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Overview
James Sloan is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP’s Chicago office. He is a member of the Tort & Catastrophic Loss and Healthcare Sections. Mr. Sloan is a trial lawyer based in Chicago who concentrates his practice on defending medical professional liability claims, while also handling commercial litigation, general liability, product liability, and construction negligence matters. He represents physicians, medical groups, healthcare institutions, and related entities in high-exposure litigation involving allegations of improper medical care, and he has tried numerous cases to verdict in state courts. In addition to his trial practice, Mr. Sloan maintains an active appellate practice, having authored numerous appellate briefs and regularly representing clients in arbitrations and before government boards. He has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois and was recognized in 2026 in The Best Lawyers in America for Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants.
Mr. Sloan serves as lead trial counsel for medical providers and healthcare institutions across a broad range of medical specialties, including neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, internal medicine, radiology, cardiology, nephrology, hematology and oncology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology and psychiatry. His experience includes defending complex medical negligence claims, product liability matters, and Legionnaires’ disease cases, as well as handling appeals in state court. Over the course of his career, he has secured defense verdicts in cases involving orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, gynecology, and automotive product claims, and has also obtained favorable summary judgments in construction and catastrophic injury matters.
Mr. Sloan earned his B.A. in American History from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1994 and his law degree in 1998 from the Chicago-Kent College of Law before working as a law clerk for the Honorable Michael J. Colwell in the Illinois Appellate Court, Second District. He is a member of the American Bar Association and has contributed to the profession through writing and speaking, including co-authoring a chapter in Commercial and Professional Liability Insurance and presenting on insurance coverage issues related to construction defects. Mr. Sloan graduated from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, and has coached his sons’ and daughter’s basketball, baseball and softball teams. In 2018, he managed the Riverside 10-year-old state baseball team, which won its District title.
Bar Admissions
Illinois
- Illinois State Courts
Missouri
- Missouri State Courts
Education
J.D.
Chicago-Kent College of Law
B.A.
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
Publications & Engagements
- “Exclusion by Risk,” Co-Author, Commercial and Professional Liability Insurance, IICLE 2002
Representative Cases & Clients
Plaintiff v. Defendant Neurosurgeon — 06/21/2019
Client: Defendant Neurosurgeon
Outcome: Appellate court affirmed judgment entered on jury verdict
• Plaintiff v. Defendant Orthopedic Surgeon and Group — 07/02/2018
Client: Defendant Orthopedic Surgeon and Group
Outcome: Verdict for the Defense
• Plaintiff v. Defendant Neurosurgeon — 06/16/2017
Client: Defendant Neurosurgeon
Outcome: Verdict for the defense
• Luttery v. Defendant Orthopedic Surgeon — 08/07/2015
Client: Defendant Orthopedic Surgeon
Outcome: Verdict for the defense
• Corral v. Defendant Gynecologist — 08/29/2013
Client: Defendant Gynecologist
Outcome: Verdict in Favor of Defendant
• Nyquist v. Defendant Neurosurgeon — 05/16/2011
Client: Defendant Neurosurgeon
Outcome: Defense Verdict
• Hight v. Defendant Emergency Room Physician — 04/01/2008
Client: Defendant Emergency Room Physician
Outcome: Defense Verdict
• Paris v. Defendants — 02/20/2008
Client: Defendant Neurosurgeon
Outcome: Defense Verdict
• Loughery v. Defendant Truck Manufacturer — 07/01/2007
Client: Defendant Truck Manufacturer
Outcome: Summary Judgment Granted in Favor of Defendant
• Hernandez v. Hospitalist, et al. — 06/01/2007
Client: Defendant Physician
Outcome: Defense Verdict
• Marsh v. Defendant Rheumatologist — 06/01/2006
Client: Defendant Rheumatologist
Outcome: Defense Verdict
• Las v. Defendant Automobile Manufacturer et al. — 10/01/2005
Client: Defendant Automobile Manufacturer
Outcome: Defense Verdict
• State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Defendant Automobile Manufacturer — 09/01/2005
Client: Defendant Automobile Manufacturer
Outcome: Defense Verdict
Awards & Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America®: Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, 2026
- Leading Lawyer (2016 and 2020)
Classes/Seminars Taught
- “Telling the Compelling Care Story and Modernizing Medical Demonstratives in Jury Trials.” Crittenden Medical Insurance Conference, San Diego, California, September 21, 2022.
- “Expert Witnesses: Find Them, Prep Them, Challenge Them.” ISBA Tort Law Section, Chicago, Illinois, December 12, 2018.
- “Construction Defects and Commercial General Liability Policies.” Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Chicago, Illinois, November 2002.
- Publications:
“Exclusion by Risk.” Commercial and Professional Liability Insurance Handbook, published by IICLE, 2002.
Practice Sections
Interdisciplinary Teams
Education
J.D.
Chicago-Kent College of Law
B.A.
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana