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 "The Simmons Firm is small enough to provide unparalleled service
to each client.
From SIU he entered Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas. After graduating law school, John practiced for two years in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1996, he returned home and then joined a local firm where he eventually was appointed head of the asbestos litigation. Since opening The Simmons Firm, LLC, John has been joined by former judge Randall A. Bono, attorney and long time friend Marcus E. Raichle, Jr., attorney S. Martin Jansky and attorney Jeffrey S. Cooper. John is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the state bar associations of Illinois, Georgia and Florida. John is married with four children. He has always been active in the community. He is currently on the Executive Board of the United Way Partnership, a member of the East Alton Rotary, and he sits on the Board of the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Alumni Association.
"Asbestos litigation requires detailed attention to medical and legal research.
From 1992 until 1994, Marcus worked as a Legal Assistant and as the Development Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri. He graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1992, where he received a scholarship and two Distinguished Service Awards for his work as Editor-In-Chief of the law school newspaper, Baculus. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Business. He graduated high school from John Burroughs High School in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was elected Vice President of his class and Chief Justice of the Student Court as a senior. Marcus was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but has lived primarily in St. Louis, Missouri. Marcus is married with a family of four. He is an avid amateur sailor. He is a member of the Carlyle Sailing Association, the United States Sailing Association and the Flying Scot Sailing Association. He regularly participates in club races.
"We work to be 100% prepared. A key to our success in the courtroom is our preparation and the ability to use this information to better represent our clients."- Ted Gianaris For the last five years, Ted N. Gianaris has concentrated his practice in civil trial work. The emphasis of his law practice has been asbestos litigation on behalf of injured workers. Ted is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. Both groups are dedicated to protecting victim's rights. Ted graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Law where he was an editor of the Southern Illinois University Law Journal and a member of the Trial Advocacy Moot Court Team. During law school, he worked at the Southern Illinois Coal Miners' Black Lung Clinic. At the clinic he handled black lung claims for injured coal miners. Ted was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina and is married with four children. "Our attorneys work as a team, supported by an incredible support staff and a vast network of medical and technical experts. Together, we research every aspect of the case to make sure we are 100% prepared." - Jeff S. Cooper
In addition to his private practice, Jeff also serves as an Assistant State's Attorney for Madison County and as the City Prosecutor for Granite City, Illinois. In 2000, Jeff was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives from the 20th District of Illinois. Jeff is a member of the American Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the Madison County Bar Association. Jeff and his wife, Francesca, recently celebrated the birth of their first child, Jack. They live in Edwardsville, Illinois and are active in numerous community organizations. "Our clients know they are our first priority because we give them the respect and care they deserve. We take the time to answer each client's questions and concerns, and we keep our clients well informed throughout their cases. " - S. Martin Jansky
Prior to his legal career, Martin lived in Central Europe and worked for Anheuser-Busch International. As sales manager for the Central Europe area, he negotiated distribution agreements, developed market penetration strategies and conducted company public relations in Russia and the emerging Central European markets. He is proficient in both the Czech and German languages. Martin obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991 from Tulane University in New Orleans, where he attended on a full scholarship. While at Tulane University, he became a Tulane Honor Scholar, was co-captain of the university soccer team and sang baritone with the New Orleans Symphony Chorus. He is the recipient of several honors, including the Silver Congressional Award for Public Service. Martin is licensed in Illinois, Missouri and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Jansky is also a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and the American Bar Association. During off hours, Martin dedicates some of his time to serving the legal needs of the underprivileged. However, on Sunday mornings, you can often find him singing with the gospel choir at St. Alphonsus "Rock" Church, located in north St. Louis. "The Simmons Firm is exclusively dedicated to battling for our clients who have suffered as a result of asbestos exposure. Our clients serve as an inspiration to us all - in our pursuit of justice, we strive to provide representation equal to their courage, determination and dignity." - James F. Kelly
Prior to his legal career, James worked as Public Relations Director for an educational textbook company that achieved national publicity for its innovative scholastic program. While working full-time in public relations and advertising, James obtained his master's degree in creative writing and was published as a guest columnist in a large metropolitan newspaper. James and his wife, Kari, make their home in Edwardsville where James enjoys cooking his latest award-winning chili recipes.
"Each case may be different, but each client is a person whose health
and life completely changed due to someone else's negligence. I've
seen well over a decade's worth of
"Doing this work can really change a person's perspective. I can't drive pass a refinery or powerhouse anymore without thinking about the hard-working folks who built our industrial structure over the past 60 years, and about the terrible price many of them paid as a result of being exposed to asbestos in the process. I just hope the work we do here not only provides some compensation for those folks and their families, but also helps to prevent anything like this from ever happening again." - William A. Kohlburn William A. Kohlburn became associated with The Simmons Firm in 2001. He attended the University of Illinois and graduated 4th in his class from Washington University School of Law in 1987. Bill has been involved in mass tort litigation since the early 1990's. He concentrates his efforts in the areas of appeals, motions and defendant discovery. |
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John Simmons grew up in Southern Illinois. He was honorably discharged in 1988 from the U.S. Army where he served as a combat engineer. While serving in the Army, John was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Expert Badge for Rifle and Grenade. He then entered Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he made his mark as Student Body President and earned a position in the Dean's College.
Since 1994, Marcus E. Raichle, Jr. has exclusively concentrated his practice in asbestos litigation and participated in the litigation of over 1,500 asbestos cases. He is admitted to practice law in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Oklahoma. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America as a member of the Section on Toxic, Environmental, and Pharmaceutical Torts, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Madison County Bar Association, and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. Marcus designed and programmed the firm's database, and he has developed software for the administration and litigation of the firm's asbestos caseload.
Jeffrey S. Cooper has practiced law since he graduated from St. Louis University School of Law in 1995. From 1995 until 1998, he worked for a Chicago firm, which served as counsel for all rail labor organizations in the United States. In 1998, Jeff moved back home to Madison County, Illinois.
S. Martin Jansky joined The Simmons Firm after working in toxic tort litigation for a St. Louis, Missouri law firm. During his career in both St. Louis and Washington, D.C., he also helped litigate cases involving medical malpractice, contract disputes and trademark law. He is a 1995 graduate of the St. Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri.
James F. Kelly joined The Simmons Firm after serving several years as an Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General. During his career at the Attorney General's Office, James prosecuted over 400 felony cases, drafted official Attorney General opinions and represented the Governor, the Attorney General, county judges and state correctional officials in state and federal courts. James also advised federal law enforcement agencies regarding state law issues. Several of his cases were published in regional and national law reports. In earlier private practice, James was involved in civil and appellate litigation in numerous high-profile cases.
Since Randall A. Bono joined The Simmons Firm, he concentrates his practice in the areas of asbestos litigation, other toxic tort issues and alternative dispute resolution. He is licensed to practice in Illinois. In November 1995, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Randy as Circuit Judge for the Third Judicial Circuit, Madison County. Since then, he has also served as Associate Judge and Chief Associate Judge. He entered the field of asbestos litigation in 1986 and tried the first asbestos cases in Madison County, Illinois. His efforts resulted in multiple multi-million dollar verdicts. He began his law practice in 1976, handling construction accidents, Workers' Compensation claims and FELA cases. 