Dennis VanDerGinst is a nationally recognized trial lawyer, Founder and President of VanDerGinst Law, and one of the Midwest's leading advocates for individuals and families harmed by negligence. For more than thirty-five years, he has dedicated his career to helping clients recover physically, financially, and emotionally after catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.
Licensed in Illinois, Iowa, the District of Columbia, and multiple federal courts, Dennis has represented clients in matters arising from automobile accidents, commercial trucking collisions, traumatic brain injuries, medical malpractice, product liability, nursing home negligence, workplace injuries, premises liability, asbestos and mesothelioma exposure, and other complex personal injury litigation. His extensive trial and litigation experience has enabled him to successfully resolve thousands of claims while overseeing the firm's representation of tens of thousands of injury victims.
Dennis is well known for his work in trucking and catastrophic injury litigation. Throughout his career, he has developed a reputation for meticulous case preparation, strategic advocacy, and a willingness to take challenging cases to trial when necessary. His philosophy has always been that thorough preparation, credibility, and unwavering client advocacy produce the best results.
His accomplishments have earned recognition from many of the legal profession's most respected organizations. Dennis has received an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon, and has been selected to the National Association of Distinguished Counsel's Nation's Top One Percent. He is also a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
The National Trial Lawyers has recognized Dennis in numerous practice areas, including Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers, Top 25 Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers, Top 25 Brain Injury Trial Lawyers, Top 25 Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers, Top 25 Product Liability Trial Lawyers, Top 10 Nursing Home Trial Lawyers, and Top 10 Asbestos/Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers. These honors reflect decades of experience representing victims of serious and catastrophic injuries.
Beyond the courtroom, Dennis has remained deeply committed to advancing the legal profession. He has served in leadership positions within the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Iowa Association for Justice, American Association for Justice, and the Pound Civil Justice Institute. He also serves on the National Advisory Board of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, helping promote excellence in the representation of victims injured in commercial trucking collisions.
Dennis is equally passionate about legal education. He has taught Torts and Insurance Law as an adjunct professor, authored numerous legal publications, and presented continuing legal education programs across the country on subjects including trial advocacy, personal injury litigation, trucking law, mass torts, law firm leadership, and professional responsibility. As co-founder of Professionally Speaking, he helped create one of the nation's premier educational conferences for plaintiff attorneys and legal professionals.
His commitment to educating both lawyers and the public extends to Legal Squeaks, the podcast he hosts to help consumers better understand the legal system, personal injury law, and the issues that affect individuals and families every day.
Under Dennis's leadership, VanDerGinst Law has become one of the region's most respected personal injury law firms, earning the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics and numerous Reader's Choice and People's Choice awards throughout Illinois and Iowa. While proud of those honors, Dennis believes the firm's greatest achievement is the trust placed in it by thousands of clients and referring attorneys over the course of his career.
Dennis and his wife, Kim, remain actively involved in charitable and community initiatives supporting veterans, first responders, educators, families facing hardship, and animal rescue organizations. He believes that the true measure of a lawyer is not simply the verdicts obtained or awards received, but the positive impact made on clients, the legal profession, and the communities they serve.
