Bhavani K. Raveendran

Bhavani K. Raveendran is a Partner at Romanucci & Blandin and has always wanted to help those who have endured injustices and decided to fight back. Bhavani has worked in civil litigation and civil rights for most of her career and is passionate about standing up against violations of her clients’ constitutional rights to hold private and government actors accountable. Bhavani uses her position to work on issues of civil rights both in the courtroom and outside of it, including supporting pro-civil rights legislation.

Since joining Romanucci & Blandin LLC as an associate attorney in 2015, Bhavani has focused her practice on police misconduct, prison abuse, hazing, bullying, sexual abuse and wrongful death. Bhavani has first-chaired federal and state trials and received numerous settlements for her clients, notably including Doe v. Maine West High School involving one of the largest high school hazing settlements in Illinois and a $21.3 million verdict for a family devastated by a police chase.

She had the honor of representing the family of George Floyd in the civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis and four of its police officers, which resulted in a $27 million settlement in March of 2021.

In 2021, Bhavani successfully argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on behalf of the family of a police misconduct victim who died in custody after being held face-down in a positional restraint regarding whether qualified immunity would apply. She and her Civil Rights team won two appeals in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in June 2023.

Bhavani had the honor, in 2018, to argue before the 1^st Appellate District of Illinois in a sexual abuse case where she advocated for a child victim and in which the Court determined that the sexual abuse of a child cannot be considered a “de minimus” injury. Bhavani has also been honored to represent the Estate of Desiree Robinson and her family in their wrongful death action against Backpage.com and their continuing advocacy against the sex trafficking of children. She currently serves on the team representing family members of Javier Ambler against Williamson County and its officers for Mr. Ambler’s death, as well as on several other high-profile police misconduct cases throughout the country.

Bhavani's work and advocacy have been recognized by several legal industry organizations and media. The Law Bulletin Publishing Company has honored Bhavani on its  Emerging Lawyers list since 2018, in addition to its Top Emerging Women Lawyers list since 2019. She has also been a The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch© since 2021 and a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers® since 2018. The American Association for Justice has awarded Bhavani the Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award and its Certificate of Recognition.

Before joining Romanucci & Blandin, Bhavani practiced as a general civil attorney with a McHenry, Illinois firm, Diamond & LeSueur, P.C. After obtaining her law degree, Bhavani completed a fellowship in human rights litigation at DC-based International Rights Advocates working to hold American corporations answerable for funding and causing overseas abuse of human rights. During law school, she also served as a student attorney for the International Human Rights Clinic, as a legal intern at Torture Abolition and Survivor Coalition International, and as a civil rights law clerk at the Council on American-Islamic Relations Chicago. These experiences solidified Bhavani’s passion for helping those who have suffered injustices and violations of their basic rights and freedoms.

In her free time, Bhavani enjoys a good sandwich, contemplates the general state of the world, volunteers at her temple and quality time with her family and friends.

Experience

• J.D., American University-Washington College of Law, 2012
• B.A., Case Western Reserve University, 2009

• Top Women Lawyers - Chicago Metro Area - Emerging Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, 2023
• American Association for Justice Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award, 2021
• American Association for Justice, Certificate of Recognition, 2020-2021
• Top Emerging Women Lawyers by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2019-Present
• Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2018-Present
• The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch©, 2021-Present
• Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2018-Present
• Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in Illinois in the year 2019, Carreon v. City of Chicago
• Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in the United States in the year 2019, Carreon v. City of Chicago
• Graduated cum laude from American University, Washington College of Law
• Graduated magna cum laude, with honors in Political Science from Case Western Reserve University
• Recipient of the Case Western Reserve University Women’s Club Prize, 2007
• Recipient of the Case Western Reserve University Provost Scholarship, 2006

• American Association for Justice (AAJ)
  • Police Misconduct Litigation Group, Chairperson, 2019-2021
  • Board of Governors, Representative for the Minority Caucus, 2021
  • Civil Rights Section, Executive Committee Member, 2020-2021
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
  • Board of Managers, 2019-Present
  • Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Co-Chair and Founding Member, 2019- Present 
• Illinois State Bar Association
  • Human Rights Section
    • Council Chair, 2022-2023
    • Council Member
    • Newsletter Editor, 2018-2019
• National Police Accountability Project – Chicago (NPAP), Member
• Volunteer with the Sai Spiritual Foundation, Present
• Board Member, South Asian Bar Association Chicago Foundation, 2017-2018
• Board Member, Chinmaya Yuva Kendra Chicago, 2012-2018
• Host Committee Member, Polished Pebbles, 2017

• Family of George Floyd v. City of Minneapolis and officers involved in Mr. Floyd’s death, March 2021, civil rights, $27M settlement
• Carreon v. City of Chicago, April 2019, police chase, $21.3M verdict
• Wilson v. City of Elkhart, Indiana police pursuit, $700,000 settlement
• Doe v. Conf. Bus Co. and School District, sexual assault of minor, $700,000 settlement
• Pippenburg v. McCook, sexual assault and harassment, $500,000 settlement
• Plaintiff v. Indiana Police Department, police assault of 20-year-old man, $290,000 settlement
• Lippe v. Oklahoma City, assault by off-duty police officer, $187,000 settlement
• Does v. North Suburban HS District, educational abuse, Confidential

• Illinois, 2012
• Northern District of Illinois, 2016
• Southern District of Illinois, 2016
• Central District of Illinois, 2017
• Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2016
• Northern District of Indiana, 2017
• Southern District of Indiana, 2017
• Federal District of Colorado, 2017
• Federal District of North Dakota, 2017
• S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, 2020

Blog Posts

• Presenter, Forest and the Trees: Training Attorneys and Staff so you can go on Vacation, AAJ Winter Conference, Austin, TX, February 2024

• Panelist, Lunch & Learn: Civil Rights, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Chicago, IL, September 2023
• CLE Instructor, Civil Rights: Unconventional 1983 Claims, 2023 AAJ Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA, July 2023
• AAJ Minority Caucus, Civil Rights Section and Police Misconduct Litigation Group, Panel Moderator, Ethical and Moral Responsibility when Representing Communities of Color, July 2021
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Presenter, Tips for Effective and Inclusive Communication, May 2021
• Federal Court Litigation Boot Camp, Presenter, Drafting and Replying to Motions for Summary Judgment, April 2021
• AAJ Minority Caucus and Women’s Caucus, Panel Participant, Accountability Webinar: How do you Hold Yourself Accountable to be Anti-Racist and Anti-Sexist?, March 2021
• AAJ Litigation Group Leaders’ Committee, Presenter, Tips to Combat Implicit Bias, February 2021
• “The Anatomy of Section 1983 Litigation”, Police Misconduct & Qualified Immunity: Reimagining We the People, Panel Participant, February 2021
• Chicago Bar Association, Panel Participant, Sexual Violence & Race, a Historical & Societal Perspective if Race-Based Sexual Violence, Chicago, IL, December 2020
• New Jersey Association for Justice, Presenter, 8th Amendment – Failure to Provide Medical Care, December 2020
• Washington State Association for Justice, Presenter, Battling Implicit Bias at Trial, September 2020
• Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Co-Presenter, Fundamentals of Litigating Section 1983 Excessive Force, August 2020
• AAJ Police Misconduct Litigation Group, Co-Presenter, Overcoming Jury Bias against the Civil Rights Attorney, July 2020
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Presenter, Battling Implicit Bias at Trial, May 2020
• Bradley University, Lecturer, Combatting Human Trafficking Through the Courts, Peoria, IL, April 2019
• I am Jane Doe Screening and Panel, Panelist, Sex-Trafficking Litigation, Chicago, IL, January 2018
• CLE, Presenter, School and Police Misconduct Intake – Best Methods for Case Intake and Evaluation, January 2017
• Legal Prep Charter School, Presenter, Building Resumes and Interview Skills, Chicago, IL