Awards & Recognition

“Leading Lawyers placing Stephan and me on this unique and special list is an honor,” said Antonio. “We have spent our careers fighting for justice for our clients through impact litigation and legislative advocacy. Accolades like Top 250 Leading Lawyers in Illinois indicate that our efforts are acknowledged by our colleagues and friends across the legal community. We look forward to continuing to do right by our clients and our community for years to come.”

This honor is presented to only one individual in each practice area and geographic region and is based entirely on peer-review evaluations, making it a singular recognition of professional excellence and reputation within the legal community.

For more than 20 years, Romanucci & Blandin Founding Partners Antonio M. Romanucci and Stephan D. Blandin have appeared on the list. This year, Romanucci’s move to #2 on the Top 10 list reflects his unwavering dedication to securing justice for his clients and is a testament to the firm’s continued growth.

Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci noted, “It’s an honor to see such a strong representation of attorneys from Romanucci & Blandin on the Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists each year. Our attorneys aggressively pursue accountability and justice for our clients each and every day, with a dedication that is truly unmatched. The continued recognition on these lists – Including the Top 10 and Top 100 – is an honor and a testament to our commitment.”

The firm was named to the Tier 1 National list in the Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions category as well as to the Tier 1 Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions for Chicago. The firm maintained its four additional Tier 1 rankings for the Chicago region in Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs Medical Malpractice Law, Product Liability Litigation and Claimants Workers Compensation Law.

Given in recognition of his unwavering commitment to equality, justice, and fairness, the Champion of Justice Award recognizes someone whose body of work has demonstrated devotion to human and civil rights and the pursuit of justice, who has made a significant impact on the mission of Public Justice, and who upholds the organization’s values.

The honor recognizes plaintiffs’ attorneys who go above and beyond in serving their clients, combining skilled legal advocacy with compassion, empathy, integrity, and a deep commitment to client well-being. For Daisy, compassion in her legal work means pairing fierce advocacy with the empathy and trust needed to guide clients as they pursue justice.

“Over the course of my career I have sought to promote justice and fairness for injured persons, safeguard victims’ rights, and strengthen the civil justice system – the very goals of the AAJ,” said Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci. “I have been involved with and dedicated to AAJ for more than twenty years because we share the same vision: justice for all. I am honored to have been recognized by an organization that I hold in such high regard.”

“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Justinian Society of Lawyers with this year’s Philanthropy Award, said Romanucci. “As Italian Americans, it is imperative that we support our fellow Justinian’s, other professional organizations, and give back to our communities however we can.”

“It means a lot to be celebrated by my fellow Justinian leaders who have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to justice and service within our community, Sommario noted. “I am continuously proud to support the Justinian Society and its future successes and am honored to have been chosen for this Philanthropy award.”

The Hailey Distinguished Service Award recognizes members of the AAJ Board of Governors who, during the past year, have been of special assistance to the President of the association. 

List of esteemed professionals from various disciplines and professions across the region, including leaders in business, law, art, government, healthcare, cultural institutions, and non-profits.

“It is fitting that Debra Thomas is recognized on the Notable Women in Law for her unique contributions to not only our firm but to the broader legal community,” said Managing and Senior Partner Gina A. DeBoni.

The Liberty Award, a distinction bestowed upon the Association’s members for outstanding service to the law or the BLA, is named after longtime member and respected Illinois attorney Liberty Dvorak, a mainstay of the Association in the ‘sixties and ‘seventies and whose legacy has lived on through not only her husband but son and grandson within the BLA, as well.

The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes an alum who graduated from Chicago-Kent within the past 10 years and who has made a significant contribution to one or more of these five areas: the practice of law, the judiciary, public service or government, business or commerce, or the media. Daisy joins just a handful of Chicago-Kent’s 16,000+ alumni who are honored with an award at this year’s ceremony.

“As Italian Americans, it is imperative that we support our Justinians and other professional organizations,” Sommario says. “I am continuously proud to support the Justinian Society and its future successes and am honored to have been chosen for this award.”

An annual test of 1,300 law firms nationwide, in which they submit online requests for case evaluation and time how long it takes firms to respond. The certificate is called the Fastest Response Time Award for responding to an intake inquiry within 20 minutes.

Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci was honored by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) with the Howard Twiggs Award. The recognition took place July 18, 2022 during the organization’s annual conference in Seattle.

“The Justinian Society has a long history of striving for and celebrating excellence in the legal profession, and I am honored to be considered among the long list of esteemed Award of Excellence recipients,” said Hon. Bruno J. Tassone, Of Counsel to Romanucci & Blandin, LLC.

Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, L. Chris Stewart, Jeff Storms, Bhavani Raveendran and other co-counsel on behalf of the family of George Floyd together with members of the Floyd family were honored by AAJ with the 2021 Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award.

The Chicago Lawyer Person of the Year is an honor given to the newsmaker, trendsetter or legal leader of the year.

“We are proud of Gina A. DeBoni for being named to Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s Top Women in Law list, which is a fitting reflection of her leadership in our office, in the legal profession and in our community. Congratulations to her on this well-deserved recognition,” stated Romanucci & Blandin Founding Partner Stephan D. Blandin.

Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci was honored on July 13, 2021 by the AAJ New Lawyers Division with the Joe Tonahill Award - the highest honor that the New Lawyers Division’s can bestow.  

“Gina’s leadership in our firm has been an important driving force for our continued growth. Her dedication to our clients, members of our team and the community more broadly is something that all lawyers should strive for,” said Romanucci & Blandin Founding Partner Stephan D. Blandin

This meaningful honor recognizes Gina’s work on legal cases and legislative advocacy that advance human rights statewide and nationally.  The award honors the legacy of Chicago attorney Elmer Gertz, who had a lengthy and successful career on landmark civil rights cases and was also a professor at John Marshall Law School and an author. He died in 2000 at the age of 93.

Gina was recognized for her work on behalf of a client whose 16-year-old daughter was murdered and was a victim of sex trafficking. Gina played an integral role in the civil litigation and led the law firm’s efforts in legislative reform, where the girl’s mother testified before a U.S. Senate committee, resulting in the passage of a federal law to reform practices of advertising sex trafficking victims online. Gina is also a leader and mentor of other women in law and has helped increase the gender diversity of Romanucci & Blandin in her role as Managing Partner.

The Dominic DiFrisco Award honors the life and legacy of the Public Relations executive and strong advocate for Italian-Americans. DiFrisco died in April 2019 at age 85. DiFrisco was the son of immigrants from Corleone, Italy and grew up in New York. His professional life brought him to Chicago in the 1960s. Throughout his life, he passionately advocated for ways Chicago could best honor the contributions of Italian-Americans and fought against perceptions he felt were negative. 

Jennifer was recognized for her dedication to the firm’s communications and marketing activities, including media relations on a range of high-profile civil rights cases, including representing the families of George Floyd and Daniel Prude, and representing clients who lost loved ones due to Boeing 737 MAX negligence. Jennifer leads the firm’s communications team, which also created a thought leadership series called Cases & Concepts, allowing the firm’s attorneys to create educational videos or written blogs on timely legal issues. This impactful work was all done while overcoming Breast Cancer treatment in 2019 as a single mom.

Our firm was one of the earliest to sign onto the Pledge to Act, which supports "fairness and justice for all extend[ing] into our workplaces."