Don Keenan
Painting a subject without their knowing it, a surprise portrait, is always fraught with danger… and in the case of Don Keenan, doubly so. A larger than life character, electrifying, the trial lawyer community with his “Reptile Theory” of practice, a TV personality, renowned children’s advocate, often to be found unshaved wearing shorts, T-shirt, and always those sunglasses. An ex-marine of Irish blood and creator of the Kids Foundation and Bono aficionado. All this and more went into this painting. It was with relief that I saw it was warmly and enthusiastically received at its unveiling in Houston. Kudos to the courage of the man brave enough to commission this painting!
Painting a subject without their knowing it, a surprise portrait, is always fraught with danger… and in the case of Don Keenan, doubly so. A larger than life character, electrifying, the trial lawyer community with his “Reptile Theory” of practice, a TV personality, renowned children’s advocate, often to be found unshaved wearing shorts, T-shirt, and always those sunglasses. An ex-marine of Irish blood and creator of the Kids Foundation and Bono aficionado. All this and more went into this painting. It was with relief that I saw it was warmly and enthusiastically received at its unveiling in Houston. Kudos to the courage of the man brave enough to commission this painting!
Don Keenan
Keenan, Don. 16" x 20". 2015. Collection of Keenan Law Firm. Atlanta, GA. Portrait on canvas. Commissioned by HMR Funding, Dean Chase.
Keenan, Don. 16" x 20". 2015. Collection of Keenan Law Firm. Atlanta, GA. Portrait on canvas. Commissioned by HMR Funding, Dean Chase.
Romanucci & Blandin
Romanucci & Blandin Original painting 2020. In collection of Romanucci & Blandin Chicago, Illinois
Stephan Blandin
After graduating from DePaul University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, Stephan Blandin went on to earn his Juris Doctor in 1986 from DePaul University College of Law. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and Arizona, as well as before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Blandin is a principal and partner in Romanucci & Blandin, a Chicago-based personal injury firm. Since co-founding the firm in 1998, Blandin has focused his practice on catastrophic plaintiff’s personal injury; and, also, wrongful death cases involving motor vehicle and airplane crashes; medical negligence; product liability and workplace accidents.
He is much sought-after for birth injury cases, especially in Illinois, Wisconsin and Arizona. Blandin has also been named an Illinois Super Lawyer since 2005, an honor determined by a high-level and exclusive voting process which includes research, peer nominations and evaluations of attorneys throughout the State of Illinois.
In 2020, he stepped up as Co-Lead (with Adam J. Levitt of DiCello Levitt Gutzler) in a complex, multi-faceted class action suit, on behalf of 4 million customers who are alleged to have been defrauded by the Commonwealth Edison corporation. ComEd is the largest electric utility in Illinois, and the sole electric provider in Chicago and much of Northern Illinois. Blandin was no stranger to ComEd. His clients already included ComEd employees who had been badly maimed or killed on the job.
On July 17, 2020, ComEd agreed to pay $200 million following what had been a several-year federal investigation of suspected illegal lobbying, political graft and sweetheart contract deals which were made in exchange for the company having a near-monopoly on regional power utility. ComEd has already admitted to procuring fraudulent legislation through bribery and receiving $150 million in benefits. Stephan Blandin claims that the benefits derived are, in fact, “billions”. He also says that this case brings to light a serious and insidious problem that must be redressed by the Supreme Court: “The line between lobbying and bribery is getting thinner and thinner.” Blandin also serves as an American Bar Foundation Fellow. Less than one percent of lawyers in each State are considered for the honor which consists of a review of their legal and civic contributions. The American Bar Foundation is recognized nationally as the premier institute for social science research on law.
Heavily involved in the community, he has served as a board member of several non-profit organizations, including the Knapp Burn Foundation, Salute Inc. and West Side Mentally Retarded Children’s Aid Inc.
Antonio M. Romanucci
Antonio Romanucci earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Wisconsin in 1982 and his law degree from John Marshall Law School in 1985. The death of his best friend from a fatal brain injury, incurred while playing high school football, marked the young man profoundly, steering him into the arena of fighting for injured victims and their families.
Romanucci is a founding partner, with Stephen Blandin, of the Chicago-based law firm of Romanucci & Blandin, a national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence; abuse and wrongful death arising from corporate negligence; civil rights actions; business interruption; medical malpractice; mass torts and class actions; and police misconduct.
In 2020, he took on a case that he describes as “an honor” where he served alongside Lead Counsel Ben Crump as Co-Counsel representing the family of George Floyd in the Minneapolis police misconduct case.
He has taken a lead role in national cases related to COVID-19 business interruption on behalf of restaurants, retail companies and the service industry in a quest to hold insurance companies responsible for their contractual payment to their customers. The firm has obtained multiple verdicts and settlements that include a record-breaking multimillion verdict on behalf of a young man left bound to a wheelchair and with permanent brain damage following a gunshot wound to the head; a settlement of a class action lawsuit against the City of Chicago for its red light camera practices; a settlement on behalf of a brain-injured child; and two multimillion verdicts against the City of Chicago for two separate police chase cases.
In February of 2020, Romanucci was appointed to the Executive Leadership of attorneys representing victims of a fatal 737MAX airplane crash in a case against Boeing International.
His peers have borne witness to his skills and experience with various awards, including their support of his rise to leadership positions such as his appointment as the Chair of the Police Misconduct Litigation Group and Vice-Chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group for the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the world’s largest trial bar dedicated to victims’ rights.
Edward Ruff, managing partner at Pretzel & Stouffer, has often opposed Romanucci in court. He graciously salutes his “fresh and innovative approach.” “There’s a number of times I’ve seen him bring innovative issues to a case and theories you might not commonly see proffered by opponents in traumatic brain-injury cases… I consider Tony at the top of his field.”
He is a founding chairman of the Midwest Brain Injury Clubhouse, which is devoted to optimizing the lives and recovery of people affected by brain injuries or strokes. Romanucci is also the founder of the Justinian Society of Lawyers Charitable Endowment Fund, where thousands of dollars annually are awarded to needy organizations.