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Sterling & Hayes
About the Firm

About Sterling & Hayes Law

Sterling & Hayes Law is a Chicago-based boutique litigation and personal-injury practice serving clients throughout Illinois. We focus on serious personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, workers' compensation, employment litigation, and business disputes.

Our Story

A focused practice built on direct attorney attention

Sterling & Hayes Law was founded in 2001 with a simple premise: that the practice of law is, at its core, about taking a complicated situation and making it understandable for the person who has to live with the outcome. We started as a two-attorney office and have grown carefully, adding attorneys and staff only when we were confident we could maintain the level of attention our clients expect.

Our practice is concentrated rather than general. We handle a defined set of matter types — personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, workers' compensation, employment litigation, and business disputes — because doing them well requires depth, not breadth. When a matter falls outside our focus, we say so, and where appropriate we refer clients to counsel whose work we trust.

We are based in Chicago and practice throughout Illinois. We are admitted to the Illinois Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and we appear regularly in state circuit courts across Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, and Kane counties, as well as before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission and the Illinois Appellate Court.

We believe that the way a firm treats its clients is the firm's actual identity — not the marketing language on its website. Our attorneys return calls within one business day. We explain each development in plain language. We are candid about weaknesses as well as strengths. And we treat every meaningful decision in a case as the client's to make, with our role to advise and execute.

Interior of a modern Chicago law office with floor-to-ceiling windows
25+Years Serving Illinois
7Core Practice Areas
3Attorneys on the Roster
1:1Direct Attorney AttentionNo layers of staff between you and your attorney.
Our Values

What we expect of ourselves

Four principles shape every client engagement at the firm. They are not marketing language — they are the standards we hold ourselves to and that clients should hold us to.

  1. Personal Attention

    Every matter is handled by an attorney who knows the file. We do not pass clients through layers of staff, and the attorney you meet at the consultation is the attorney who handles your case. We deliberately keep our roster small so that every client receives direct attorney attention throughout the life of the matter.

  2. Strategic Preparation

    We prepare every file as though it will be tried. That preparation is often what produces a fair outcome at the negotiating table — and what allows us to proceed confidently to trial when settlement is not appropriate. We retain qualified experts, engage with the documentary record, and build each case methodically.

  3. Clear Communication

    We explain options, risks, and expected timelines in plain language. Clients receive substantive updates on their case, not status placeholders, and questions are returned within one business day. We treat clear communication as a baseline professional expectation rather than a feature.

  4. Relentless Advocacy

    When the facts support a claim, we pursue it thoroughly. We retain qualified experts, engage with the documentary record, and present each case with the care it deserves — whether it resolves through negotiation or trial. We are not afraid of the courtroom when our client's interests require it.

Our Commitment to Chicago

A firm rooted in Illinois

We chose to build this practice in Chicago because this is the community we know. Our attorneys have practiced in Illinois courts throughout their careers, and we are familiar with the local procedures, the bench, and the bar in the counties we serve. That familiarity allows us to give clients realistic expectations about timeline, cost, and likely outcomes.

We are also committed to the broader community. Our attorneys volunteer with pro bono programs through the Chicago Bar Association, participate in periodic legal clinics serving under-resourced neighborhoods, and serve on the boards of local nonprofit organizations. Pro bono work is not a marketing line for us — it is part of how we understand our role as lawyers.

If you are considering working with us, the most useful next step is a confidential consultation. We will listen to what happened, ask focused questions, and tell you candidly whether we believe we can help.

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Speak With Our Team

Tell Us What Happened

If you are facing a legal challenge, the most useful first step is a confidential conversation. We will listen and help you understand your options.

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