigating the conflicts in a Catastrophic Trucking Loss,"Truck Accident Litigation, 2^nd Edition, ABA Publishing at 357-365, by Steven B. Novy and Jason Orleans, 2006
• "Spoliation of Evidence and its Application to the Motor Carrier," Transportation Lawyer, Steven M. Canty and Steven B. Novy,April, 2004
• "Preparing for Transportation Litigation Revisited: Driver Preparation and Related Discovery," Outline, ATA Litigation Center, September, 1999
• "On Scene Investigation: Is there Room for your Attorney?," Outline, Transportation Lawyers Association Regional Seminar, Chicago, Illinois, Publication in Transportation Lawyer, January 1998
• "On Scene Investigation," Transportation Lawyers Association Regional Seminar, Chicago, Illinois, Publication in Transportation LawyersVol. 5, #5, July, 1997
• "Preparing Transportation Witnesses to and in Anticipation of Litigation," Outline,Publication in Transportation Lawyers, July, 1997