Andrew Hale

Andy M. Hale is a trial attorney with over 30 years of experience in civil rights and commercial litigation matters. He and his cofounder, Brian T. Monico, joined forces in 2019 to create Hale & Monico America's Justice Attorney's where they also specialize in personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. Andy began his career as a litigator in Orlando, Florida and later worked in the Chicago and Los Angeles office of a large national law firm, focusing his practice on a variety of commercial litigation and entertainment litigation matters. Since moving back to his hometown Chicago over twenty years ago, Andy has focused his trial practice on civil right cases. Mr. Hale has been involved in numerous high-profile cases during his three-decade legal career. He is a member of the Bars of Illinois, California and Florida. Mr. Hale also represents clients who he believes are innocent and are wrongfully incarcerated. Mr. Hale has been able to vacate the convictions of two individuals, one after a 47 year prison term, and another after a 20 year prison term. Mr. Hale prides himself as a trial attorney seeking justice for his clients, whether plaintiff or defendant. Mr. Hale has also been actively engaged in numerous media projects; It was in Chicago where he began his career as a filmmaker and producer, shining a light on the issue of wrongful convictions. His Netflix documentary entitled "A Murder In the Park" lead to the exoneration of Alstory Simon after sixteen years of wrongful incarceration. His documentary "Wrong Cat" follows his client Cleve Heidelberg, Jr.'s struggle to prove his innocence after forty-seven years of wrongful incarceration. Andy has also produced short documentary films regarding social justice issues, including "Bullets Have No Names," which addresses gun violence in Chicago, as well as "98 Seconds," which sheds light on the issue of sexual assault. Andy also hosted an Emmy nominated television show in Chicago for several years "Case Files Chicago" which highlighted and attempted to solve many of Chicago's most well known "cold cases." Finally, Andy was also an executive producer of the documentary "White Boy" that chronicled the case of Rick Wershe, a 17-year old from Detroit who was sentenced to life in prison for a non-violent drug offense.

Brian Monico

Brian Monico is a skilled litigator who focuses on wrongful death, professional malpractice, personal injury, and civil rights cases. Brian has successfully obtained over $100 million in verdicts and settlements for his clients in his career. While many cases are resolved through settlement, Brian has tried over 50 jury trials with great success. Throughout his career, Brian has distinguished himself as a leader in the development and use of computer-generated graphics and electronic presentations to juries. Brian has shared his knowledge of trial advocacy and courtroom technology with various lawyer groups and taught a class of that name at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law for many years. Brian's ability to incorporate current technology into his trial strategy, along with his tenacity and intelligence, has contributed to his many successes. In cases that involve complex or technical issues, Brian is skilled at simplifying and explaining concepts and presenting them in a convincing way to juries and judges. While Brian enjoys taking cases to trial, he works with each of his clients to create the best strategy for maximizing their recovery, whether by settlement or trial. At the age of 34, Brian was recognized by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of Illinois' 40 under 40 attorneys to watch. In 2016, Law Bulletin Publishing Company published its inaugural "Emerging Lawyers Magazine", where Brian was recognized on the cover as the top "Emerging Lawyer" in Illinois. That magazine recognized Brian as the number one lawyer under 40 years of age in Illinois. Brian continues to be recognized, and in 2018 was recognized as a Leading Lawyer and Super Lawyer. Brian received his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University, located in Fairfield, Connecticut. After working in finance in New York, Brian returned to his hometown to attend Loyola University Chicago School of Law. While in law school, Brian was a member of the nationally recognized Corboy Mock Trial Team, participating in numerous trial competitions throughout the country and receiving multiple merit scholarship awards. Additionally, Brian received two scholarships, the Philip H. Corboy Fellowship, a fellowship in trial advocacy and the Thomas F. and Patricia A. Bridgman Scholarship, which is awarded to a baptized Roman Catholic student who has demonstrated achievements in academic and extracurricular activities. During law school, Brian externed for the then-Chief Judge of the Northern District of Illinois, Charles P. Kocoras, and clerked at a prestigious plaintiff's personal injury law firm. This is where Brian began to appreciate the good