Jeffrey B. Sussman   David B. Selig   Gil Ross
Jason M. Kroot   Valerie C. Barich

Valerie C. Barich is the newest member of the Sussman Selig & Ross team.

A graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy College of Law, a guest student of trial advocacy at DePaul University College of Law, and admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2000, three-year Illinois Super Lawyers “Rising Star” recipient (2008-2010), Valerie Barich, has spent over a decade advocating for the rights of those who were injured through no fault of their own, or denied their right to due process under the law.

Valerie’s impressive law career began as an advocate for individuals denied disability claims throughout the United States, successfully overturning 95% of those cases presented during administrative hearings, and 100% of those cases submitted on record, sparing her clients lengthy and arduous litigation. It was on this battlefield where Valerie gained invaluable understanding of multiple and complex medical conditions while also refining her cross-examination skills of medical experts.

As a personal injury attorney since 2002, Valerie has accepted and successfully prosecuted difficult cases, including those historically challenged by outdated measures, such as those involving soft tissue injuries.

Common to victims of an auto accident or construction site injury, damage to soft tissue involves symptoms that vary and range from mild to acutely disabling.

Previously, such cases were hindered further by the equally outdated notion that a direct correlation between cause and effect was too difficult to prove conclusively. Recognizing modern day advances and new technology within the medical community and, by extension, the growing, specialized practice of pain management for patients suffering soft tissue injuries, Valerie has built a portfolio of trial success, supported by experienced and specialized expert witnesses in the management of chronic pain.

Today, with over $7,000,000 in jury and settlement awards, her vast body of legal skill and medical knowledge also supports her work with clients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

A devoted wife and mother of three boys, Valerie understands the financial, emotional and personal toll often inflicted upon the lives of those who have been injured and/or disabled, as well as their families, and dedicates herself to the critical needs of her clients.

Valerie’s experience with such challenges are personal, as well as professional, as she embraces the gifts on offer each day through the love of her son, born premature and living with physical and developmental disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy, loss of vision and cognitive delay. Together, they have learned physical therapy techniques, Braille and American Sign Language, a reflection of their determination to meet these challenges on their own terms.