J. Murray Pinkston, III

Born and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Mr. Pinkston was educated at Tulane University and the University of Mississippi. He was admitted to the Illinois bar when he began his legal career in Chicago in 1993, but not before also being admitted to practice in Louisiana and Mississippi. Since his arrival in Chicago, he has specialized in the litigation of civil tort claims and workers’ compensation claims. His general civil litigation experience is broad and includes construction-related litigation matters, first and third-party insurance defense, and insurance coverage cases.

Because of Mr. Pinkston’s significant trial experience in both civil tort and workers’ compensation matters, he possesses the specialized skill set necessary for the efficient analysis and litigation of Employers’ Liability, or so-called 1(b), claims. EL claims involve the defense of employers in personal injury damage claims brought by that employer’s own employee and are typically included in multi-party construction litigation cases. El claims see a great deal of overlap between the civil and workers’ compensation systems, so knowledge and experience in both systems is essential for an elite EL defense. Mr. Pinkston has a long track record of successful litigation for these claims, and he has mastered global settlement strategies and tactics involving these multiple claims situations. Mr. Pinkston has regularly lectured and delivered seminars on Illinois EL claims, as well as upon workers’ compensation litigation and trends.