Paul R. Lynch – Retired

Contact Paul R. Lynch

Paul R. Lynch began working at Craig & Craig in Mattoon in September, 1977, a few months after graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law. He became a Partner in the firm in 1983. In 1986, Craig & Craig opened its office in Mt. Vernon, and Mr. Lynch became the resident Partner in the Mt. Vernon office.

Mr. Lynch’s primary practice has been the defense of civil litigation in multiple categories of cases, including medical and legal malpractice, products liability, employment discrimination, professional liability claims against realtors and insurance agents, nursing home liability, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability and liquor liability. Mr. Lynch has tried over eighty jury cases in the State Courts of Illinois and in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. He has handled numerous appeals in the Appellate Court of Illinois, and has also argued appeals in the Illinois Supreme Court and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Mr. Lynch also has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, both as counsel for participants, and as a mediator. He has completed Basic Mediation Skills Training at the Law School of Southern Illinois University.

Mr. Lynch is rated in AV by Martindale Hubbell, and has been selected by his peers as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois. Mr. Lynch was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers at its annual meeting in Boston in October, 2009. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only, and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy, and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Membership in the College cannot exceed one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province.

Mr. Lynch has served on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC) since 2007. In 2014, he acted as co-chair of the highly successful IDC 50th Anniversary Gala celebration in Chicago.

Mr. Lynch recently completed work as co-author of the 2015 edition of Chapter 2 of the volume on Federal Civil Practice in Illinois, entitled, “Jurisdiction of Courts Other Than District Courts,” published by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He has written and lectured for Lorman Education on the subject of Confidentiality of Medical Records in Illinois.

From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Lynch served as the President of the Southern Illinois American Inn of Court. The members of the Southern Illinois Inn of Court include lawyers and judges, in addition to professors and students from the Law School at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. The American Inns of Court is a legal mentoring organization that has adopted the traditional English model of legal apprenticeship, modified to fit the particular needs of the American legal system. Its goals include the promotion of professionalism and collegiality among attorneys and judges. The Southern Illinois American Inn of Court was founded in the early 1990’s, and Mr. Lynch was one of the original members.

Practice Areas

Education

University of Illinois, J.D., 1977
Loyola University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1974

Admitted

1977, Illinois

Memberships

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (Board of Directors, 2007-Present)
Seventh Circuit, Jefferson County and Illinois State Bar Associations
Appellate Lawyers Association
Southern Illinois American Inn of Court (President, 2012-2014)

Authorship

Co-Author: “Jurisdiction of Courts Other Than District Courts,” Federal Civil Practice in Illinois, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Chapter 2, 2015.

Born: Chicago, Illinois, August 12, 1952