Mr. Williams is a lifelong resident of Illinois. He is a Barrington native, attended St. Viator High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). After college, Mr. Williams served as an investigator for the Federal Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C., before attending DePaul University’s College of Law. Mr. Williams worked his way through law school, including a post at a prominent insurance defense firm where he started his legal career.

After years representing the defense, Mr. Williams learned that his passion and talents were best served representing victims of personal injury. Since then, Mr. Williams committed to representing individuals and families whose lives have been affected by the wrongful conduct of others. His experience as a defense lawyer gives him a unique perspective and advantage when representing his clients, including a sound understanding of how insurance companies and their lawyers analyze, defend and try cases.

Mr. Williams leads a new generation of trial attorneys in Illinois. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Williams was named a “Rising Star” in the annual edition of Illinois Super Lawyers Magazine and in Chicago Magazine. Only 2.5% of the lawyers in the State of Illinois are named to this annual list. He was also named to the “40 Under 40” list of top young trial attorneys in Illinois by the National Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Williams also has a perfect “10/10” ranking on AVVO, a well-known online attorney ranking service, and many positive client reviews.

Mr. Williams is currently an active member of the legal community, including the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. He also volunteers as a Panel Attorney for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. He lives in the Chicago suburbs and enjoys tennis, coaching and spending time with his wife and three kids.

Areas of Practice:

• Personal Injury
• Worker’s Compensation

Education:

• DePaul University College of Law – JD – Juris Doctor (2007)
• Miami University of Ohio – Bachelor of Arts (2003)
• Viator H.S. (1999)

Litigation Percentage:

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

License:

• IL – Active And Authorized To Practice Law (2007)

Awards:

• Rising Star – Super Lawyers (2017)
• Top 40 under 40 – National Trial Lawyers Association (2017)
• “10 Best” Attorneys for Illinois – American Institute of Legal Counsel (2016)
• Rising Star – Super Lawyers (2016)
• Rising Star – Super Lawyers (2015)

Work Experience:

• Partner – Balke & Williams (2012 – Present)
• Associate – The Hunt Law Group (2007 – 2011)
• Law Clerk – The Hunt Law Group (2006 – 2007)
• Law Clerk – Sneckenberg, Thompson & Brody, LLP (2004 – 2006)
• Investigator – Federal Public Defender Service (2003 – 2003)

Associations:

• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association – Member (2012 – Present)
• Chicago Volunteer Legal Services – Volunteer Panel Attorney (2011 – Present)
• Chicago Bar Association, Judicial Evaluation Committee – Member (2007 – Present)

Publications:

• Chicago Tribune – Fourth lawsuit filed in wake of Carbon Live Fire E. coli outbreak (2016)

Legal Cases:

• Palmer v. Carranza (Settled)
• Harris v. Murphy & Miller (Settled)
• Powell v. City of Chicago, et al. (Settled)