David A. Neiman

David A. Neiman is a partner at Wallace Miller. David’s litigation and trial experience is diverse, having successfully litigated and tried countless cases resulting in millions of dollars in recoveries for his clients. In two recent trials alone, David earned verdicts on behalf of his clients totaling $70 million. These included a $25 million verdict for the wrongful death of a 43-year-old woman for failure to identify and remove an ovarian mass ultimately leading to a terminal cancer diagnosis and a $45 million verdict for the family of a woman who was killed in a car crash.

While David has expansive experience, his areas of concentration are mass tort and class action litigation. In this area, David has developed a reputation for finding meaningful and creative solutions in tough cases, which has led to his appointment to leadership positions in several complex cases of both local and national importance. These include:

In re: Beach Park Chemical Spill: David was named lead counsel representing more than 60 residents, passersby, and first responders who sustained injuries following an ammonia chemical spill that occurred in Beach Park, Illinois on April 25, 2019.

Chemtool Chemical Plant Explosion: David served on the Plaintiffs Steering Council representing property owners in and around Rockton, IL who sustained damage following the Chemtool chemical plant fire explosion that occurred on June 14, 2021.

In re: Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 Crash: David serves on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, representing victims in the case against The Boeing Company following the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019.

More recently, David was appointed to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3060, Case No. 1:23-cv-818 (Northern District of IL) and the Plaintiffs Executive Committee in the parallel consolidated state court litigation in Cook County, Illinois. On these litigations, he is actively representing women who developed cancer through their use of chemical hair straightening products.

David has also represented victims of mass shooting cases, including those who were injured and killed in the senseless shooting that occurred at the Fourth of July Parade in Highland Park, Illinois in 2022.

David’s work on behalf of plaintiffs has been recognized by prestigious ranking directories, including Law Bulletin Media, which named him “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch” for 2022. Law Bulletin Publishing Company also identified David as an Emerging Lawyer from 2017-2022. David has also proudly been named one of the Best Lawyers in America© for 2021 through 2024 and an Illinois Super Lawyer for 2022, 2023, and 2024 (after previously being named an Illinois’ Rising Stars by Super Lawyers® for 2015-2021).

David received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, majoring in American Studies. He then attended law school at William and Mary School of Law and Northwestern University School of Law. While in law school, David worked at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Following law school, he served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge John Daniel Tinder with the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.

Practice Areas

Mass Tort
Class Action
Personal Injury

Current Casework

Hair Relaxer
Depo-Provera
Oxbryta
NEC

Education

J.D., William and Mary School of Law and Northwestern University School of Law
B.A., Kenyon College

Bar & Court Admissions

Illinois, 2009
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2009
Member of the Trial Bar, 2013
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2020
Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, 2020 (Pro Hac Vice)
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, 2020 (Pro Hac Vice)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, 2021
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 2021
U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, 2021
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2021
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2022
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 2023
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Del Rio, 2023 (Pro Hac Vice)
Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Kentucky, 2024 (Pro Hac Vice)

Professional Memberships & Associations

American Association for Justice (AAJ)
Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA)
Lake County Bar Association
American Association for Justice, Committee on the Judiciary, Member, 2022-Present
American Association for Justice, Press Advisory Board, Member, 2022-Present
American Association for Justice, Publications Committee, Member, 2022-Present
American Association for Justice, Public Education Committee, Member, 2022-Present
American Association for Justice, Membership Oversight Committee, Member, 2022-present
American Association for Justice, New Lawyers Division Advocate, 2016-2018
American Association for Justice, Publications Committee for the New Lawyers Division, 2017-2018
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, AAJ State Delegate, 2022-Present
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Managers, 2020-Present
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Advocates, 2016-2019
Illinois State Bar Association, Tort Law Section, Council, 2022-Present
Illinois State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Board Council Member, 2013-2022
Illinois State Bar Association, General Assembly Representative for the 19th Judicial Circuit, 2016

Awards & Accolades

Leading Lawyer by Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s Leading Lawyers Division, 2024
American Association for Justice, Certificate of Recognition, 2023
40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch by Law Bulletin Media, 2022
Super Lawyer by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2022-2023
Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2015-2021
Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s Leading Lawyers Division, 2017-2022
Top 40 Trial Lawyers under 40 in Illinois by National Trial Lawyers Association, 2013

Publications, Legal Presentations, Speaking Engagements

American Association for Justice, Trial Magazine, Good Counsel, “Make the Most of Rebuttal in Closing Arguments,” July 2024
Illinois State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Section Newsletter, “Tips for lawyers looking to network and market themselves,” August 2014.
Illinois State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Section Newsletter, “Avoiding legal malpractice claims,” February 2016.
Moderator, Legal Malpractice Pitfalls for Young Lawyers, Illinois State Bar Association, April 20, 2015
Speaker, “Know Your Options Small Business Forum: Insurance Claims for Lost Revenue, Government Loans and Grants, and other Legal Options in the Face of Coronavirus,” City of Chicago (25th Ward), May 7, 2020.
Speaker, “Know Your Options Small Business Webinar: Business Interruption Insurance Claims,” Chambers of Commerce for Evanston, Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, and the Greater Wheeling Area (Illinois), May 28, 2020.

Community & Charitable Work

Lambs Farm
- Serves on the Board of Directors for Lambs Farm, which is a non-profit organization that serves adults with developmental disabilities, charged with oversight of financial reporting, disclosure, and management, 2023-present
The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, f/k/a Highland Park-Highwood Legal Aid Clinic
- Chairman of the Board of Directors of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, 2017-2019
The Deerfield Park Foundation
- Served on the Board of Directors for the Deerfield Park Foundation, which offers financial assistance to those in the community in need, 2018-2021
Anti-Defamation League
- Completed The Glass Leadership Institute in 2014, which is a nationally recognized young leadership development program for the Anti-Defamation League

Contact Information

Phone: 312-736-2697
Email: dan@wallacemiller.com